FAQs

• Will you be sending emails/announcements weekly as reminders for us to know when something is due/upcoming?

  • • Yes. I will post on the Slack #chat channel every Monday, and sometimes later in the week as well. At the end of each unit, I will also post reminders late in the week when checkpoints are due. 

• What if I have a question? 

  • • Check if it's addressed on this FAQ page.

    • If others will benefit from the answer, post on the #questions channel on Slack. 

    • If you don't want to ask Prof. S, post on the #students-only channel on Slack or ask your teammates (often this is best for a quick response).

    • If your question is personal/private, send DM (direct message) on Slack to @Prof. S

    • Only if you cannot access Slack, email Prof. S at Carolyn.Stallard@brooklyn.cuny.edu

    • ***Only email Carolyn.Stallard@brooklyn.cuny.edu. Prof. S may not see your email if you send it to one of her other CUNY accounts. She prefers DMs on Slack***
      
      

• What if I have an extenuating circumstance? 

  • • If something is making it difficult for you to participate, NOTIFY PROF. S ASAP. Do not go silent for a month. Prof. S wants to support your success, and communication is key. 

    • Instead of "Hey Prof. S, I stopped participating for two months because [reason], can I make up all the work now?" let Prof. S know up front that something is making it difficult for you to participate.

    • She will work with you to find alternative ways to succeed in the course, and it helps a ton if you communicate promptly rather than weeks or months later.
      
      

• Are there office hours for this course? 

  • • There are no in-person office hours. 

    • Occasionally Prof. S will have drop-in Zoom sessions. She will notify you when this is the case. 

    • DM Prof. S to set up one-on-one Zoom meetings, or schedule a time to chat on Slack if you don't want to have a video meeting.
      
      

• Do I ever need to be on Zoom for this course? 

  • • No. This is an asynchronous course - log in each week and complete work on your own. There will be optional opportunities to meet on Zoom. Prof. S will post announcements when these are happening.
      
      

• I messaged Prof. S on Saturday. She didn't respond so I messaged twice more. Now it's Sunday and she still hasn't responded. What gives?!

  • • Prof. S is a human with multiple jobs and responsibilities. 

    • If you message on a weekday, she will do her best to respond within 24-48 hours. 

    • If you message on a weekend, she will not respond until Monday. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

    • If you know you have a question, ask it well before the weekend.  
      
      

• I need help. What can I do? 

  • • Post on #students-only or #questions on Slack, ask your teammates, or DM Prof. S. 

    • Exchange contact info. with someone in the course. Having an accountability buddy can be useful! 

    • For help with personal situations beyond MUSC 3101: Refer to Brooklyn College's Division of Student Affairs. BC offers a wide array of free services for students including personal counseling, telemedical and in-person health appointments, conflict resolution services (Office of Judicial Affairs), a women's support center (the oldest in the nation!), the Center for Student Disability Services, etc. Click here for full list of services.
      
      

• Can we have a monthly Zoom check-in to interact with peers and the professor? 

  • • Absolutely. One reason I teach asynchronous courses is that I don't always have strong enough wifi for video calls, but as long as I can find strong wifi to run a Zoom session, we can have an optional monthly check-in. Maybe sometimes more frequently than just once per month. 

• What's the difference between replying in a thread and making a new post? 

  • • This is the same as any message platform; replying in a thread organizes your conversation so that all responses to a post are housed in one place. When you make a new post, that appears on the channel as its own message.
      
      

• Why is it so important to reply rather than make new posts? 

  • • There are 72 students in this course. Imagine how quickly a channel could get disorganized if everyone was making new posts when they meant to reply to something. Replying in threads keeps conversations and channels neat and organized.
      
      

• Will we always have to reply rather than make new posts? 

  • • No. When you share new information - like posting a song on the #listen channel, or proposing a discussion question for everyone - you can make a new post. 

• Are our teams permanent? 

  • • At the end of each unit, I'll check in and have a chance for anyone to change teams.
      
      

• Someone from my team isn't participating.

  • • You will still receive points individually. Let me know if someone is routinely not active on the team.
      
      

• Do we have to use Slack with our team? 

  • • It might be easier so you don't need to access another app for the course, but it's up to you. If you'd prefer to communicate with your team elsewhere, you can.
      
      

• I don't love groupwork. Do I need to participate in the missions? 

  • • First, understand that this isn't groupwork. You choose a topic together as a team, but everyone does their work individually. However, if you'd prefer to do things totally solo, you can focus on side quests and monthly or semester-long projects. Just notify your team so they know you won't regularly be participating. 

• What is included in a weekly lesson?

  • • There is always a choice of material to engage with for a lesson: A podcast, music video, documentary, short YouTube video, article, website, etc. You are typically expected to check out at least half of the material posted, unless instructions state otherwise.
      
      

• How long will videos or audio be? 

