Course content

The bachelor's thesis in musicology is based on an independently chosen topic and designed in consultation with a supervisor. The purpose with the thesis is to give the student an opportunity to specialise in a field of their own interest, regardless of whether it’s a study of Nordic hip hop, music therapy, Baroque opera, Sámi music, Norwegian music education, queer pop stars, or something else, the thesis gives students a chance to specialise in their own area of interest. This course provides students with foundational competencies in pursuing and completing a longer, independently developed, written academic text. Through this course, students will develop a range of academic skills, such as bibliographic searching, information retrieval, research ethics, empirical data collection, source criticism, large-scale writing and oral presentation. The study can be carried out as for instance a literature study or through empirical data collection, interviews, archival research or data management, and by using for instance musical analysis or discourse analysis and relevant theory.

For students interested in pursuing a more practice-based study, there is the possibility of combining the thesis with a short internship at a relevant musical/cultural institution as long as an agreement can be made between the Department and the chosen institution by week 5 of the calendar year..

The thesis marks the summation of a student’s studies throughout the bachelor program and provides a foundation for further studies and independent research such as our master’s program.

The bachelor thesis must normally be written in Norwegian. If the bachelor thesis is written in English or another non-Scandinavian language, it must have a Norwegian summary.

Learning outcome

A candidate with a completed bachelor's thesis in musicology has the following knowledge and skills

Knowledge:

Students who complete MUSV2033 successfully will have:

• Deepened their knowledge of their topic of study and how it fits within the larger field of musicology.
• Gained insights into different research methods.
• Gained knowledge about analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• Gained knowledge of a particular musical vocation or institution (for students pursuing a practice-based study)

Skills:

Students who complete MUSV2033 successfully will have:

• Learned how to retrieve and use relevant reference literature
• Learned how to write, structure, and format a large-scale academic text.
• Learned how to integrate data, practice, theory, and reflection (for students pursuing a practice-based study)
• Developed skills in presenting their work orally.

General competence

Students who complete MUSV2033 successfully will have:

• Learned how to plan and pursue an independent project over a longer period of time
• Deepened their understanding of disciplinary conventions and interdisciplinary inquiry
• Developed skills in reflecting on their own research methods and academic practice
• Developed a sensitivity toward research ethics and academic citizenship

Learning methods and activities

The main form of teaching for this course is individual supervision, a minimum of three meetings, with an assigned supervisor. In addition, there is a seminar series that offers general training in academic writing, finding source materials, and research ethics. At the final seminar all students present and give feedback on each other’s projects.

The seminars are compulsory and demand minimum 80% attendance. For students pursuing a practice-based study, there will be a brief internship of one to two months at a relevant musical/cultural institution, to be agreed between supervisor, student, and institution.

Compulsory assignments

• Supervision with assigned supervisor
• Satisfactory participation in compulsory seminars
• Oral presentation of project

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Passed MUSV1017, MUSV1032, MUSV1033 og MUSV2008

Credit reductions