New York University
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Department of Teaching and Learning
Professor: David E. Kirkland
Office: 322 East Building/726 Broadway, Rm. 507
Phone: 212.998.7391 (o); 517.993.3048 (c)
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: by appointment
Class: Tu 6:45-8:25 WAVE 569
ENGED-GE 2045 Teaching Hip Hop
Course Description
According to Morrell and Duncan-Andrade (2002):
Teaching Hip-hop as a music and culture of resistance can facilitate the development of critical
consciousness in urban youth. Analyzing the critical social commentary produced by [hip hop] may lead to
consciousness-raising discussions, essays, and research projects attempting to locate an explanation for the
current state of affairs for urban youngsters. The knowledge reflected in these lyrics could engender
discussions of esteem, power, place, and purpose or encourage students to further their own knowledge of
urban sociology and politics. In this way, hip hop music should stand on its own merit in the academy and
be a worthy subject of study in its own right than necessarily leading to something more “acceptable” like a
Shakespearean [sic] text (pp. 89-90).
Teaching hip hop and youth culture as social justice texts can facilitate the development of critical
consciousness in youth and transform the experience of schooling. How can the knowledge reflected in
such texts engender discussions of esteem, power, place, and purpose and encourage students to further
their own knowledge of society and politics? How can such texts help youth make sense of the world
along unique lines of intellectual analysis and in ways that correspond to the processes needed for
ensuring fuller, more just democratic participation? This course will address these questions in ways that
view hip hop and youth culture—their texts and languages—as valuable resources worthy of serious
study. You will learn to teach by learning from, about, and through these resources. The goal of the
course will be to help you move beyond traditional pedagogical formulations and toward broader, more
culturally sustaining and inclusive critical approaches that allow you to interrogate the various literatures,
languages, cultures, and agendas from which we as citizens passionately and impassionately have come to
view ourselves and others, the word and the world.
Course Objectives
st
The course is designed around three questions imperative to the teaching of English in the 21 Century: 1)
st
what is English (i.e., as a study of language, literature, and human experience) in the 21 Century; 2) what
st
st
should be the purposes of teaching English in the 21 Century; 3) what should be taught in 21 Century
English classrooms, and how? By the end of the course, students will develop (or begin developing):
1.
2.
3.
A critical awareness of social tensions as presented in hip hop related to language, culture, and
power;
An appreciation of multiple varieties of hip hop that fill urban and global contexts (Note: my use
of the term “multiple” is inclusive of all cultures, including White, and all American
languages/dialects, including linguistic hybrids and varieties of Spanish and AAL);
Critical approaches to teaching hip hop, teaching about hip hop, teaching through hip hop
(adopted from M.A.K. Halliday, 1984);
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4.
5.
A critical methodology (adapted from Alim, 2006; Fairclough, 1995; Hymes, 1964) for exploring,
investigating, understanding, and shaping pedagogies around students’ lives, interests, and social
locations;
An awareness of issues of equity and justice in English education.
In addition to these specific objectives, this course is framed around two broad concepts associated with
critical pedagogy: reflection and action—or praxis. The idea of praxis in education owes much to Paulo
Freire’s (1970) “problem-posing” approach to teaching and learning. The reflection-action sequence
includes the following modes of inquiry:
Reflection
Reflection is critical interrogation—critique of both self and the other, the
internal and the external reality of the individual. In reflecting, we ask: Who am
I as an educator (As all things can be considered political, we must continually
question as teachers how are we situated politically as we teach)? What is the
(political) theory/philosophy informing my teaching practice? How can I
understand it both in terms of my own educational and personal experiences
and in terms of my students’ experiences and needs?
Action
Action is transformative practice—social adjustments of things in order to
improve the conditions of practice and participation, people and populations to
promote just change. Action depends on human agency (i.e., that is the will to
do) and insists on the agency associated with the liberatory and transformative
wills of individuals and groups (i.e., personal and collective resolve). In acting,
we ask: How do I fashion pedagogical spaces that simultaneously meet social
and educational standards and reflect the multiplicity of voices expressed in
st
the 21 century? How do I fashion courses that are relevant and capable of
improving students’ lives? How does my teaching change things (i.e., promotes
student achievement, provides all students access to learning, resituates
knowledge in the most inclusive ways, combats oppression among individuals
and communities, articulates the realities of people, etc.)?
