FYS 70 Kendrick Lamar and Hip-Hop Pedagogy in Post-Modern America
Utilizing Lamar’s classic 2015 album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” the course will evaluate this classic hip hop recording as a basis to explore empathy, urban poeticism, dramatic conflict, and racial and identity politics in post-modern America. Course participants will have the opportunity to engage Lamar’s lyrics as the foundation for their own expository as well as narrative writing, and extract Lamar’s themes and beats to spark personal convictions that lead to potent writing samples and intellectually stimulating class discussions. Students will create and participate in prompts based on the beats, themes, and overall lyrical content of the album, and engage in both traditional and non-traditional writing exercises, from critical theory essays to rap poetry. Come get your mind blown, your heart opened, and your writing pen sharpened!
Prerequisite
Open only to first year frosh