10 Things Universities Could Be Teaching Students Through Hip-Hop

That major that you majored in won't make no money, but you can't drop out...

Nov 14, 2013
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Complex Original

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Hip-hop and learning have always been closely connected; many would claim knowledge is the genre's so-called fifth element. As such, hip-hop has always made a great classroom tool, whether it's encouraging school dress codes, spreading science lessons, or, in the case of one teacher at the University of California Davis, teaching slang to ESL students.

Cali's recent experiment raises some important questions: If hip-hop can effectively teach ESL, what other subjects can it offer some instruction in? And—crucially—who would teach the courses? From Bun B to Nas, plenty of rappers have spent time in the academic world, so we'd wager the rappers themselves would be the best candidates for tackling instruction.

Here's a course catalog designed to ensure you meet all your prerequisites, electives, and distribution requirements and get all that essential knowledge from the genre's leading academic authorities. Register quickly, though—these courses are going to fill up quickly.

RELATED: The Language: California Universities Teaching American Slang to ESL Students Through Hip-Hop
RELATED: Harvard University Honors Nas With "Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Scholarship"

Philosophy

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Course: PHIL 120: The Based God's Layer: Asking Questions in the Age of Information
Instructor: Lil B


Syllabus: In philosophy, no question is too small to be asked. In BasedWorld, the same investigative methodology applies. This seminar-style course will take a wide-ranging approach to questioning life's mysteries, from the nature of evil to reincarnation to what distinguishes humans from animals. Past topics of discussion have included the role of the Internet on human interaction and the effect of human civilization on the natural world. In this course, the instructor is every bit as inquisitive as the students, and learning is treated as a journey in the pursuit of self-improvement and enlarged compassion. If students are lucky, the Based God may appear for a special guest lecture about the ontology of being based.

Psychology

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Course: PSYCH 280: Too Much: Theories of Relationships and Communication
Instructor: Drake


Syllabus: Drawing on material from both scholarly presses and popular sources, this course will analyze the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, both romantic and otherwise. Students will learn about the biology of attraction, the latest theories on possessiveness in relationships, and the science behind why girls love Beyoncé (it's psychology!). From examining the neurological triggers that make you call an ex late at night to learning about the evolutionary roots of rejection, this course will answer the essential questions about how people interact with each other from time to time. Students will want to come thru for this unique learning opportunity.


Note: Students must also register for the course's lab section, PSYCH 281, which meets at either 5 a.m. in Toronto or 9 a.m. in Dallas.

Sociology

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Course: SOC 345: New Slaves: Cultural Dynamics of Black Masculinity in Fashion and Music; cross-listed under Fashion (FASH 316), American Studies (AMST 307), African-American Studies (AFAM 370)
Instructor: Kanye West


Syllabus: In this intensive, seminar-style course, students will be asked to analyze recent news stories and trends in both the fashion and music industries through the lenses of race, gender, and other critical frameworks. If seeing a pair of leather jogging pants makes you think about the lack of racial diversity in the fashion industry, this course is for you. If hearing Chief Keef makes you think about the way young men are socialized toward destructive behaviors, this course is for you. In a series of "rant" exercises, students will focus on rhetorical skills, while in-studio analysis exercises will discuss reinforcing a message within the medium through which it's presented. For a final project, students will be expected to design a multifaceted creative venture under the D.O.N.D.A. artistic framework with the goal of re-orienting cultural expectations around an issue related to one of the subjects discussed in class.

History

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Course: HIST 290: Nature of the Threat: Subverting Historical Narratives
Instructor: Rass Kass


Syllabus: Incorporating texts such as Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and the instructor's own influential 1996 work, "The Nature of the Threat," this course will ask students to confront and question the traditional Western historical narrative. Taking on issues such as colonization and slavery, as well as the dissemination of religion, philosophy, and other studies, students will look at history from the perspective of the people who have traditionally been written out of it. In this radical reimagining of the way race, gender, and other biases infiltrate historical thought, no target is immune, and students' work will culminate in challenging the homophobic biases of the instructor's own work.

