Critical Approaches to Hip Hop Culture

The goal of this course is to evaluate and comment upon the literature and critical discourses that treat and/or reflect the culture of Hip Hop. To that end, much of the “literature” consists of theoretical, political, and social discussions directed at the import and impact of Hip Hop Culture on the world of the 21rst Century. Some of the themes central to this course are the relationship between African American Literature and Hip Hop Culture, African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Hip Hop Culture, the recording/reporting of history and Hip Hop Culture, and the globalization of Hip Hop Culture. There is a large listening component to this course that will facilitate a tracery of the oral tradition in African American culture.