LAKE FOREST COLLEGE AfAm 228:The History of Hip Hop T/Th 7:00- 8:20 pm (M-slot) Carnegie Hall 204 Dr. Courtney CainEmail: [email protected] Office hours:Tuesdays 4:30-6pm; Thursdays 1pm-2:30pm; by appointmentOffice: Young Hall 221 COURSE SYLLABUS Course Description:This course examines the history of Hip Hop, dating back to the first Hip Hop party (held on August 11, 1973 in New York) to its present standing as a global phenomenon. As the descendent of African American musical genres (like blues, jazz, soul, and funk), Hip Hop music and culture was born out of the black struggle of the 1960s and 1970s. This class will examine how Hip Hop embodies the black experience across time and space. The course will begin in the early 1970s and end with where hip hop is today. Topics covered in this course include the beginnings of Hip Hop on the East Coast, West Coast/gangsta rap, the rise of the Hip Hop mogul, international rap, and more. How did this regional form of black expression become the international language of cool and controversy that it is today? Course Learning Goals: 1.Students will increase proficiency in reading and analyzing primary source evidence. 2.Students will refine their skills of written analysis, in formal academic essays based on primary sources and secondary literature and media. 3.Students will become familiar with key events and questions in the history of hip hop music and culture during the late twentieth century. Required Texts(available at Lake Forest College Bookstore on Reserve at Donnelly and Lee Library): Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generationby Jeff Chang That’s the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader(2ndedition) by Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal (editors) The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop -and Why It Happensby Tricia Rose Moodle readings Class Format:The class will be conducted as a combination of lectures and discussions, and there will be viewings of Hip Hop documentaries as well. On Tuesdays, I will lead the discussion with a lecture on the week’s topics, and there will be moments when you can participate and add to the discussion. On Thursdays, you will work in groups to decode song lyrics in order to gain a deeper understanding of the song, artist, genre, and context/history that produced that song. Therefore, your participation is essential, and you are expected to arrive prepared for each class by completing the readings for each session. Your participation is also a key component of your grade (see the grade breakdown below). We will be discussing controversial topics, and we (including me) can all benefit from each other’s thoughts and the sharing of those thoughts.The only rule we must follow concerns our respect for the opinions and feelings of others.Healthy debate differs greatly from negative confrontation.Remember, this is a safe space to explore different topics, and respect is key.For more information on this policy, please read the student handbook on student conduct and the college’s mission statement.
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