HIP HOP PEDAGOGIES: an ALTERNATIVE PRAXIS by Alexis
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HIP HOP PEDAGOGIES: AN ALTERNATIVE PRAXIS by Alexis McGee, A.S., B.A. A thesis submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts With a Major in Rhetoric and Composition May 2014 Committee Members: Octavio Pimentel, Chair Jaime Mejía Nancy Wilson COPYRIGHT by Alexis McGee 2014 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Alexis McGee, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my mother, Tammy, without whose trust, guidance, and support I would not even be able to begin understanding the importance of my situation. I also dedicate this work to Dr. Octavio Pimentel, who pushed me to further my education; to Dr. Nancy Wilson, who encouraged my decisions which in turn gave me the strength to pursue my passion; to Dr. Jaime Armin Mejía, who challenged my views to build my skills as a teacher and writer; and to Dr. Sherri Benn, and the Multicultural Students Affairs Office, who found me when I was lost. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to acknowledge the time and dedication the graduate English programs at Texas State University have committed to developing students, like me, who are determined to succeed. I also wish to acknowledge the sense of community Texas State embodies which helped shape my identity and my studies. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. HIP HOP COMPOSITION PEDAGOGY STUDY ..................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................2 Definition of Hip Hop Pedagogy (Hip Hop Pedagogies) ............................7 Goal of the Thesis ......................................................................................10 Review of Literature ..................................................................................12 Methods......................................................................................................19 Analysis and Discussion ............................................................................21 Outline of the Thesis ..................................................................................22 II. EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST: RHETORICAL UNDERPINNINGS ........26 Wildin’ out West ........................................................................................26 Global Phenomenon ...................................................................................35 When Two Become One: Context and Text ..............................................48 III. HIP HOP AS A PEDAGOGY ............................................................................54 The Composition of a Hip Hop Class ........................................................54 The Hip Hop Composition Classroom .......................................................69 IV. HIP HOP’S METHODS ......................................................................................82 Hip Hop’s Facilitation of Learning ............................................................85 Integrating Hip Hop Pedagogies in First-year English Composition Courses ...........................................................................................91 Hip Hop in ENG 1310 (College Writing I) ...............................................93 Hip Hop in ENG 1320 (College Writing II ...............................................98 vi Hip Hop Perception Survey Results ........................................................104 V. PUT IT ON THE KANVAS: AN ANALYSIS OF HIP HOP PEDAGOGIES ......................................................................................................116 Deciphering the Kanvas ...........................................................................116 Writing’s on the Wall: Kanvasing 1310 ..................................................119 Gallery Viewing: Kanvasing 1320...........................................................132 Critiquing the Kanvas ..............................................................................141 VI. FREESTYLE: DISCUSSIONS, OUTCOMES, AND CONCLUSIONS OF HIP HOP PEDAGOGIES .............................................................................................143 Discussion and Outcomes ........................................................................143 The Future of Hip Hop Pedagogy ............................................................147 APPENDIX SECTION ....................................................................................................150 WORKS CITED ..............................................................................................................174 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. McCool’s Writer and Reader Responsible Cultures ........................................53 2. Joseph Cantu’ Eng 1310 Results....................................................................104 3. Michelle Brown’s Eng1310 Results ..............................................................105 4. Stephanie Garza’s Eng 1320 Results .............................................................105 5. Joseph Cantu’s Eng 1320 Results ..................................................................106 6. Michelle Brown’ Eng1320 Results ................................................................106 7. Banks, Writing, and Aristotle ........................................................................142 8. Vinyl Classroom Connections .......................................................................142 viii ABSTRACT This study of Hip Hop Composition Pedagogy discusses and (re)defines educational spaces among students and faculty at the college level. This study explores composition teaching techniques related to ethnicity within college writing and the academy. In order to connect the diverse array of students to academic discourse, pedagogies should also be equipped to cater to various global learning styles and should resonate with students so information, like composition skill sets, can occur. By accepting the validity of Hip Hop Pedagogies, teachers may expand the types of teaching methods available for them so as to connect with the diverse and global markets of students. It is important to incorporate and accept pedagogies that emphasize student-centered dialogue and experiences, since the language we use can rarely be separated from a context. Effective rhetorical devices are often found within various texts and media that are not typical or common in the limited anthologized texts taught in traditional First-year English composition courses. I propose integrating Hip Hop Pedagogies into First-year English composition classes; teachers and students can evaluate Hip Hop texts and the rhetorical devices from different global cultures to bridge traditional rhetorical practices with real world applications. Comparing the opposite composition structures could encourage students to learn and accept alternative approaches to concepts of language, such as grammar, syntax, and structure, thus helping to guide and strengthen students’ writing in a global market. This approach will aid by introducing students not accustomed to a certain style ix of writing—reader responsible or writer responsible styles—by allowing a space for students to explore concepts. Hip Hop Pedagogies will provide a base to teach culturally comparative rhetorical analyses catered to texts found globally and to students from varied backgrounds. This study (re)defines Hip Hop Pedagogies by using the structural definitions provided by Marc Lamont Hill and will recontextualize Hill’s definitions and purposes of Hip Hop education within a context of first-year English composition classes. This study investigates the following questions: “How can Hip Hop be used in college to make better writers?” as well as “How can Hip Hop be used to discover connections students commonly make with Hip Hop and learning “new” information cultivated by developing what students already know?” These leading questions will be contextualized by a survey distributed in select classes of first and second semester first-year English composition classrooms. This survey was adapted from one used in a summer youth program and created to gauge perceptions of writing, Hip Hop, African American Rhetoric, and African American Language among youth in the surrounding community. x CHAPTER I Hip Hop Composition Pedagogy Study Recently, I was asked to give a brief presentation about grammar to my colleagues in a Teaching Assistant Practicum. This class is designed to equip new teachers, primarily graduate students teaching first-year English composition courses, by providing helpful educational tools that incorporate information about