- Hip-Hop Music and Culture

Catalog description

This course examines the rich history and evolution of hip-hop culture from the South Bronx to its present global reach. Throughout the semester, we will learn to analyze songs and music videos by considering the changing aesthetic and political dimensions of their creation and consumption. We will pay particular attention to themes of race, class, gender, and sexuality and consider how these elements have forged intersectional systems of oppression that were foundational to the genre’s origins as well as its present moment. The ability to read music notation is not required but a willingness to engage with difficult topics is.