I finally got Moodle working on my computer, so I spent some time writing up some teaching materials in order to present a portfolio site. I need to get out some of the materials I have on planning for online courses so I can go through the entire process. In order to put my best foot forward I shouldn’t take any shortcuts. In the past I have written course syllabi without fully understanding the goals and objectives first. Let me use this as a means to practice syllabus writing so that I can plan the best possible online classes.

Here are the three courses I have briefly outlined on Moodle so far. While I clearly have not fleshed out these courses, the descriptions are a good start.

An Aesthetics of African American Music

This course will address some common aspects of African American music, seeking to make a statement about the broad aesthetic values associated with the music. In addition to listening to, considering, and discussing a number of musical examples, we will draw upon resources from musicological, historical, anthropological, and philosophical literature. Our goal is not to define a monolithic aesthetics of the music, choosing rather to expand upon our ability to thoughtfully consider the music within its broader historical and cultural context.

Three Atlantic Revolutions: America France, and Haiti

This course will touch upon the interconnectivity of three separate but related revolutions of the late 18th century: the American, French, and Haitian revolutions.

The Blues and African American History

This course will address a number of historical and aesthetic issues associated with the musical genre known generally as the blues. Rather than presenting a survey of the entirety of this diverse music, we will listen to, read about, consider, and discuss select artists and styles of the blues, situating the people and their music within the broader historical discourse of the African American experience.