About

College and University courses that included hiphop art and culture first appeared in the late 1980s. These courses were often in African American studies (or cross-listed courses) and ethnomusicology programs and departments. During the mid 1990s, courses with rap and hiphop in the title began to appear in the social sciences and the humanities.

The first hiphop courses were taught by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who listened to hiphop music and considered it a valuable culture. There are no materials available from these early offerings, though many representatives of colleges and universities continue stories about the importance and history of the ‘first’ course.

The Hiphop Archive is interested in receiving materials from anyone who has taught and teaches courses with a hiphop focus. If you have any information, please contact us at: info@hiphoparchive.org and put the word courses on the subject line.

Hiphop and Hiphop Inclusive Courses Offered in 2005 - 2006

In order to create as accurate a list as possible of hiphop and hiphop inclusive courses offered during the 2005-2006 academic year, the Hip Hop Archive took three investigative approaches.

1. Beginning with the list of instructors and universities from courses offered from 1998-2004, we contacted individual instructors and Departments of Black Studies, Africana Studies, African and African American Studies, Communications, Anthropology, Music, Dance, and Sociology to confirm what, if any, hiphop and hiphop inclusive courses are being taught during this academic year. We also contacted many of the aforementioned departments of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and colleges and universities listed on U.S. News and Report.
2. After evaluating the level of response to our initial inquiries, we next created a more extensive list of colleges and universities that would most likely offer hiphop or hiphop inclusive courses. We considered universities and colleges that have offered courses in the past, as wells as universities and colleges with faculty and students who have published books, journal articles, or conducted research on hiphop. We searched for information on the Internet and collected course descriptions from university, department, and personal websites.
3. We consulted author names from bibliographies and articles on hiphop and newspaper reports and identified university affiliations. We then reviewed all published courses to determine whether they offered a course.
4. Lastly, if we were unable to find course listings for faculty members or students who have consistently taught hiphop or hiphop inclusive courses, we contacted them directly to confirm what, if any courses, they are teaching this academic year.

All of the course information that we collected is listed on the site. If you would like to add a course to the current listings, please send the course title, name of instructor, course description, and syllabus to info@hiphoparchive.org. Please write courses in the subject line.

Hiphop and Hiphop Inclusive Courses Offered from 1998-2004:

Due to several factors, many of these courses listed are no longer offered. During this period, hiphop courses were often considered “special” courses by academic departments and their continuation was based on student interest and demand. Also, associate professors and advanced graduate students taught the majority of these courses. When instructors moved to other universities, many courses were discontinued. Several instructors are in the process of recreating courses at their current universities and hope to begin teaching them again in the coming years. Whenever possible the Hip Hop Archive has archived course syllabi. If you are interested in any particular course, email us at info@hiphoparchive.org.