Discovering Hip-Hop

to Discover Ourselves

Presenter: Monica Ashcraft

Presenter Status: Graduate student

Academic Year: 22-23

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Fawn Canady

Department: Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=16XOmCpW7LmfM5ZatUm5DSSy5S1Jgo_ys

Abstract:
In my teaching practice, I’ve seen an increased concern with connecting authentically with students, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic distance learning. In order to engage students at home, teachers worked hard to make lessons relevant to students’ lives, emphasizing “real world” applications and topics. This paper examines the potential of the rhetoric of hip-hop to facilitate an authentic approach to understanding identity and culture. Using hip-hop in education to engage students and develop critical thinking skills is nothing new. But it’s not an automatic magic wand or something from our proverbial “bag of tricks” to use whenever one teaches in diverse classrooms (Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy | EdCan Network, 2022). This paper argues that studying hip-hop songs, specifically from other cultures, can foster cultural understanding, primarily by allowing students to explore their own culture and the cultures of others. Through rhetorical analysis, students can understand the message behind the beat to better understand others' lived experiences. In this exploration, students can dialogue, discover common ground, and develop empathy. Finally, this paper will discuss how students can utilize the hip-hop genre to express their cultural concerns and share pieces of their identity.