Music Musicology (Thesis) (M.A.): Gender and Women's Studies (45 credits)
Offered by: Music (Schulich School of Music)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The Master of Arts in Music; Musicology - Gender and Women’s Studies focuses on issues centrally related to gender, sexuality, feminist theory, and/or women’s studies.
Students admitted to the Master of Arts in Music; Musicology - Gender and Women’s Studies program who have undergraduate degrees other than the B.Mus.; Major in Music History from McGill University, may be required to successfully complete one or more undergraduate course(s) before completion of the Master’s program.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (30 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUHL 529 | Proseminar in Musicology. | 3 |
Proseminar in Musicology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of selected methodologies in musicology through critical examination of significant texts. Topics may include approaches to historiography, biography, editing and source studies, as well as aesthetics, literary criticism, semiology, feminist musicology, and ideology critique. Works by Adler, Adorno, Dahlhaus, Kerman, McClary, Meyer, Nattiez, and Subotnik, among others, will be addressed. | ||
| WMST 601 | Feminist Theories and Methods. | 3 |
Feminist Theories and Methods. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of feminist theories and research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. | ||
Thesis Courses
The candidate will undertake supervised research leading to a thesis that will be an in-depth investigation in some specialized field of Musicology on a topic centrally related to issues of Gender and/or Women's Studies.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUGS 683 | Master's Thesis Research 1. | 3 |
Master's Thesis Research 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor. | ||
| MUGS 685 | Master's Thesis Research 3. | 9 |
Master's Thesis Research 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor. | ||
| MUGS 686 | Master's Thesis Research 4. | 12 |
Master's Thesis Research 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor. | ||
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUHL 591D1 | Paleography. | 1.5 |
Paleography. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The theory and practice of musical transcription for the period 1100 to 1600. Black modal notation, Franconian notation, French and Italian Ars Nova notation, Mannerism, white mensural notation, proportions, and lute and keyboard tablatures will be studied. | ||
| MUHL 591D2 | Paleography. | 1.5 |
Paleography. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See MUHL 591D1 for course description. | ||
| MUHL 592 | Popular Music Studies. | 3 |
Popular Music Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of scholarly methods used in the study of popular music. Topics will include a broad range of issues related to music analysis, including technical-stylistic approaches as well as ideas about analytical pertinence, aesthetics, and semiotics. Introduction to approaches associated with the sociology of music, sound studies, media studies, gender and critical race studies. These topics will be explored through a range of readings, and the analysis of selected recordings. | ||
6 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUHL 680 | Seminar in Musicology 1. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
| MUHL 681 | Seminar in Musicology 2. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
| MUHL 682 | Seminar in Musicology 3. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
| MUHL 683 | Seminar in Musicology 4. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
| MUHL 684 | Seminar in Musicology 5. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 5. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
| MUHL 685 | Seminar in Musicology 6. | 3 |
Seminar in Musicology 6. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in musicology. Topic varies by year. | ||
3 credits of seminars at the 600 level or higher, approved by the Schulich School of Music.
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WMST 602 | Feminist Research Symposium. | 3 |
Feminist Research Symposium. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Discussion and development of participants' research in gender and women's studies. | ||
Or a 3-credit seminar at the 600 level or higher, on gender/women's issues, which may be selected from within or outside of the Schulich School of Music. The selection must be approved by the Musicology Area.