Hip-hop Pedagogy in Post-secondary Classrooms (A Higher Ed Remix)
(Panel)Prasad Bidaye (Humber College)
As hip-hop turns 50 in 2023, there is much to celebrate and reflect on, including its impact on higher education. This session is engaged with questions about the latter: what is hip-hop doing in our classrooms and conversely, what are we doing with it in our teaching practice?
While the ever-growing discourse of hip-hop pedagogy, as represented by scholars like Christopher Emdin and Marc Lamont Hill (to name a few), has been valuable for legitimizing the use of hip-hop as a learning tool, much of it focuses on K-12 grade school contexts. In the spirit of this year’s NEMLA theme on surplus, this panel aims to push the parameters and generate an ideas exchange around how hip-hop culture is engaged specifically within post-secondary classrooms, encompassing the full spectrum from two-year colleges to grad school programs.
Similarly, while much of hip-hop pedagogy discourse is arguably rooted in the field of educational studies, this session is interested in discussing teaching practices that are doubly informed by theoretical frameworks from humanities-based disciplines like cultural studies, literary studies, media studies, historical studies, etc.
Furthermore, we encourage presentations that challenge, exceed, or subvert the grand narratives of hip-hop studies (i.e., Bronx origins, canonical rappers, and classic albums).
The floor is open, y’all. Let’s hear what you got to teach!