Flo'Ology: Spoken Word and Improvisation

In this course, students explore various styles of poetry, spoken word and improvisation, utilizing a variety of cultural and literary art forms. Students learn about the primary influences of African American writers and the shaping of particular literary and musical genres around language usage. Students explore the spoken word tradition from the Harlem Renaissance to early street poetry to hip-hop, spoken word, and freestyle. Students examine the way spoken word artists have connected their words with music, and especially with the Blues. Students study the works of great American artists and scholars, including Langston Hughes, Jill Scott, Tupac Shakur, Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Michael Eric Dyson, Angela Davis, Cornell West, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, James Brown, Alvin Poussant, and others. Students also write and perform their own original creations, developing their own style as writers and performers of spoken word art.