Download SP H Syllabus

SP H_________ The World of Sound:
Speech, Music and mp3s
Course Description:
Hearing is often considered a secondary sense to vision. This results from a
misunderstanding of the function of hearing and what it does well. Individuals with
normal hearing often take for granted the ease with which they decode the messages in
speech, appreciate the melodies in music or identify and locate animals by their calls. In
this course we will examine the structure of sound as an analog wave created by
vibrations, human mouths, and musical instruments. We will also investigate the digital
representation of sound as .wav and .mp3 files. Then we will explore the complex
process of hearing: the physiology of the ear, the neural signal in the nervous system and
the conscious perception of sound. The course is designed as an interactive immersion
into the world of sound and hearing. Students will have the opportunity to manipulate
sounds, create visual representations of sounds and participate in experiments in hearing.
Class Location:
Class Day/Time: 3 Credit Hours of Lecture
Instructor Information:
Professor Andrew J. Lotto
Office: SPH 232
Phone: 626-7530
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours:
or by appointment
TAs
Class Website: on D2L
Instructor Website: http://slhs.arizona.edu/faculty/Lotto_Andrew.htm
Course Objectives:
Students will learn:
 The basic dimensions of sound waves (frequency, amplitude, time) and how they
can be represented graphically. Students will use software to measure these
dimensions for simple sounds.
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The digital representation of sound and how mp3s encode the properties of sound
that are important for perception. Students will manipulate digital sound files to
create new sounds.
The anatomy and physiology of the peripheral auditory system and the process by
which sound waves become encoded as a neural signal in the brain. Students will
be exposed to some of the latest findings and methodologies in the science of
hearing.
The complexity of the processes involved in the perception of speech sounds and
music. Students will participate in listening experiments that investigate these
processes and will write summaries of the results of these experiments.
How the science of sound and hearing applies to their daily lives. We will
discuss: what is hearing loss and how can it be prevented, how do mp3-players
work (and can they damage hearing), the speech sounds used by different
languages and why it is hard to hear and produce some of these sounds, the
commonalities and differences between music from different cultures, and how do
we test if infants can hear.
Topics:
Section 1: What is Sound?
The physical structure of sound waves
Frequency, amplitude and time
Viewing Sound (Waveforms, line spectra and spectrogram)
Digital Representation of Sound (sampling and .wav files)
Spatial Information in Sound and the Video Game
Sonar, Sonoluminescence, and Sonic Art
Section 2: Making Sound
Musical Instruments
Guitars (Acoustic and Electric)
Theremin and Synthesizers
Woodwinds
Speech Production
Speech Mechanism Anatomy
Source/Filter Theory
Speech Synthesizers
Section 3: The Auditory System
Anatomy and Physiology of the Peripheral System
Outer Ear
Middle Ear
Cochlea
Neural Encoding of Sound
Cortical Representation of Sound
The Evolution of Hearing
Section 4: Practical and Clinical Aspects of Hearing
The mp3 and mp3 Player
Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids
Cochlear and Brain-Stem Implants
Dyslexia, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Other Learning/Perceptual Disorders
Section 5: Speech Perception
Phonemes and Phonetics
Infant Speech Perception
Non-Native Language Perception and Bilinguals
Speech Degradation and Robust Perception
Context Effects
Section 6: Music and Natural Sound Perception
Pitch and Melody
Temporal Patterns and Rhythm
Animal Communication
Conscious Perception, Beauty in Music, and Other Difficult Questions
Course Format and Structure
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Classes will be lecture-format with numerous in-class demonstrations of soundcreating devices, digital sounds presented acoustically and optically (visual),
sound-processing software and computational models. In addition to the
presentation of information and demonstrations, students will be encouraged to
ask questions and discuss ideas, especially those related to cultural differences in
perception and sound structure.
