Psychological Perspectives in Hip Hop (formerly PSYC 510)

Catalog description

3 Lecture Hour(s) 0 Lab Hour(s) This course will examine how principles and perspectives in psychology manifest themselves in hip-hop culture. A primary focus of this course is to examine different psychological concepts and identify the psychological underpinnings of hip-hop from 1979 until the present. The course will begin with an extended look at research conducted in the areas of popular media, journalism and mass communication, and hip-hop studies. Next, students will explore & identify evidence of psychological theory in mainstream hip-hop culture. Finally, students will study the documented effects of music on mental processes such as cognition, motivation, and emotion; extrapolating findings from the literature on sensation and perception to offer hypotheses on the overall effects of music from this genre at both the individual and societal level.