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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. 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 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: 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.