Global Hip Hop

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

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

discuss critically how social phenomena impact on and contribute to understanding hip hop, and and vice versa
engage critically with thematic ideas about hip hop music cultures and transfer these ideas effectively between distinct contexts

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

aesthetic, social and ethical questions associated with hip hop in various contexts
the impact of musics on broader social phenomena
histories of hip hop within distinct social 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

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

Study time
Type	Hours
Preparation for scheduled sessions	24
Lecture	24
Completion of assessment task	60
Wider reading or practice	42
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Hartley Library reserves.

Module Blackboard site.

Hartley Library audio/visual reserves.

Textbooks

Mark Katz (2012). Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Eric S Charry (2012). Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal (2012). That's the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.

Tony Mitchell (2001). Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, Music/Culture. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.

Ian Condry (2006). Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham: Duke 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.

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.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
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.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External