• Murray S. Davis, ‘That’s Interesting! Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology’, Philosophy of the Social Sciences (1971)
• Audio: Drake, ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ (2024)
• Video: ‘Why I Love Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle”‘  (12 October 2024). An example of a clearly stated, interesting thesis—and one that’s fun to debate!

The Davis article is great in that it’s almost a primer on 19th- and 20th-century social theory, but it’s a lot for anyone who isn’t already familiar with the classics of the modern social sciences. Focus on Part II, ‘The Index of the Interesting’ (pp. 313-326).

In Class

1. 1. Attendance
   2. Q&A: How can we come up with a thesis, and what is the mark of a good one?
   3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Kembrew McLeod, ‘Authenticity Within Hip-Hop and Other Cultures Threatened With Assimilation’ (password-protected PDF), in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Audio: TBD
• Video: Adam Neely, ‘Why Are There So Few Cover Rap Songs?’ (22 September 2022)