Emic-Etic documents are two-part assignments – Please do both parts back-to-back to fully experience the difference between a song you know well (emic) and one you’re unfamiliar with (etic). For Part 1 (Emic) DO NOT use a song that comes up randomly in a playlist – please choose the song yourself. Please submit your assignments in Canvas using a PDF or .docx format by the due date. I do not accept late submissions without a university-approved excuse or accommodation. Given the size of this class, which has over 100 students, it is essential to adhere to this policy.
Part 1 – Emic documentation: First, listen to any song of your choosing, then document the following
1. What you listened to? List the song title, band or artist name, year created, published, or posted, album, and style/genre of the music. (see the example below for formatting)
2. Where did you listen? List the location, date/time, and platform (Spotify, YouTube, Vinyl, CD, etc) (see the example below for formatting)
3. Why did you choose the song? Write a detailed description. (Was it your mood, activity, or a special occasion?) How does it make you feel? (see the example below for formatting)
Part 2 – Etic documentation: Immediately after completing part 1, listen to the song posted by the professor (see below), then document the following
4. Observe and analyze your experience while listening to the song posted by the professor. How does this song make you feel? How did your experience differ from your chosen song for part 1? (see the example below for formatting)
5. What questions did these new experiences make you think about? (see the example below for formatting)
Remember, this assignment is NOT a song analysis, it is an analysis of how each song makes you feel and think, and writing about those experiences and their differences. (Rubric: Q1, 2, 3, 5 = 1 point each, Q4 = 3 points) You must answer all items above to get full credit for your submission. Incomplete or poorly written answers do not get credit.
You will receive the etic song description and information in your Canvas comments when the assignment is graded.
EXAMPLE SUBMISSION and FORMAT TO USE:
Peter Janson – EE 8
Part 1:
Song I Listened To:
Title: “She’s Leaving Home”
Artist: The Beatles
Year Released: 1967
Album: Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Style/Genre: mid-20th century pop
Location/Details:
Date: 09-14-2024
Location: in my dorm room
Time: 9:30 PM
Platform: Vinyl
Why I Chose the Song:
I selected “She’s Leaving Home” after watching a YouTube episode by Rick Beato, where he analyses the melody and chord structure of the song. His analysis made me curious to hear the whole song, so I dug out my old album and listened to the full track for this assignment. As I listened, I realized the song made me feel much sadder than I had expected, even though I was familiar with the song from a while back. I have always liked the song, but I didn’t expect it to evoke such strong emotions in me.
Part 2:
My Etic Experience:
While listening to the music provided by the professor, I was tempted to use an app to gather information about the song. However, since I’m not supposed to do that for this assignment, I refrained. The etic song made me feel __________. I’m not entirely sure why, but I definitely had a sense of __________. In comparison to my experience with the first song, I found that my chosen song made me feel really sad, while the etic song evoked a different emotion, making me feel __________.
My Questions:
How does music _______ (etc) (be as expressive and questioning as you like)
END EXAMPLE:
Please remember the following:
UMass Boston has a policy prohibiting the use of AI for this assignment. Therefore, aside from factual information such as release dates, titles, and genres, if you utilize AI (or any search engine/database) to research a song, you cannot copy and paste that information, as it would not be considered your original work. You may use Grammarly to identify common writing errors, but do not use it to “improve” or otherwise change your writing—what you produce should reflect your own thoughts!
