While 12-tone equal temperament has become the de facto tuning system for classical music as well as many forms of popular music all over the earth, it is a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of human music making. It has also never been completely accepted in some parts of the world and it is gradually becoming only one of many possible tuning options among adventurous musicians of many genres. The terms "microtonal music" and "alternate tunings" assume a musical environment where intervals beyond those of 12-tone equal or 12EDO (12 equal divisions of the octave) are merely outliers. This graduate seminar will take a more holistic attitude towards approaches to tuning. We will survey all the epochs in Western classical music to learn how different approaches to tuning were integral to the performance practice of as well as the theory behind the canon of classical music, much of which most people have only heard in retuned 12edo simulacra. We will examine how specific tuning systems continue to be a vital component of many non-Western musical traditions (from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East to the Indian subcontinent, the Indonesian archipelago, and beyond) as well as a great deal of experimental music from all over the world. We'll closely analyze systems ranging from Pythagorean (a.k.a. Lin Lun/Ancient Sumerian/Medieval) tuning to meantone and well-temperament (Telemann, J. S. Bach, Rameau, and others) to quartertones (studying landmark works by Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Alois Hába, Charles Ives, Mildred Couper, Tui St. George Tucker, and others), other EDOs (e.g. traditional Thai equiheptatonic scales, Julián Carrillo's 96-tone piano, the Dutch tricesimoprimal system), as well as extended just intonation (e.g. Ben Johnston, Harry Partch, the J-pop female duo Syzygys), the intuitive approaches of various improvisatory-based genres (including blues and jazz), and recently invented alternatives (e.g. the Bohlen-Pierce scale that has been used in academic computer music as well as punk rock songs by Elaine Walker, the Beta scale advocated by Wendy Carlos, and more). This class is ideal for composition majors but also suitable for vocalists and instrumentalists interested in historic performance practice and performing new music as well as anyone eager to have a better grounding in world music. It assumes a knowledge of standard musical notation but will involve learning a broad range of new notations.