Pedagogical Tenets of the Course
Social Constructivist/Social Constructionist Approaches
Dialogic Pedagogy (Learning as Conversation)
Project- and Play-Based Pedagogy (Learning as Performance)
Experiential Pedagogy (Learning as Doing)
Critical Approaches
Problem Posing Pedagogy (Learning as Cultural Reflection)
Social Justice Pedagogy (Learning as Political Action)
Profit-based Pedagogy (Learning as Organic/Embedded in Cultural Competences)
Course Structure
Foundations/Philosophies
Forms/Functions
Approaches/Practices
Presentations
General Class Structure/Sequence
Tuesday
Learning Experience/Simulation
Dialogue/Student-led Discussions of Course Concepts or Reading(s)
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Course Texts
Kirkland, D.E. (2013). A Search Past Silence: The Literacy of Black Men. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop—And Why It
Matters. New York: Basic Books.
Most course texts will be available on NYU Classes. Additional course material and media will be viewed
during or before class (I reserve the right to alter course reading assignments based on the flow and
direction of class and emerging knowledge newly published in the field). Please note: This course will
require you to view one film (Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes) outside class. The film is available for
rental at either blockbuster.com or Netflix (or can be streamed bit torrent via a secured Internet
connection) and should be viewed before the class in which it will be discussed.
Strategies for Active Reading: As you study and think about the course readings, please keep in mind that
there are various ways to read a text. You can apply certain critical/analytic frames to illuminate issues
and themes within texts. For example, you can read a text from a feminist perspective, making sense of it
with respect to how the relationship between gender and power permeates the text’s meaning. There are
other orientations to reading that, for this class, you should adopt first. I describe these “ways of reading”
as reading with prepositions. These include the following:
Reading within the text: You should read all texts for meaning and comprehension, attempting
first to understand the author’s central arguments and the ways in which she attempts to
achieve them.
Reading around the text: You should read all texts sensitive to the contexts in which they were
written.
Reading against the text: Only after you have made sense of a text and situated it within its
various contexts can you be critical of it. Keep in mind that individuals who are not very different
than you will have written the texts you encounter in your lifetime. Disagreeing with texts is not
intellectually presumptuous; rather it is an intellectual necessity in most cases.
Framing Questions for student-led discussions: Whenever you set out to do a critical reading of a
particular text, you can use the following questions as a framework to guide you as you read and reflect
on a text. Whenever you set out to do analytical writing, you can also use the following questions as a
framework to guide you as you write. An analytical text is effective if it is written in a manner that allows
the reader to answer all four of these questions satisfactorily:
What’s the point? This is the analysis/interpretation issue, which examines the author’s angle.
Who says? This is the validity issues, which examines on what (data, literature, hearsay, etc.) are
the claims based.
What’s new? This is the value-added issue, which explores the author’s contribution to existing
knowledge.
Who cares? This is the significance issue (the most important issue of all—the one that subsumes
all others), which asks, a) is this work worth doing; b) is this text worth reading; c) does it
contribute something important?
Course Requirements
Weekly Questions/Quotations. We will be studying several texts this semester, including academic and
nonacademic texts, fiction and non-fiction, poetry, drama, film, and music to stimulate our classroom
discussions. For each week’s texts (readings, listenings, and viewings), prepare three to five questions
meant to take us deeper into the texts. I encourage you to raise questions that you feel are important for
understanding the texts. So that I can account for them, please turn in a copy of your
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questions/quotations after each class session. As your responses are to help you understand the readings
and to help simulate a more engaged class discussion, you will not receive feedback from me. However,
you will receive credit for each response that you hand in. Late responses will not be accepted.
(Reflective/Inquiry-Based)
Midterm Report. In 1000 words or less, write an essay analyzing the complexities of hip hop language and
literacies. Essays should include references to course readings and discussions. Possible topics may
include (but are not limited to): the role of language in the construction of hip hop texts; legal/structural
issues dealt with in hip hop education; disparities between hip hop and the canon; critical analyses of
issues of race, gender, etc. in hip hop culture; and the impact of hip hop on families, schools, and
communities. (Logical/Linguistic)
Heads. You will be engaged in several play-based/gaming/team competitions, testing your knowledge of
Hip Hop and beyond. Be prepared. “Heads” is a hip hop trivia game, aimed at creating pleasure and fun in
the classroom. The “game” will be set up as an informal league and will culminate with a tournament.
