The Rhetoric of Hip Hop and Rock n Roll

Catalog description

This course explores the rhetorical dimensions of rock ‘n’ roll and hip hop by examining four interconnected themes and their relation to communication: fandom, stardom, criticism, and failure. In addition, concepts such as identity, anti-heroism, appropriation, place, production, improvisation, tone, and flow are explored and discussed. With the benefit of open access content as well as short readings, we will focus on some of the key figures in rock 'n' roll and hip hop (e.g., AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar) along with their motivations and messages.