The History of Hip Hop
Disclaimer: This course will include music, lyrics, and content that may be offensive to some and may challenge your comfort zone. In order for us to most effectively teach this content we will not edit or censor language or themes that, today, would be considered inappropriate. When we are together as a class we will study this content objectively, academically, and in a safe space. If you feel uncomfortable with certain content we study please be sure to reach out to one of the instructors.
Students will develop an understanding of how historical events influenced the birth and development of today’s modern Hip-Hop culture.
Students will gain an understanding of how cultural developments (film, music, media, etc.) shaped American life in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and how, in turn, how life shaped American History & Hip-Hop.
Students will learn how to assess and critically analyze current media and entertainment formats to understand and consider competing perspectives on American history and society, and an understanding of how the world views America through our culture.
When students leave this course, we expect to answer the following questions:
How has systemic racism in the United States affected or influenced how we create and consume music and culture?
How do social or political forces affect the messaging behind music?
How have artists' creations reflected reality for their families and communities?
In what ways has the use of sampling reflected history repeating itself?
How has the messaging behind hip hop been marginalized as it hits the mainstream?
Topics Addressed:
Enslavement of Black & African-Americans
Jim Crow & the Rise of the Minstrel Show
The Great Migration & the Growth of Black & African-American urban culture
The Jazz Age & the Harlem Renaissance
The Motown Era
The Birth of Modern Hip-Hop & the Five Pillars of the Genre
The Portrayal of Black & African-Americans in the Media
Hip-Hop’s evolution in the 21st Century
Skills:
Create an argument and support it using relevant evidence
Describe, select, and evaluate relevant evidence about the past from many different sources
Identify, compare, and evaluate multiple perspectives on a given event
Understand how context/ background information influences the content of a source
Recognize, analyze, and assess the dynamics of continuity and change over periods of time
Critically analyze music, television & film
We will read from a wide range of sources including a textbook, secondary sources, and primary sources both in class and for homework.
We will listen to a wide range of sources including original songs, samples, tracks, and remixes.
We will watch television episodes, movies and documentaries.