Module overview
The module aims to develop your critical awareness of hip-hop as a social phenomenon and the ways that scholars have approached hip hop. The main focus of this course will be rap music, and we will also touch on other elements of hip-hop including DJing (turntablism), breakdancing (b-boys, b-girls), graffiti and knowledge. Various case studies from around the world will be presented over the course of the semester from contexts with may include the African subcontinent, Cuba, Japan, the UK and the USA. The types of issues that may be explored include: transnational flows, black power movements, language, sampling, authenticities, racialization processes, gender, class, social critique, and consumerism. The module will be based on the study of books and articles, and close listening and viewing of audio-visual materials.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the impact of musics on broader social phenomena
- histories of hip hop within distinct social contexts
- aesthetic, social and ethical questions associated with hip hop in various contexts
- relevant theoretical approaches to the study of hip hop music cultures
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- gather information independently from a cross-section of disciplinary resources
- assemble case studies under a thematic umbrella and apply a unified theoretical approach
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- engage critically with thematic ideas about hip hop music cultures and transfer these ideas effectively between distinct contexts
- discuss critically how social phenomena impact on and contribute to understanding hip hop, and and vice versa
Syllabus
A series of topics will be presented over the semester with each topic examining hip-hop within distinct social contexts. Examples of questions/issues that may be explored include:
- How do histories of hip-hop relate to transnational flows, to the US civil rights and black power movements? How is authenticity articulated in hip-hop cultures?
- How might we understand sexist, homophobic and violent manifestations of hip-hop?
- How are identities created via sampling, music and language?
- How have local ideas about ‘blackness’, ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender, age, commercialisation, nation, politics, and religion intersected with hegemonic hip-hop ideologies?
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- Lectures
- Discussion
- Sharing of ideas and materials via Blackboard and other electronic resources
Learning activities include
- A wide range of reading (certain books and articles will be required reading)
- Study of selected audio and video recordings
- Individual research
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 24 |
| Completion of assessment task | 60 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 24 |
| Wider reading or practice | 42 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Module Blackboard site.
Hartley Library audio/visual reserves.
Hartley Library reserves.
Textbooks
Tony Mitchell (2001). Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, Music/Culture. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.
Mark Katz (2012). Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dipannita Basu and Sidney J Lemelle (2006). The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture. London: Pluto.
Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal (2012). That's the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.
Eric S Charry (2012). Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Ian Condry (2006). Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham: Duke University Press.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Include details of the proportion and weighting of coursework as well as the number, type and duration of examination(s). You must specify which element will be taken as the final assessment.
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Outline
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External