  • • Sometimes lessons include short videos or audio - like a 5-minute YouTube video. When longer media is included - such as a 30-min documentary or podcast - the instructions will give a choice to skip other lesson material if you watch/listen to the longer material.
      
      

• How long should I expect to spend on lessons? 

  • • If this were a face-to-face course, we'd meet for three hours per week, with an additional hour or two of HW. Each lesson is set up to (hopefully) take less than three hours of your time. If it's taking you significantly longer, let's talk.
      
      

• What kind of topics/music will we study? 

  • • Click the "Schedule" tab to find a breakdown of each week's topic. They are split up by world regions.
      
      

• How can we find a future week's requirements in advance? 

  • • The routine is the same every week. Log onto this website, access the weekly lesson, then decide what tasks to complete. All tasks are listed on the Quickstart Guide tab. Same routine every week.
      
      

• Will we be able to access lessons in advance so we can get ahead in the course? 

  • • No. Even though I've taught this course before, I still have to update lesson material, check that links work, make new Google Forms, make new videos, clarify anything that students are confused about, etc. That all takes a lot of time. I only get paid 1 hour of prep time per week, so new lessons will emerge one week at a time. The course will unfold the same way an in-person class would, if you had to attend a session weekly. 

• Where should I submit my work? 

  • • We will use Slack and Google Forms for most interactions and submissions. The exceptions are the four checkpoints - those will appear on Blackboard. Blackboard is good at auto-grading, so having the checkpoints on Blackboard saves Prof. S from having to manually grade each submission.
      
      

• Will there be exams? 

  • • Not in the traditional sense. Each checkpoint will ask you to share things you learned in a unit, but you will not be graded on your answers.
      
      

• Where do I find assignments? 

  • • The Quickstart Guide on this website includes a list of tasks you can choose to complete for points. You never have to do all the tasks; choose whatever is most appealing to you. 
      
      

• What if I miss an assignment? 

  • • In this course you need 100 points for an A+, but there are opportunities to earn 220 points. You don't need to do all assignments; if you miss one, just plan to do other things the following week.
      
      

• Will Prof. S accept late work? 

  • • No. The course is set up so you are never penalized for missing work. Because there are so many options for points, accepting late work means a lot more grading for Prof. S (she once spent all of Christmas Eve grading when she allowed late work submissions...never doing that again...). Instead, if you miss a chance for points, adjust your plan and earn points in a future week.
      
      

• What if life makes it hard for me to participate? 

  • • Contact Prof. S ASAP. She wants to support your success, and it's a lot easier to do so and find a path that works for you for your situation if you contact her early instead of two weeks before grades are due.
      
      

• Will there be extra credit? 

  • • The term "extra credit" doesn't feel applicable to this system. In most classes, you have opportunities to earn exactly the amount of points you need for an A+ and no more. In those classes, extra credit makes sense. Here, you have opportunities to earn 220 points, and you need 100 for an A+. Technically, you could say there are 120 points of extra credit available. But I'd rather just avoid the term completely 😅

    • 25 of the 220 points are "bonus" points. 10 points are hidden in the course, 5 were from icebreakers, and 10 are for submitting checkpoints on time.   
      
      

• I have two ideas for a semester-long project. Can I submit two proposals, then finalize which one I'll pursue when I submit my first draft? 

  • • Sure!
      
      

• Is there a word count for assignments? 

  • • No. As long as you meet the requirements, you're fine (ie: If a task asks you to share ten facts and cite three sources, I expect to read ten facts and three citations. Word count doesn't matter).
      
      

• If I submit a task and don't get points, can I re-do it? 

  • • In Unit 1, I will provide feedback for all tasks and allow edits if you missed something. In Units 2-4, the small and medium-sized tasks will be pass/fail (either you meet the requirements, or you don't). Just follow the list of instructions and you'll get full points.
      
      

• What sorts of submissions wouldn't earn points? 

  • • Lack of citations: If the instructions ask to cite sources, I expect full citations, not a URL pasted at the bottom of the page. 

    • Anything that isn't relevant to the lesson: If you share a new US pop song when we are learning about music from Asia, you will not score points; everything needs to be relevant to the lesson. Demonstrate that you explored the weekly lesson and learned from it. 

      • • If we are learning about the tradition of water music in Vanuatu, you will not get points for writing about Handel's European classical piece, Water Music. That shows that you did not explore the lesson, since those are two very different things (yes, this has happened before).

    • Sweeping stereotypes/generalizations: If we are learning about music from a culture that is different than yours, please be respectful. 

      • • Avoid words like "primitive," and only use "tribal" if you can make a strong argument for why it's applicable. If you're not sure if a term is respectful or applicable, it's probably best to avoid it. 

        • When learning about music from the continent of Africa, do not say The Lion King represents all of Africa. Please don't. You can do a cultural critique of music from The Lion King and explore if it is accurate to music genres from Africa, but do not tell me The Lion King represents all of Africa. It does not.

