Topics in Music Cognition

Catalog description

Music is present in all known human cultures, yet it varies substantially across societies. Which musical features are shared across cultures, and why? What neural, cognitive, and cultural mechanisms support music-making? What processes shape the musical structures we observe around the world, such as tuning systems, scales, meters, and key systems? What forces drive musical evolution, and how does music change in response to shifting fashions, social dynamics, and external events? In this seminar, we will read key papers from the music cognition and music perception literature and develop nuanced answers to these questions. We will trace a range of methodological approaches, including behavioral experiments, corpus studies, computational modeling, case studies, music analysis, and ethnography, and consider how each contributes to our understanding of music perception, production, and cultural transmission. The seminar is intended for advanced undergraduate students and requires the ability to read and discuss scientific papers. It is suitable for students in cognitive science, psychology, music, linguistics, computer science, anthropology, and related fields who are interested in developing an in-depth understanding of the music cognition literature.