In place of specific labs, students will be provided access to freeware programs
that allow for sound manipulation, measurement and presentation. Homework
projects will include the creation and measurement of sounds as well as collecting
data in perceptual experiments. Students will be asked to plot these data as well
as describe the results of these studies.
Readings will include current news stories and research summaries that focus on
our developing understanding of the perception of sound. At the start of the
semester, students will be asked to contribute questions about sound, hearing,
speech and music so that the class discussion can focus on those issues that are
most relevant to students.
Reading Materials
Required Text :
Mullin, W. J., Gerace, W. J., Mestre, J. P., & Velleman, S. L. (2003). Fundamentals of
sound with applications to speech and hearing. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Additional readings will be available as files on D2L.
Grading Policy:
Exams: There will be 3 exams that will test knowledge of presented information as well
as synthesis and application of this information to novel situations. Exams will be
multiple-choice format.
Homework: There will be 3 homework assignments throughout the semester that will
utilize software specialized for manipulation and presentation of sound. One homework
will consist of creating simple sounds and manipulating digital sounds, the second will
include acoustic measurements of speech sounds and the third will be a listening
experiment. Data collected in each homework (measurements, responses) will be
recorded by the student and turned in as a document.
Written Assignments: There will be 2 written assignments during the semester. There
will be a write up of the results of the listening experiment along with a graph of the
student’s individual data. This short paper will describe the purpose of the experiment
and what the results tell us about hearing. The paper will demonstrate the ability of the
student to interpret scientific data. The second written assignment will be an expository
essay on some topic related to sound and hearing. The paper will allow students to
demonstrate their writing ability and their ability to summarize a scientific topic.
Students will initially hand in a topic choice along with a preliminary outline of the paper.
After feedback, a first draft will be completed and turned in. A final draft will be due at
the end of the semester based on the feedback from the first draft. This writing process is
similar to the steps of professional writing in the sciences.
Grading:
Each Exams
x 3 exams
Homework
Experiment Summary
Essay
TOTAL:
Percentage
20 % of overall grade
60 % of overall grade
10 % of overall grade
10 % of overall grade
20 % of overall grade
100%
Grading (ALL)
A
B
C
D
E
Percent
90-100%
80-89.9%
70-79.9%
60-69.9%
below 60%
Attendance Policy:
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Students are expected to attend all class periods. Exam questions are taken
mainly from the material from class and students will be responsible for this
material.
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for
those students who show affiliation with that particular religion.
Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students’ office will be honored.
Assignment/Testing Schedule:
Exams:
Exam #1:
Exam #2:
Exam #3:
Homework Due Dates:
Homework #1:
Homework #2:
Homework #3:
Written Assignment Due Dates:
Essay Topic & Outline:
Essay First Draft:
Essay Final Draft:
Experiment Summary:
Late Work Policy:
Unless a later due date is pre-approved by the instructor, late assignments will be docked
by 10% of possible points for each day after the assigned due date.
Assignment Format:
Homework and written assignments can be turned in either as hard copies (written in a
word processing program of choice) or as a .pdf file submitted to the appropriate drop
box on D2L.
Classroom Behavior
All cell phones and pagers must be turned off or placed on vibrate prior to the start of
class and may not be answered in class unless part of a class assignment. This policy also
applies to sending or receiving instant messages.
The Arizona Board of Regents’ Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308, prohibits
threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to one’s
self. See: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml.
Special Needs and Accommodations Statement
Students who need special accommodation or services should contact the Disability
Resources Center, 1224 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, (520) 621-3268, FAX
(520) 621-9423, email: [email protected], http://drc.arizona.edu/. You must
register and request that the Center or DRC send me official notification of your
accommodations needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment
or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and
activities may impact your ability to fully participate. The need for accommodations must
be documented by the appropriate office.
Student Code of Academic Integrity
Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and
applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of
independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA
Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See:
http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/.
Confidentiality of Student Records
http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/ferpa/default.htm
Subject to Change Statement
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy,
may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.