(Play-Based)
Curriculum Innovation Project/Expo. Our culminating project for this class is the curriculum innovation
project and presentation. Using some aspect of hip hop, you will innovatively design curriculum (e.g., a
textbook, a unit, etc.) or pedagogical approach/content (e.g., a game, a digital learning tool, etc.) meant
to engage a pre-determined population of youth. (Project-Based)
Attendance Policy
Attendance matters. It matters to us as instructors; it matters to peers who count on your support and
feedback. I expect you to attend all class sessions. You will be allowed one unexcused absence. More than
one unexcused absence may result in failure of the course. If you know you are going to be absent, notify
me before class. If you are unable to reach me, call my office and leave a message.
Grading Policy
Grades are criterion-referenced. That is, grades will be assigned based on the percent of the total possible
points that you receive on the assignments. Points are distributed as follows:
Grading Scale
Weekly Questions/Quotations
Midterm Report
Heads
Curriculum Innovation Project & Expo
20 points
20 points
20 points
40 points
Total
100 points
Grade point conversions:
94 – 100 = A
90 – 93 = A87 – 89 = B+
84 – 86 = B
80 – 83 = B77 – 79 = C+
74 – 76 = C
70 – 73 = C67 – 69 = D+
64 – 66 = D
59 – 63 = DBelow 59=Failing
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Participation: You will spend much of the next few weeks with classmates sharing ideas, theories, advice,
and experiences. You are a valuable resource for your peers, and the stronger the community we build in
this class, the richer the experiences we will have here. No percentage value has been assigned to class
participation. However, if your final average falls between grades (for example between an A- and a B+)
the following criteria will be used to determine your final grade:
a)
Clear evidence that you have read the weekly readings (i.e. productive, consistent participation
in discussions, completion of assignments)
b) Completion of tasks that support the work in class
c) Active and supportive listening in the classroom and offering constructive feedback to peers and
instructors
Students with Disabilities
Students with physical or learning disabilities are required to register with the Moses Center for Students
with Disabilities, 726 Broadway, 2nd Floor, (212-998-4980) and are required to present a letter from the
Center to the instructor at the start of the semester in order to be considered for appropriate
accommodation.
Academic Integrity
The following has been retrieved from NYU Steinhardt’s Policies and Procedures (available from
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/policies/academic_integrity):
The relationship between students and faculty is the keystone of the educational experience in The
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. This
relationship takes an honor code for granted. Mutual trust, respect and responsibility are foundational
requirements. Thus, how you learn is as important as what you learn. A university education aims not only
to produce high quality scholars, but to also cultivate honorable citizens.
Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you do; from taking exams, making oral
presentations to writing term papers. It requires that you recognize and acknowledge information derived
from others, and take credit only for ideas and work that are yours.
You violate the principle of academic integrity when you:
Cheat on an exam;
Submit the same work for two different courses without prior permission from your professors;
Receive help on a take-home examination that calls for independent work;
Plagiarize.
Plagiarism, one of the gravest forms of academic dishonesty in university life, whether intended or not, is
academic fraud. In a community of scholars, whose members are teaching, learning and discovering
knowledge, plagiarism cannot be tolerated.
Plagiarism is failure to properly assign authorship to a paper, a document, an oral presentation, a musical
score and/or other materials, which are not your original work. You plagiarize when, without proper
attribution, you do any of the following:
Copy verbatim from a book, an article or other media;
Download documents from the Internet;
Purchase documents;
Report from other's oral work;
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Paraphrase or restate someone else's facts, analysis and/or conclusions;
Copy directly from a classmate or allow a classmate to copy from you.
Your professors are responsible for helping you to understand other people's ideas, to use resources and
conscientiously acknowledge them, and to develop and clarify your own thinking. You should know what
constitutes good and honest scholarship, style guide preferences, and formats for assignments for each of
your courses. Consult your professors for help with problems related to fulfilling course assignments,
including questions related to attribution of sources.
Through reading, writing, and discussion, you will undoubtedly acquire ideas from others, and exchange
ideas and opinions with others, including your classmates and professors. You will be expected, and often
required, to build your own work on that of other people. In so doing, you are expected to credit those
sources that have contributed to the development of your ideas.
Avoiding Academic Dishonesty
Organize your time appropriately to avoid undue pressure, and acquire good study habits,
including note taking.
Learn proper forms of citation. Always check with your professors of record for their preferred
style guides. Directly copied material must always be in quotes; paraphrased material must be
acknowledged; even ideas and organization derived from your own previous work or another's
work need to be acknowledged.