    • Most submissions will earn full points. Situations like the ones above are rare. As long as your submission is relevant to the lesson and follows the instructions, you'll earn full points. 

• How many points do I need for an A+?
  100

• Where can I find my score?
  Log onto Blackboard. Click "My Grades." Look at the TOP NUMBER ONLY of your score (I can't change how Blackboard works; ignore the bottom number). Compare the number in the "Total" column to the conversion chart on this site (click "Grading").

• I missed chances for points. Am I behind?!
  There will be opportunities to earn 220 points in this course. That's more than double what you need for an A+

• How do I know my score was updated?
  There will be an emoji and/or a comment on your submission. Once you see an emoji, your score should be updated. If the emoji is there and your score did not change, DM Prof. S Tuesday or later that week. Scores are updated every Monday. 

• I submitted something Friday and it is now Saturday. Why isn't my score updated yet???
  Thank you for your patience. Scores are updated every week on Monday. It takes time to read submissions for so many students. 

• My score seems wrong. What should I do?
  Check if there is an emoji on your submission. If you don't see an emoji, or if you see one but your total is not accurate, DM Prof. S. that same week, not five weeks later. 

• I wasn't monitoring my score and I think there is a mistake from three weeks ago. Will Prof. S fix it?
  No. It is your responsibility to monitor your score and report errors within one week for changes to be made.  

• What are checkpoints?
  Opportunities to provide feedback and demonstrate what you've learned in each unit.
  
  

• How will I know when a checkpoint is available?
  They will be posted during the last week of each unit. Click "Schedule" in the navigation bar for due dates. "Complete checkpoint" will also be mentioned in the weekly task list when a checkpoint is due (Sunday of Week 4 is the first due date).
  
  

• Are they worth points?
  No, but you must complete all four checkpoints to pass MUSC 3101. If you submit two on time, receive a +5 bonus. If you submit all four on time, receive a +10 bonus.  
  
  

• What happens if I don't complete a checkpoint?
  You will not earn points for the next unit until you've completed the previous checkpoint. If you have a checkpoint missing after the end of the term, you fail the course.
  
  

• Do I need to study for checkpoints?
  No, they are surveys. Describe what you've learned, rate your experience, offer ideas for activities in the course, etc.
  
  

• When are they due?
  At the end of each unit, always Sunday, 11:59 PM. Refer to our schedule for exact dates.
  
  

• I forgot about the checkpoint and missed the deadline. What now?
  You can (and must) still complete the checkpoint. There is no penalty for late checkpoints, you just won't earn the +5 bonuses for submitting on time. 

• What should I do on Monday?
  Open our Google Site, access the new lesson, read the introduction, and make a plan for the week. 

• When is work due?
  The same time every week: Sunday at 11:59 PM.

• Can I submit work without accessing the lesson?
  Bad idea. You are expected to explore at least half the lesson material each week. 

• Can I hand in work late?
  No. Prof. S allowed late submissions one semester and wound up grading straight through Christmas Eve. There are opportunities to earn 220 points in this course, you only need 100 for an A+. 

• Will I get partial credit for submitting work after 11:59 PM on Sunday?
  No. You must submit everything by Sunday, 11:59 PM each week. 

• I can't participate because [holiday, religious observance, emergency, etc.]. Can I hand in work late?
  No. See above. This course is designed so that you don't need to stress if you can't participate in any given week. Exception: If you have an extenuating circumstance, communicate this to Prof. S and we can work to find a solution. Communicate asap; I can't help as much if you tell me five weeks later. 

• Does that mean I can peace out for a month?
  No. While it is okay to miss a week here and there, you are still expected to participate in the majority of the course. 

• Would you consider writing recommendation letters for students? 

  • • If you participate consistently in the course and give ample time for writing the recommendation, sure!

• Is music evolving? Can we expect new genres of music in the far future similarly or at we at the peak in terms of our music creativity? If yes, what are some influences that contribute to the development of new genres of music?

  • • Great question. Short answer: Music is always evolving, and I have no doubt new genres will emerge, but I don't think they will ever be totally unique. We'll explore examples this semester like Grime music in London; it's similar to hip-hop, but there are differences. 

    • To more fully answer your question, we'll have to discover what we learn in the coming weeks so we can each decide for ourselves how to answer these questions 🙂
      
      

• Oh hey, what's this? 

As thanks for reading the FAQs page, here's a bonus! Only a handful of students find it. For 1 bonus point, DM Prof. S, mention that you found this (any time before the end of the semester), and share at least one of the following:

• An idea for improving something about the course 

• Something that didn't work for you. Explain what it was and why it didn't work (how specific instructions were presented, how Prof. S communicates, an activity, etc.) 

• Something you like so far (the way information is presented, a specific project, a video, etc.)

• A question that should be added to this FAQ page

• Any other feedback