Forgot the name of Jay-Z's first album? At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, that could cost you an A.
Most college students expect to learn about history before they graduate — but not necessarily about the cultural environment that led to the rise of a popular form of music today. However, this fall the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that it will be holding a seminar on hip-hop. The seminar will integrate the perspectives of educators from diverse academic disciplines, ranging from women's studies to sociology, to explore the cultural influences and social impact of the musical genre.
According to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, hip-hop is a relatively new movement with modest roots. During the 1970s, hip-hop originated within the Bronx's African-American community as a creative form of expression. Not surprisingly, hip-hop has become an increasingly popular genre in cities across the United States. Hip-hop icons like Christopher Wallace, more commonly known as Notorious B.I.G., have only helped to increase the spread of the movement.
Today, hip-hop permeates diverse cultural and ethnic boundaries. One speaker in the seminar, Dr. Rachel Raimist, professor of Telecommunication and Film at the University of Alabama, sees hip-hop as a "really viable space to look at the world." According to Raimist, "Students who believe they're of the hip-hop generation think they know hip-hop, but they don't have a context or understanding of hip-hop in a greater cultural sense."
For Raimist, hip-hop is far more than just a musical genre; it has a "visual art element, dance form and a rap music aspect, which is about storytelling."
Katelyn Jenssen, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, finds value in the seminar at her university.
"Our school's mission celebrates diversity, and I think that reflects how we're such a diverse campus; [the University of Wisconsin-Madison] offers a broad range of everything," Jenssen said.
Jenssen also believes students from all backgrounds will attend.
"I think it will attract a little bit of everyone," she said. "[Hip-hop] is something many people are interested in. It's not inclusive, so I think they'll be people who come from broad backgrounds."
Many students on the Hill feel that a hip-hop seminar such as the one offered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison would be a success at Tufts because of its overall significance in society today. Janna Gonwa, a Tufts graduate student of philosophy, is one such thinker.
"Hip-hop plays an important role in such a large sub-culture in our country," she said.
Others, like sophomore Ella Kipervasser, believe that such a seminar has the potential to change the way students view a seemingly unexplored genre.
"Learning about any kind of art form that represents another culture will make [one] look at even mundane things from another prospective," she said, adding that such a seminar would "make you look at [hip-hop] in a different way."
Anna Fletcher, a junior, said she appreciates the creativity of Wisconsin-Madison's seminar.
"It's just a different type of learning, which I think could help [students] related with other topics," she said. "I think it will be really interesting to see how the professors relate their disciplines to hip-hop."
Many Jumbos agree that a seminar on hip-hop could be as entertaining as it is educational. Bogged down by traditional courses like calculus, biology and economics, Jumbos need to keep things interesting. A class on music that is popular today could be just what students need to stay interested in their studies.
"Hip-hop is just fun," Kipervasser said.