Always proofread your finished work to be sure that quotation marks, footnotes and other
references were not inadvertently omitted. Know the source of each citation.
Do not submit the same work for more than one class without first obtaining the permission of
both professors even if you believe that work you have already completed satisfies the
requirements of another assignment.
Save your notes and drafts of your papers as evidence of your original work.
Disciplinary Sanctions
When a professor suspects cheating, plagiarism, and/or other forms of academic dishonesty, appropriate
disciplinary action may be taken following the department procedure or through referral to the
Committee on Student Discipline.
Departmental Procedure
The Professor will meet with the student to discuss, and present evidence for the particular
violation, giving the student opportunity to refute or deny the charge(s).
If the Professor confirms the violation(s), he/she, in consultation with the Program Director and
Department Chair may take any of the following actions:
o Allow the student to redo the assignment
o Lower the grade for the work in question
o Assign a grade of F for the work in question
o Assign a grade of F for the course
o Recommend dismissal
Once an action(s) is taken, the Professor will inform the Program Director and Department Chair, and
inform the student in writing, instructing the student to schedule an appointment with the Associate
Dean for Student Affairs, as a final step. Copies of the letter will be sent to the Department Chair for
his/her confidential student file and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The student has the right to
appeal the action taken in accordance with the School's Student Complaint Procedure as outlined in The
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Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Student's Guide.
Referral to the Steinhardt Committee on Student Discipline
In cases when dismissal is recommended, and in cases of repeated violations and/or unusual
circumstances, faculty may choose to refer the issue to the Committee on Student Discipline for
resolution, which they may do through the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
The Steinhardt School Statement on Academic Integrity is consistent with the New York University Policy
on Student Conduct, published in the NYU Student Guide.
NYU Classes
This course has an NYU Classes site. Required readings for some class sessions will be available on this
site, as indicated in the course calendar. The syllabus, details about assignments, and any other general
course information will be available on the site as well. In addition, postings will be made regarding events
or other items of importance regarding this course. Please also feel free to use the site to continue
conversations started in class or raise new points for discussion during future class meetings.
Ground Rules for this Course
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Acknowledge that oppression (i.e., racism, classism, sexism, etc) exists.
Acknowledge that one of the mechanisms of oppression (racism, classism, sexism, etc.)
is that we have been systematically taught misinformation about our own group and
especially members of devalued/subordinate groups (this is true for both dominant and
subordinate group members).
Agree not to blame ourselves or others for the misinformation we have learned in the
past, but accept responsibility for not repeating misinformation after we have learned
otherwise.
Agree not to blame victims for their oppression.
Assume that people (both the groups we study and the members of the class) are
always doing the best they can.
Actively pursue information about our own groups and that of others.
Share information about our groups with other members of the class and we will never
demean, devalue, or in any way "put down" people for their experiences.
Agree to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other
groups so that we can break down the walls that prohibit group cooperation and group
gain.
Create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. If members of the class wish to make
comments that they do not want repeated outside the classroom, they can preface their
remarks with a request and the class will agree not to repeat the remarks.
Synthesize ideas, readings, and materials across (y)our classes into fresh, innovative
teaching practices. While university policy on academic honesty stipulates work created
for one course cannot be turned in for credit in another, we do hope that ideas,
practices, and materials from our courses will be mutually informative and made to
speak to each other in new ways.
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Course Organization
The chart below denotes readings and other materials to be discussed in class on their corresponding
date. All required materials should be read [listened to or watched] before attending class. The protocol
for most class sessions will correspond with the following format: (1) discussion, analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation of texts, and (2) interactive touchstone activity/experience. We will also have occasional
opportunities to interact with and create artifacts of “Hip Hop.” Book sections and articles, songs and
other materials can be found on NYU Classes.
