College students encounter a sea of courses during the registration period, and deciding which ones to take can be a week-long internal debate. A Korea University (KU) core general studies course may be a perfect solution for indecisive students experiencing such an issue; the course, Scientific Understanding of Western Music, allows students to taste both liberal arts and natural sciences. By connecting the seemingly distant topics of music, mathematics, and physics, the course successfully provokes students’ interests in diverse academic areas.

The English course Scientific Understanding of Western Music is directed and taught by Professor Chung Jae-Ho (Department of Physics), whose profession is in solid-state physics. Upon learning that natural sciences have long been deeply intertwined with European music, Professor Chung decided to create a course that may help students understand Western music on a more profound level. He initiated this course in the fall semester of 2017, and resuming teaching after a hiatus, the spring semester of 2021 is the fourth semester he has taught this course.

Time Traveling from Classical Greece to the 21st Century

As can be expected, the course explains the cultural and historical background of music, along with mathematics and physics on an introductory level. However, the vast range of topics also leads to heavier material for students to unpack every week. Starting with the basics of reading musical scales, the first half of the course focuses on the mathematics behind musical scales throughout history. With each class revealing how the findings of famous mathematicians such as Pythagoras and Johannes Kepler influenced European music, students should be constantly filled with surprises.

The second half of the semester focuses on the physics of music, including oscillations and sound waves, which explain the physiology of music – that is, how humans hear and produce sound. In addition, by discussing the physics of specific instruments such as keyboards and pipe organs, students can connect the abstract physics theories that they learn in class to their real-life experiences of playing an instrument. This helps to foster a more structural understanding of how musical instruments function and produce beautiful harmonies.

Perfectly Structured for Online Learning

Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), all KU lectures are mandated to be held online, and this course is no exception. However, Professor Chung made appropriate modifications to maximize learning efficiency during this time of separation. For starters, t h e professor’s real-time online lectures are recorded and later uploaded onto Blackboard Collaborate, KU’s major platform for online classrooms. This is particularly helpful to students who do not have access to a stable internet connection or simply have difficulty staying motivated, both of which may hinder the quality of real-time lectures. Providing recorded files allows students to freely return to the lectures in case they wish to review their lesson.

In addition, the professor ensures that learning is not limited to lectures only by utilizing online platforms and resources. Students are given weekly quizzes where they are tested on the content they learn in class. While some of the questions can be slightly challenging, most questions are manageable as long as students pay attention in class. Students also have to read two Wikipedia articles selected by the professor and write summary essays on one of them every week. By doing so, students are prompted to extensively learn about topics they are more interested in.

During an interview with Professor Chung, he explained how he would redesign the course for post-pandemic offline classes. He stated that student presentations would become a key element of the class for two reasons: development of presentation skills and a better understanding of the involved subjects. He elaborated on the latter reason, explaining that “this course covers multiple subjects, such as mathematics, physics, and music, each of which has a long historical background. There is a great deal of background knowledge that students need to know in advance.” However, due to the given circumstances, he is currently replacing these presentations with the previously mentioned essay assignments.

What to Expect in This Course

There are several key aspects that set this particular course apart from other general studies courses, one of them being the professor. Professor Chung displays immense passion for this course that he has created. At times, he brings in musical instruments during lectures and demonstrates how to play them. In regard to his dedication to this class, Professor Chung reasoned that “physics is my job and music my personal hobby, both of which I have been living with for quite some time.” He also believes that these two topics are “the prime examples of successful European culture that are defining our daily lives in modern society,” which further fuels his enthusiasm to spread this knowledge.

However, Professor Chung clarifies that this course is not “a typical ‘understanding of Western music’ kind of class where [students] would just sit down and listen to music,” as it focuses on the mathematics and the physics of music. He also specifies that students are expected to actively inquire into more knowledge outside of the classroom by utilizing online resources, particularly YouTube videos. “What I ask of students taking this course is not to just absorb what I teach, but realize that there are subjects interesting enough to make them study more by themselves,” he said. Professor Chung’s outlook on education prompts students to adopt a more efficient learning attitude under his guidance.

Ultimately, the goal of this course is to help students understand and enjoy music better through different perspectives. As the professor explains it, the Scientific Understanding of Western Music course is designed to be “at the liberal-arts level in which students can learn about mathematics and physics in music.” This suggests that students who are relatively unfamiliar with the natural sciences should not be hesitant to sign up for this course, intimidated by the scientific aspects of it. As long as students keep up with the material and actively learn via online resources, this course would be the perfect introduction to both liberal arts and sciences.