BAIN MUSC 525
Post-Tonal Theory

Blended Course Information

About the Blended Course Format 

This course is being offered as a blended course. Most of the work in this course will occur online in Blackboard. Online activities and in-class activities are designed to build on each other. Active participation in class and completion of the online assignments/activities in a timely manner are all critical to success in this course. The learning modules in Blackboard are organized into weekly assignments/activities that include links to online videos, recordings, podcasts, broadcasts, scores, readings, analyses, quizzes, theory exercises, and software.

This course meets face-to-face two times per week (Mondays/Wednesdays). The typical activities in the face-to-face classroom include lecture, interacting with your instructor and classmates, open question and answer sessions, analytical discussions, review sessions, etc. Assignments/activities are completed asynchronously by students in lieu of a Friday meeting.

This class will follow the the university's attendance policy. Attendance will be taken at every face-to-face meeting and the attendance record (unexcused, excused, tardy) will be posted in Blackboard. It is the student's responsibility to sign the attendance sheet on a daily basis and check the Blackboard attendance record for accuracy. Attendance is subject to the university's "5% Rule," and the instructor may exact a one letter-grade penalty if this student exceeds this threshold. For more information, see the university's Attendance Policy document which is available online at:

Course Communication

I will be communicating with you regarding grades and assignments. If you need to get in touch with me, the best method is via email. Generally, I will reply to emails within one business day.

If you are having trouble with this course or its material, you should contact me in person, or via email, to discuss the issues.

Announcements will be posted the Blackboard course whenever necessary. If there is any other information I think is important, I will send it to the email address you have registered in Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email account works properly in order to receive email. For more information, visit:

Links to videos, articles, assignments, quizzes, rubrics, etc. are located on Blackboard. To participate in the learning activities and complete assignments, you will need to have:

• Access to a working computer that has a current operating system with updates installed, plus speakers or headphones
• Reliable Internet access and a USC email account
• A current Internet browser that is compatible with Blackboard (Google Chrome is the recommended browser for Blackboard)
• Microsoft Word as your word processing program
• Reliable data storage for your work, such as a USB drive or cloud storage (e.g., Office365 OneDrive).

If your computer does not have Microsoft 365, it is available to you free of charge. For more information, visit:

USC DoIT, Microsoft 365 Apps
https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/division_of_information_technology/academic_technologies/blackboard/

Minimum Technical Skills Needed 

Minimum technical skills are needed in this course. Most course work will be completed and submitted in Blackboard. Therefore, you must have consistent and reliable access to a computer and the Internet. The minimum technical skills you have include the ability to:

• Organize and save electronic files;
• Use of USC email and attached files;
• Check email and Blackboard daily;
• Download and upload documents;
• Locate information with a browser; and
• Use Blackboard.

Technical Support 

If you have problems with your computer, technology, IT-related questions, support, including Blackboard, please contact the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) Service Desk at (803) 777-1800 or submit an online request through the IT Service Portal. If you are located in the Columbia, SC area, the Thomas Cooper Library at USC has computers for you to use in case you encounter computer issues/problems. If you are not located in the Columbia, SC area, most regional campuses and public libraries have computers for public use.

Reference

USC, Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), Syllabus Templates. Available online at: <https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/syllabus_templates/>.