A=Activities; AD=Assignment Due; H=Heads
The Teaching of Hip Hop: Languages and Literacies across Multiple Modes of Inquiry
Date
2/3
2/10
2/17
2/24
3/3
Topics & “Readings”
“You Must Learn”: The Theory of Hip Hop (Education)—Opening
Arguments
Course Syllabus
Post-Soul
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 1-32
George, N. (1998). Hip Hop America, pp. 1-33 (book section)
o Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
o Sugar Hill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight”
o Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message”
o Eric B. & Rakim, “Paid in Full”
The Post-Soul Babies
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 17-40
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 33-60
o Bone Crusher, “I Ain’t Never Scared”
o KRS-1, “Sounds of the Police”
o NWA, “Fuck the Police”
o Ice T, “Freedom of Speech”
Post-Soul Dialects
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 43-79
Smitherman, G. (2006). Word from the Mother, pp. 82-107 (book
section)
o Big L, “Ebonics”
o E-40, “Sprinkle Me”
o Nelly, “Country Grammar”
o Lyiscott, “I Am Articulate”
The Ghetto
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 83-99
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 61-74
George, N. (1998). Hip Hop America, pp. 114-128 (excerpted)
o Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (portraiture)
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In-Class Assignments
& Dues
A: Syllabus Quiz
A: 4-point Debate
* Curriculum
Innovation Project &
Expo Assignment
Sheet-Handout
A: Theater of the
Oppressed:
Tableaus/Scenarios
A: Hip Hop Primer &
Philosophy Activity
A: Lyric Academy
A: Photo
Ethnography Project
(Bring in Visual
Scrapbook of Your
o Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York”
o Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
New York)
A: Comparing Gatsby,
Sinatra, and Jay-Z
* Heads Assignment
Sheet-Handout
3/10
3/24
3/31
4/7
4/14
All My Nigga’s Aint Rich . . .
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 100-107
George, N. (1998). Hip Hop America, pp. 154-175;193-200
(excerpted)
o Jay-Z, “Hard Knock Life” (Ghetto Anthem)
o Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
o Three 6 Mafia, “It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp”
o Banksy, “Keep your money. I want change.”
“That’s So Gay”
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 108-116
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 113-132
Hurt, B. (2006). Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (Film)
o Lil Herb, “All My Niggaz”
o Eastside Boyz, “Roll With My Niggaz”
o C Murder, “Down 4 My Niggaz”
o YG feat. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan, “My Nigga”
o Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Same Love”
Real Niggas: Race and Authenticity
Kirkland, D. (2013). A Search Past Silence. pp. 117-134
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 74-94
Smitherman, G. (2006). Word from the Mother, pp. 49-63 (book
section)
o NWA, “Niggaz 4 Life”
o Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy”
o Iggy Azalea MTV Voices Interview (YouTube)
o Azealia Banks HOT 97 Interview (YouTube)
o Macklemore HOT 97 Interview (YouTube)
The Diary of a Bad Bytch: Misogyny, Sexism, and Representations of
Women
Rose, T. (1994). Black Noise. pp. 146-182 (excerpt)
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 167-86
o Trina, “Bad Bitch”
o Lil Kim, “Queen Bitch”
o Nicki Minaj, “Baddest Bitch”
o French Montana feat. Jeremih, “Bad B*tch”
o Lupe Fiasco, “Bitch Bad”
o Lil Boosie Webbie feat. Trina, “Bad Bitch”
Let’s Talk About Sex
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 149-166
Morgan, J. (1999). When Chicken-Heads Come Home to Roost,
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AD: Midterm Report
A: Chips Game
A: Theater of the
Oppressed 2
H: Round 1
A: Image Walk
(Minstrel Shows?)
H: Round 2
A: Vagina Dialogue
(Analyzing the
American Apparel TShirt)
H: Round 3
A: Fish Bowl
pp. 29-46
Lorde, A. Zami: Preface (book section)
o Salt N Pepa, “Let’s Talk About Sex”
o Lil Wayne feat. Static, “Lollipop”
o Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
4/21
4/28
5/5
Hip Hop America
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Wars, pp. 95-112
Campbell, K. (2007). “There Goes the Neighborhood” (article)
o P. Diddy, “Bad Boy for Life”
o Ali feat. Murphy Lee, “Boughetto”
o Eminem, “White America”
o Ice-T, “Home Invasion”
A Fucked Up Hope is Still Hope
Rose, T. (2008). Hip Hop Causes Violence, pp. 201-216
Lamont Hill, M. (2009). “Wounded Healing” (article)
o Tupac, “Keep Ya Head Up”
o Trick Daddy, “Thug Holiday”
o Twista feat. Faith Evans, “Hope”
o Bone Thugs N Harmony, “Crossroads”
o Tupac, “A Rose That Grew From Concrete”
Culmination: Hip Hop Curriculum Innovation Expo
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H: Quarterfinals
A: Gentrifying Houses
of Cards
H: Semifinals
A: Theater of the
Oppress 3: Trust
H: Finals
AD: HHCI Projects &
Expo Presentations