Our Journey Together & My Commitment to You 

More than ever, in light of recent global, national, and local events, I believe that we can thrive and get through these unprecedented times together when we acknowledge, protect, and uplift each other's humanity. Therefore, I strive to approach teaching Hip Hop literature through an anti-racist and decolonized approach. This means that we will make space to study the craft of poetry through the works of many well known emcees, as well as artists and poets whose voices have been ignored in the discipline of literature for far too long.  

Even though we are in a remote learning/teaching space, I resist the idea that we are disconnected or isolated. Instead, as an emerging abolitionist teacher, and with your help, I commit to creating an online creative space that brings out our inspiring prose, lyrics, and words that reflect and express our brave and powerful voices. This classroom will be what the great bell hooks said, a radical space of possibility.

Mapping Our Journey

All of our readings and writing assignments are organized around the central theme, "Our Voices: truth, (re)discovery, & (re)imagining." Of course this theme is fluid and can change, so throughout the course, we will see what OUR theme flourishes to be.

We will consider the following guiding questions throughout our journey, but I hope that will we generate others together:

• How might the genre of Hip Hop shape and/or explain our sense of identity?

• Why is it important to share, explore, and/or untangle Hip Hop lyrics? How do the writings of others affect our lives?

• Why is it necessary to understand Hip Hop as a form of poetry?
  
  

What You Will Need For Our Journey

• A computer- Do you need to loan a free computer and/or hotspot from Mesa? If so please click here.

• Google doc (if you don't have Microsoft Word)

•  Good time management

An open mind and willingness to open your heart

Participation/Attendance

I am invested in your success and want to do whatever I can to help you overcome any challenges you are facing, so my hope is that you will communicate with me the best way I can support you in our class. Attendance is critical to practicing and developing strong reading, writing, and critical thinking skills on a regular basis because you will be doing all of this in a learning community with other peers and myself as your instructor. On a regular basis, you will receive positive feedback, reinforcements, and constructive advice on how to enhance your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Please log in on Canvas at least 2-3 times a week and submit all assignments on time. If, for any reason, I do not hear from you within 48 hours, or if my emails are not answered by you, I will assume that you no longer want to participate in our learning community. If this occurs before the Withdraw deadline, I will have to unfortunately withdraw you from our class.

Academic Honesty 

• Please know that as your professor, I want to be here for you even if you are struggling with assignments or life in general. If you feel overwhelmed, scared, doubtful, or any other negative emotions towards our assignments, just talk to me. I will help you find a way!

• Any assignment that is plagiarized will earn a zero.

• Students who are found in violation of district Procedure 3100.3, Honest Academic Conduct, will receive a score of zero, equal to an F grade on the assignment in question and may be referred for disciplinary action in accordance with Procedure 3100.2, Student Disciplinary Procedures.

• All assignments are to be submitted on Canvas. Your writing will go through a plagiarism checker. Please do not turn in work that is not your original writing.

• Do not copy/paste from the internet.

• Do not submit something you wrote for a previous class.

• Do not submit work written by a friend or family member.

• Do not pay someone to do your work for you.

• 6. Do not go on ChatGPT or any other AI program and copy/paste into your essay text generated by such type websites/programs. Do not use ChatGPT to structure your essay ideas.

• Do not use Grammarly or advanced softwares to fix your grammar and punctuation errors. Such type pro-grams re-write your sentences in a voice that is not authentic to yours. Use only Microsoft Word document spell checker if you have to, or seek the support of tutors from the writing center. You can also use the Grammar & Punctuation Toolkit on Canvas, and of course Prof. Pegah during office hours.

• Do not use Google or any AI program or translation software to translate your writing from a different language into English.

• Any student who violates the policy will receive an “F” for that assignment without the option for a rewrite, and the school Dean, Department chair, and Student Services will be notified.

A Safe Learning Environment

• Use positive, intellectual, and productive language in discussion boards, Pronto, and emails with professor and peers. 

• Treat our online classroom as an intellectual space and engage like a mindful student (not a social media platform.) Express opinions and ideas that are backed up by legitimate sources so that you do not mislead and misinform others.

• Our educational spaces are evolving to include voices of BIPOC individuals who have been marginalized for far too long.  This means that in this class, we will hold a safe space for these voices to be heard. Discussions about racism and privilege will be had in relation to the content we will read and analyze. I encourage all of us to keep an open mind and heart, and to engage in good faith. But if you feel like you are not ready to have deep conversations about social justice issues, I strongly suggest that you reach out to me, Professor Motaleb, ASAP to discuss different options and approaches you can take towards your English 234 experience.

• Do not use all CAPS as that is yelling in the online world. 

• Use campus resources (see list of resources on the next page) if you are facing life problems. You can also reach out to Professor Motaleb.

• Think about your words before you post. When in doubt, email Professor Motaleb before posting. 

**Failure to follow these guidelines could result in loss of participation and assignment points. It could also result in getting reported to Student Affairs office. 

Other Mesa Resources Including Tutoring 

• COVID-19 Resources

• Mesa Tutoring and Computer Centers (MT2C)

Student Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. Define Hip Hop as an artistic movement with an understanding of its origins, influences, and place in history.

2. Analyze and evaluate different forms of Hip Hop literature, including poetry and lyrics.

3. Analyze and evaluate Hip Hop’s usage of language (in written and performative forms) as a tool used by activists and marginalized individuals of society to express ideas about social justice.

4. Practice writing different forms of Hip Hop literature with a focus on structures and forms.

5. Contextualize Hip Hop poetry and other forms of literature as they exist globally.

6. Examine the ways in which Hip Hop poetry informs other canons of literature.

7. Assess the ways in which Hip Hop poetry and other forms of literature compare with other forms and genres of literature.

8. Evaluate the contributions of major Hip Hop figures, poets, and other artists.