Neuroscience

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Course: NEUR 420: The Chronic: Psychopharmacology
Instructor: Snoop Dogg


Syllabus: Students will explore the interactions between chemical substances and the brain, focusing on a wide variety of common pharmaceuticals used in both professional and recreational contexts. Topics explored will include lab data (courtesy of the Dr. Dre Center for Advanced Study) on smoking weed every day and a molecular analysis of the combinatinatory properties of gin and juice. Guest lectures will also be a regular fixture in an attempt to broaden the course's scope. Past topics have included "Popped a Molly I'm Sweating, Woo: The Effects of MDMA on the Body's Chemistry" by Trinidad James, "Relapse and Recovery: Overcoming Pharmaceutical Addiction" by Eminem, and "Sippin' on Some Sizzurp: A Close Look at Promethazine HCL with Codeine Phosphate" by Three 6ix Mafia.

Physics

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Course: PHYS 160: Clock Works Forever: Introduction to Astrophysics
Instructor: GZA


Syllabus: Exit the 36 chambers and head into the stars in this introduction to the wide world of space. Students will take it back all the way to the beginning of the universe, when there was "massive energy expanding in great time." Students will encounter gravity that's gone mad, clouds of dust and debris, and more, as well as get a sneak preview of the instructor's upcoming science publication, Dark Matter. In a special academic exchange program, students may be receive guest visits from the instructor's friends at Harvard, MIT, and New York's Hayden Planetarium.

Culinary Science

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Course: CUL 205: Eggs on the Third Floor: Intermediate Culinary Exploration
Instructor: Action Bronson


Syllabus: Ever wondered how to serve freshwater bass in five styles? Have you always wanted to macerate the fruit and tap it over angel food? Students will learn these techniques and more in this overview of cooking approaches and food appreciation. Special projects may include cooking thin veal or roasting six ducks in a wood-burning oven. Course time may also be devoted to completing the 2 Chainz cookbook, if time allows.


Note: This course is a prerequisite for entry into OJ da Juiceman's 300-level Culinary Art School program.

Art History

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Course: AH 265: Picasso Baby: Modern, Post-modern and Contemporary Masters
Instructor: Jay Z


Syllabus: In a special course taught in the Shawn Carter Learning Museum, students will interact with some of the greatest artists of the past century, including Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Drawing on lyrical references in Jay Z's own work, students will be asked to make connections between these artists and contemporary societal touchstones in the hip-hop world. In the course's second portion, students will turn their eye to the present day, with a focus on such artists as Shepard Fairey and Marina Abramović. For a final project, students will be asked to stage an extended performative reading of their favorite essay, which may be filmed and turned into an art piece of its own.

Theater

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Course: THEA 201: Roman's Revenge: Character Studies
Instructor: Nicki Minaj, Eminem, MF DOOM


Syllabus: Students will learn how to construct and embody a fictional character, in the vein of such classic examples as Nicki Minaj's Roman Zolanski, Eminem's Slim Shady, and MF DOOM's Viktor Vaughn. Through various exercises, students will be encouraged to get inside the mind of their characters for both scripted performances and "freestyle" improvisation. Special attention will be paid to elocution and vocal performance as actors, with a consistent focus on using lyrical tongue twisters in warm-up exercises. For a final project, students will be required to deliver a monologue chosen from among their instructors' densest verses. Past selections for the final class performance have included Nicki Minaj's verse from "Monster" and excerpts of Eminem's "Stan."

Cinema and Media Studies

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Course: CAMS 305: Enter the 36 Chambers: Kung Fu and Genre Cinema
Instructor: RZA


Syllabus: Students will begin by working their way through the classic canon of kung fu and martial arts movies sampled and referenced in Wu-Tang Clan albums, with selections that include Shaolin and Wu Tang, Five Deadly Venoms, Executioners From Shaolin, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and The Mystery of Chessboxing. In the course's second portion, students will discuss how these genre classics interact with more contemporary works by studying works in the RZA's own filmography. Special attention will be paid to the intersection of martial arts and other genres in Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and the film version of Takashi Okazaki's anime Afro Samurai, all of which the RZA scored. For a final assignment, students will conduct their own special project inspired by the RZA's kung fu feature, The Man With The Iron Fists.

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