21M.775 Hip Hop

Spring 2003

A break dancer does a backflip in front of a crowd in Harvard Square.
A break dancer does a backflip in front of a crowd in Harvard Square. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Bersak.)

Course Highlights

This course features an extensive readings section with links to websites and music by featured artists.

Course Description

This course explores the political and aesthetic foundations of hip hop. It traces the musical, corporeal, visual, spoken word, and literary manifestations of hip hop over its thirty-five year presence in the American cultural imaginary. It also investigates specific black cultural practices that have given rise to its various idioms. Hip hop has invigorated the academy, inspiring scholarship rooted in black musical and literary traditions. This course assesses these sharp breaks and flamboyant versionings of hip hop that have occurred within the academy.


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Staff

Instructor:
Prof. Thomas DeFrantz

Course Meeting Times

Lectures:
Two sessions / week
1.5 hours / session

Level

Undergraduate