Module Catalogue 2024/25

MUS2013 : Elements of Hip Hop (Inactive)

MUS2013 : Elements of Hip Hop (Inactive)

  • Inactive for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr William Edmondes
  • Owning School: Arts & Cultures
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 10
Semester 2 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System
Pre-requisite

Modules you must have done previously to study this module

Pre Requisite Comment

None

Co-Requisite

Modules you need to take at the same time

Co Requisite Comment

None

Aims

-       To explore key concepts in Hip Hop culture from its 1970s inception through to the present day, including parallel developments in settings outside the USA.
-       To relate these concepts to broader critical discourses in contemporary cultures
-       To trace, through selected key works, the evolution of Hip Hop through traditions in Black American Music.

Outline Of Syllabus

Lectures analyse key concepts in Hip Hop as a cultural movement comprising rap, turntablism, graffiti and break-dancing. The course will trace Hip Hop's evolution out of more established Black American music, particularly Jazz, R&B, Soul and Funk. The module will also try to assess the extent of its influence on wider cultural discourses and contemporary creative practice.

Learning Outcomes

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

- Increased understanding of Hip Hop’s development, its shared heritage with other Black music traditions and its role in contemporary culture
- A better informed critical awareness of the place of African Disaporic music, culture and socio-cultural perspectives
- Greater awareness and understanding of the development of break-beat and related contemporary forms, such as drum & bass, House, Techno, Dubstep & Grime

Intended Skill Outcomes

- An improved ability to analyse contemporary popular culture through specific examples and by applying specific critical positions
- Greater skill in making critical links and identifying cultural cross-references

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture102:0020:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching31:003:00Tutorials
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching101:0010:00Seminars
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1167:00167:00N/A
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

•       The basis of the course is a recognition of Hip Hop as a multi-disciplinary subculture whose narratives and connect with contemporary cultural discourses on numerous levels
•       The lectures will introduce a critical approach to Hip Hop, Funk and Soul as part of a wider cultural discourse
•       The module will suggest new strategies and criteria for analysing contemporary popular music as well as its evolution through the 20th century and beyond

Reading Lists

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Essay2A1003,000 words
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Essay2M300-500 words summarising the chosen topic of final essay. Students will be given feedback as guidance to complete final submission.
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

-       The essay will provide the opportunity to apply critical and analytical concepts and strategies to a specific area of work to be selected by the student from options provided at the start of the module
-       It will demonstrate a critical engagement with the material based on concepts discussed during the course
-       It will illustrate development in the student's capacity to apply critical thinking to specifically identified source material and examples
-       The formative assessment provides students with the opportunity to consider a topic relating to course materials which they feel they can see through to the final 3,000-4,000 word essay and to be given some guidance as to the viability of the topic, their research sources and materials, along with some suggestions as to how they might complete the main essay.
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Timetable

Past Exam Papers

General Notes

Original Handbook text:

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Disclaimer

The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2024 academic year.

In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.

Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2025/26 entry will be published here in early-April 2025. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.