Learning outcomes

Thinking and acting as a cultural critic, that is to say applying a reflective and critical approach to society through its past and present sound, musical and cultural output, is the main objective which students of the Master [120] in History of Art and Archaeology: Musicology are called upon to achieve.

In this way, at the end of their programme, the students will have an active and integrated expert understanding of a corpus of disciplinary and multidisciplinary knowledge (awareness, terminology, issues, methods, conceptual frameworks) which is indispensable in order to become expert in the different fields of musicology. The students can study and analyse a work, a corpus, or a complex issue by calling upon musicological methodologies and improving their critical eye. Students can conduct original and individual research dealing with a significant and varied volume of data in accordance with a systematic and rigorous approach, demonstrating independence in managing a research project and an individual project, and more generally by keeping their knowledge updated.

In this way, the CP ARKE thereby wishes to train intellectuals in the field of humanities who are actors open to the musical, cultural and socio-professional worlds who are capable of understanding those worlds, providing others the keys to that understanding and integrating into them easily and efficiently.

On successful completion of this programme, each student is able to :

1. Think and act as a cultural critic: apply a reflective and critical approach to society through its past and present sound, music and cultural output.

1.1. Be an active citizen who is conscious of the global and socio-cultural issues at play in the examination of human output from the past and the present, by understanding their position in a complex socio-cultural and historical network;
1.2. Encourage society to understand the importance of its material and audio output by making it aware of the conservation and development of its heritage, while being open to modern artistic, sound, musical and cultural manifestations;
1.3. Demonstrate intellectual independence in reasoning, apply a critical eye to both material and intellectual output over a wide variety of collections (typological, chronological, geographical, etc.);
1.4. Think and act in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way by being open to other conceptual and methodological frameworks with a view not only to gathering knowledge but also to being able to form hypotheses themselves.

2. Mastery of knowledge: attain an active and integrated expert understanding of a select corpus of disciplinary and multidisciplinary knowledge (awareness, terminology, issues, methods, conceptual frameworks) which is indispensable in order to become an expert in the different fields of musicology.

2.1. Attain an expert grounding in every field of musicology;
2.2. Attain specialist knowledge in even more specific fields;
2.3. Articulate and challenge the theories of connected disciplines (history, history of art, archaeology, literature, anthropology, geology, etc.);
2.4. Starting from the basis of the knowledge acquired, contribute to the development of new hypotheses in the fields of musicology, in connection with research.

3. Apply disciplinary methodologies: study and analyse a work or an object, a corpus or a complex issue by calling upon musicology methodologies and improving their critical eye.

3.1. Study a work, an object or a particular corpus using formal, technical, iconographical and iconological analysis methods employing different disciplinary approaches;
3.2. Be capable of relocating the above in their historical and socio-cultural context and understanding the interactions and challenges affecting them;
3.3. Reflect upon the contribution of new methods and develop these methods with a view to adapting them to various different situations.

4. Carry out research using a scientific approach: successfully complete an original, individual research assignment dealing with a significant and varied quantity of data, using a rigorous and systematic approach.

4.1. Develop and deal with specific issues surrounding a given subject. Demonstrate clear and structured reasoning by applying and, where necessary, adapting the conceptual frameworks provided;
4.2. Carry out documentary research on a subject: collate a large quantity of data (secondary and primary sources) and select those that are most relevant;
4.3. Analyse a significant quantity of data: describe, organise and summarise it in a systematic and rigorous manner. Criticise and challenge the documents;
4.4. Examine the body of data in a relevant manner: apply disciplinary methodologies to it while also reviewing it using their own reflective and critical eye, developing a new, individual assignment relating to that issue;
4.5. Communicate the results of their research in a scientific and pedagogic manner.

5. Independently manage their work and developmental path: demonstrate independence in managing a research project and an individual project, and more generally by keeping their knowledge updated.

5.1. Independently manage a research assignment using a scientific approach and transposing the knowledge and methodologies to new issues and multidisciplinary situations;
5.2. Plan and manage their own path, making individual choices relating to their training;
5.3. Develop their intellectual curiosity: be interested by and open to developing perspectives and change, both as regards knowledge but also in relation to the methods for mediating that knowledge;
5.4. Conduct their own training: independently manage the acquisition and updating of their knowledge and know-how;
5.5. Manage their time and plan the steps necessary in order to carry out a project.

6. Be receptive to the cultural and socio-professional world: Understand the cultural and socio-professional worlds and integrate into them easily and efficiently.

6.1. Analyse, but also devise, organise and adapt different cultural devices and targeted communications for different audiences;
6.2. Integrate smoothly into a socio-professional environment;
6.3. Forge links and interact with actors in the worlds of culture and heritage;
6.4. Collaborate efficiently within a team, adapting and negotiating ways of working.

7. If the art and music professional focus is chosen: this elective centres upon the course’s focus, offering the students a choice of courses allowing them to construct bridges between music and the visual arts. Also, at the end of the art and music elective, the students will have acquired specific theoretical, practical and technical knowledge in the field thanks to the different specialist courses (history of art criticism, history of humanism, art and literature, Bible and culture, art and new media, typology and permanency in mythical fantasy, etc.). As a result of having completed an internship, students will have acquired useful experience of the professional world and practices in the field.


8. If the Management and Music professional focus course is chosen: this professional focus course offers students training which is centred on professions in music. The strong points of this professional focus course are musical management and criticism. It is organised in conjunction with the UCLouvain communication faculty and the IHECS (Institut des Hautes Etudes en Communication Sociale, Brussels). Also, at the end of the Management and Music professional focus course, students will have acquired specific theoretical, practical and technical knowledge in the field thanks to the different specialist courses (analysis of media productions, communication with cultural bodies, sound production, events, European cultural networks, artistic management and criticism, etc.). As a result of having completed an internship, students will have acquired useful experience of the professional world and practices in the field.


9. If the Music and Musicology professional focus course is chosen: this professional focus course offers students the option to follow practical studies in music which relate to interpretation (instrument, voice) or writing (composition, analysis, etc.). This professional focus course is organised in conjunction with theIMEP (Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie). Also, at the end of the Music and Musicology professional focus course, students will have acquired specific theoretical, practical and technical knowledge in the field thanks to the different specialist courses (analysis and writing, contemporary language training, computer-assisted music, instrumental acoustics and fracturing, etc.). As a result of having completed an internship, students will have acquired useful experience of the professional world and practices in the field.  spécialisée en musique-musicologie


10. If the Interuniversity professional focus course is chosen: This professional focus course offers students the option to study musicology courses in the other two Francophone universities which offer a Master in Archaeology and History of Art: Musicology. At the end of this interdisciplinary professional focus course, students will be able to benefit from expertise which differs from that available in their own university. The complementary nature of this course will enable students to acquire more specialist knowledge in certain specific fields.