Prep
- Gilbert B. Rodman, ‘Race … and Other Four-Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity’ (password-protected PDF), in Forman and Neal (2012)
- Video: Adam Neely, ‘Scotch Snaps in Hip-Hop’ (11 March 2019). Take careful notes. You must list at least three details from the video (an interesting fact or research finding, an intriguing hypothesis, some provocative claim); note the time stamp or approximate duration (e.g., 3m41s, or 3:41-5:25) and provide an annotation for each item. For example, you might question the way the author interprets a research finding; or you might speculate as to how a hypothesis might apply to a related topic; or you might explain what confuses you about a particular claim. I’d say this double-entry chart on the New York Times learning blog is geared more towards critically watching narrative fiction, but looking at it should give you a sense of what I’m looking for here. I won’t ask you to turn this in (unless you miss class), but I will cold-call a good bit to see what you noticed.
In Class
- Attendance
- Q&A: Is cultural appropriation always a bad thing?
- Reading Notes for Next Time
- Matt Miller, ‘Rap’s Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture’, (password-protected PDF) in Forman and Neal (2012)
- Video: ‘How the triplet flow took over rap’, Vox (15 September 2017)