ENG 61 Hip Hop Poetics

Units: 3
Advisories: Ability to read at the 12th grade level.
Hip Hop is an umbrella term for art, music, dance, literature, identity, fashion and politics that has transformed the globe. We will begin to understand the origins of the aesthetic by looking at the movements and politics that inspired the birth of Hip Hop as a form of poetics. This course examines the socio-historic and cultural context of this genre in the United States among youth in marginalized communities, including the ways in which Hip Hop speaks about oppression, violence, identity, culture, and power. The course explores these aspects of social, cultural, and political expression through a delivery style that includes rhyme, rhythm, the spoken word (the MC), utilization of stylized and literary devices, and the beats (the DJ). Attention will be paid to diverse literary perspectives and critiques; artists and innovators’ performance styles; and poetic structures. (UC, CSU)