For the critical summary assignment, I selected hip-hop culture and the curriculum. I decided to write about this topic because I have known about it since my elementary years. Even today, I thoroughly enjoy listening to music, watching films and TV-Shows, and even playing video games related to this culture. Until now, I never had the chance to sit-down, research, and learn more about this culture.
Hip-hop comprises two words, namely, hip and hop. Hip is the process of knowing and learning, while hop refers to the energetic movement of performers (Dictionary.Com, n.d.). When combined, both words symbolize a culture of truth and equality (Academy of Music and Sound, n.d.). The movement was founded in the 1970s in New York, primarily by African-American and Hispanic people. It includes four styles of art: rap, deejaying, break-dance, and graffiti. In essence, these four styles of expression give people the ability to showcase what they believe in (Ramirez, 2020).
For the primary curriculum scholar, I selected Bronwen E. Low who is a professor of education at McGill University (Low, 2011). In 2011, she wrote a book review entitled Slam School: Learning Through Conflict in the Hip-Hop and Spoken Word Classroom. The main objective of Low’s book review is to provide newcomers with an in-depth understanding about hip-hop culture. She accomplishes this by answering critical questions including: Where did this culture develop? Who created it? (Low, 2011). Such questions are important to ask because it enables one to think critically and become more open-minded. Low argues that these diverse voices and backgrounds need to be included in the classroom. Therefore, she shares three techniques. The first strategy suggests that students practice rap by reciting slam poetry, thereby preparing them for public speaking. Low’s research is helpful because it provides useful ideas about the pros and cons of the hip-hop culture and practical methods to include it within the curriculum.
For the next steps of my critical summary project, I will be selecting two additional curriculum scholars including Hyacinth T. Campbell and Didem Uca et. al. Here, I will use Campbell’s text to compare and cnotrast it with the primary curriculum scholars’ work. In a similar fashion, I will use Uca et. al’s research and explain how her work is similar and different to the main source. Comparing and contrasting will enable the reader to identify how these curriculum scholars’ work is useful when integrating the hip-hop culture in the curriculum. Next, I will use the curriculum approaches; syllabus, process, and product, and explain why these methods are useful for the three texts. Finally, my critical summary will close by explaining how hip-hop can be included within the province’s curriculum by using the course material.
References:
Academy of Music and Sound. (n.d.) What is Hip-Hop and Why Does it Matter? Retrieved
January 27, 2023, from https://www.academyofmusic.ac.uk/what-is-hip-hop-and-why-does-it-matter/.
Dictionary.Com. (n.d.). Hip-Hop Definition and Meaning. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hip-hop.
Low, B. E. (2011). Slam School: Learning Through Conflict in the Spoken Word Classroom.
Stanford University Press. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://ebookcentral-
proquest-com.libproxy.uregina.ca/lib/uregina/detail.action?docID=692460&pq-
origsite=primo.
Ramirez, M. (2020). Graffiti is a Form of Self Expression. The Silver Streak.Retrieved January
22, 2023, from
https://silverstreakonline.com/opinion/2020/10/27/graffiti-is-a-form-of-self-expression/.