AFRI 127 AF -Hip Hop, Reggae, and Religion

Institution: Pitzer

Description: Hip-hop and reggae are among the worldâ€™s most popular musical art forms. Contextualizing the emergence of these cultural formations, we will interrogate the dynamic relationships between them and the religio-political imagination of the Black Atlantic. We will pay particular attention to the ways that the various cultures of hip-hop and reggae offer critique to Christianity and contemporary arrangements of power. Listening to the religio-political perspectives expressed in these cultural formations students will question whether or not the music provides a prophetic challenge to the status quo of our political and economic arrangements. Giving attention to the music, from the Negro Spirituals, to contemporary Hip Hop and Dancehall, we will contextualize it with an interest in understanding the relationship between their religious and political visions. Weekly, we will encounter material from numerous genres as we theorize the music. Assignments will include discussion posts, presentations, a music review, and a final paper.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.