3.4. Organization of Students' Independent Extracurricular Work

Students' independent extracurricular work involves preparing seminar presentations and papers, carrying out practical research assignments, and preparing creative
assignments for course credit; as well as reviewing lecture material and recommended reading in preparation for the rating-based assessment and the exam.
3.4.1. Recommendations for Preparing a Presentation for a Seminar Session
1. Choose a topic for your presentation.
2. Compile a list of sources on the chosen topic, drawing on the reading recommended for the course, and also select additional sources (see «Recommendations for Compiling an Additional Bibliography»).
3. After studying the sources, define the aim and objectives of your presentation and draw up its
outline.
4. When drawing up the outline, remember that it should include
a short introduction presenting the topic, a main body, and a conclusion
(summing up what has been said and drawing the audience's attention to
its main points). A list of the sources used is also required.
5. Proceed to actually writing the presentation, consulting your instructor during the process as needed.
6. While working on the presentation, be sure to identify the main ideas and
material for examples, and try to make its content accessible and engaging for your audience.
7. Format the presentation carefully, paying attention to the correct presentation of
footnotes and the list of references.
8. It is desirable that your presentation be accompanied by an electronic slide presentation and visual and audio materials.
3.4.2. Recommendations for Compiling an Additional Bibliography
1. Study the content of the lecture on the assigned topic.
2. Study the recommended core and supplementary reading on this topic.
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3. Search for sources not included on the list in: 1) the department reading room; 2) the university reading room; 3) the university
library; 4) city libraries; 5) the Internet.
4. Your bibliography may include books, journal articles in
your field and related fields, articles from collections of scholarly papers,
proceedings of scientific-practical conferences at various levels,
and e-books and articles from Internet resources.
5. At least two-thirds of the bibliography should consist of sources published within the last five years.
6. The additional bibliography you compile has no limit on the number of sources, but must include at least 5
entries.
7. The bibliography must be formatted in accordance with the current bibliographic description standard.
3.4.3. Recommendations for Writing a Research Paper
1. Choose a topic for your research paper.
2. Compile a list of sources (at least 15 sources).
3. Study the selected sources.
4. Define the aim and objectives of the paper.
5. Draw up an outline for the paper. Its required parts are:
- a table of contents listing section titles and page numbers;
- an introduction (the relevance of the topic, the degree to which the problem has been studied, the aim
and objectives of the work);
- several section paragraphs (at least 3) with their numbering and
titles;
- a conclusion (summarizing the work, the degree to which the aim and
objectives were achieved, and conclusions);
- a list of references, formatted in accordance with
the current standard;
- an appendix (an additional section including illustrations,
diagrams, lesson plans, program excerpts, etc.)
6. Proceed to writing, consulting your instructor as
needed.
7. Format the paper, paying particular attention to the correct
formatting of the list of references and citations.
8. Select illustrative material that will make your paper more interesting and visual.
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9. The paper is prepared in electronic form and is submitted in both electronic
and printed versions. Font size 12, line spacing – 1.5, indent – 1 cm, main text alignment – justified, headings – centered
and bold. Page parameters: left margin – 3 cm,
right margin – 15 cm, top and bottom – 2 cm. Pages are numbered at the bottom
right, starting from the third page. The first page – is the title page. The printed version is placed in a binder folder.
10. The length of the paper – approximately 15-20 A4 pages.
3.4.4 Recommendations for Writing an Essay
1. General characteristics of the era, its time boundaries.
2. Key philosophical, scientific (pre-scientific), and social ideas,
discoveries, and concepts.
3. Stylistic features of musical art characteristic of the period under study
(illustrated with several specific examples).
4. The state of the science of music and contemporaries' accounts of the musical art of the period being described.
5. Identifying, on the basis of the analysis carried out, resonant phenomena
within the cultural-scientific paradigm of the era. Conclusions about the psychological dominants of the era's musical consciousness.
3.4.5. Essay Topics
1. Resonant phenomena in the cultural-scientific paradigm of the Baroque era.
2. The psychological significance of the chivalric lyric poetry of medieval Europe, based on an analysis of the musical and poetic texts of the eras.
3. Psychological concepts in the musical treatises of Boethius
(Al-Farabi, and possibly other authors) as a reflection of the musical
consciousness of the era.
4. The psychological significance of Guido of Arezzo's contribution to the development
of musical culture. (Or: Guido of Arezzo's contribution to the dynamics of musical culture as a reflection of the transformational processes of Europe's musical consciousness.)
5. The psychological aspect of phenomena in Russian musical culture and the philosophy of "Russian cosmism."
6. The psychological aspect of contemporary musical styles (of your
choice).

TOTAL:
Weeks: 14 / 17
Independent Study: 72 hours