Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Spring Semester 2025
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
COLL 160 001 (CRN: 26879)
MUSIC THEORY OF VIDEO GAMES
Long Title: MUSIC THEORY OF VIDEO GAMES (WIESS)
Department: College Courses
Instructors:
Meeting: 8:00PM - 8:50PM M (13-JAN-2025 - 25-APR-2025)
Part of Term: Full Term - No WL Purge
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 1
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 19
Section Enrolled: 0
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 15-NOV-2024 3:39AM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: From Halo to Super Mario Bros, video games have had a profound impact on our cultural consciousness. These games are deceptively rich in creativity, most exemplified by the complexity and variety of video game music. However, this musical genre has yet not been broadly studied in an academic context. As such, this class seeks to study the music theory of video game music, asking the question:
How can music be specifically written to function in an interactive medium?
This course will broadly examine basic music theory topics, such as leitmotif, modes, and orchestration, through the lens of video game music. To analyze these topics, students will listen to soundtracks ranging from the era of 8-bit music, such as Earthbound, DOOM, and Pokemon Gold and Silver, to more contemporary games like Dark Souls, Undertale, and Nier: Automata. A basic understanding of music theory (roughly equivalent to that taught in MUSI 317 – Music Theory I for Non-Majors) is strongly recommended, although not strictly necessary.