Hip Hop Beyond

Assignment:

Head each paper with the line “Tani Sanchez, instructor.” Do not put your grader or GAT name on your paper.

Write these papers like any other academic paper, with full explanations and resources. Follow the rubric and demonstrate a scholarly knowledge of the module topics as well as show writing competence. You can be more informal in your response. See the discussion guidelines in the contents section.

Essay 4 is required and must be 750 words or more in length.

How to structure this essay:
In a short introductory paragraph, explain the issues concerning authenticity and/or how colorblindness is affecting the racial dynamics of hip-hop cultural adoption or appropriation. Quote from BOTH the Performing Blackness article AND the Color-Blind Ideology readings (required).
After your explanation, write a thesis for your essay addressing the prompt below:
Compare and contrast two of the following films: La Haine, Feel the Noise, 8 Mile and/or Bringing Down the House. Discuss how differing communities align or do not align with U.S. racial issues and African American hip-hop culture. Be specific in terms of the movies you have chosen and be detailed, starting with a thesis. Explain exactly how the movie maintains either detachment or connection with black concerns. Consider how use of hip hop aesthetics infer authenticity. Consider the choice to use the aesthetics. Justify your reasonings throughout your paper by comparing characters, situations, mise en scene, etc. as appropriate. Explain why this does or does not matter in our contemporary world.
Here are some ideas that you can consider. With 8-mile, explain what B-Rabbit means at the end of the film when he says he must go another way. With Bringing Down the House, consider how stereotypes are reinforced or challenged. With La Haine, explain what works, for whom and why? With Feel the Noise, there are at least three communities involved in hip hop. How are they different? How are they the same? What are the filmmakers suggesting about each group? You can pick other aspects or mix and match.
In this assignment, you must use at least one new academic article that you find on your own in addition to the ones mentioned above.
Remember these films are NOT reality nor is this essay about denying the reality that people of different races or groups exchange musical influences. The point of the essay is to look at what happens or does not happen when hip hop culture moves away from original communities. Your job is to use academic writings and your own interpretations to produce an essay that analyzes words, themes, mise-en-scene as they project beliefs. Note this paper must be uploaded into the dropbox as well as posted here.

1. Be focused, detailed and use short quotes. Yes, you can use and will probably need more than 1000 words in your original essay. Remember the essays should contain in-text citations. See the discussion guidelines in the content section and the Course Rubric. You will be graded by the Rubric. Post your original discussion essay in the discussion area and submit to the assignments dropbox before midnight on the deadline date.

2. Respond to at least one of your group members’ essays and/or to the comments of others who respond to your post. before midnight on the deadline date. This is NOT a peer review. Your comments on style and how well they wrote are not part of this assignment. I am looking for a scholarly consideration of ideas and analysis. You are to address ideas and consider how they apply or don’t apply compared to the scholars and the experts. You are to consider how your classmate’s ideas take the discussion to a deeper or appropriate level. Make sure that your response is meaningful and continues a conversation. The response counts for 20% of your grade.

Guidelines:
Remember the essays should contain citations and are practice for the final course paper. However they are also an opportunity to start less formal conversations and responses among group members. You must complete both aspects, so be sure to respond to at least one of your group members about what they found and/or to the comments of others who respond to your post. This assignment counts toward class participation. Copy and paste or type your discussion/essay in the discussion area and submit your file to the dropbox for a plagiarism check.

What should be included in your essay(for more detail look at the writing rubric:

750 Words for initial post for Discussion/Essay
150 or more words for your response to one classmate
Contains a thesis
At least 3 proofs to support the thesis
two from course materials
one from your own academic or primary research
Use of in text citations with page numbers
Works cited with webpage links or full printing press information
Discretionary points for Excellence
Essay Format:

This is generally the format of what your essay should look like.

Paragraph 1 — introduction to tell me where you are going. This paragraph includes or starts with a specific distinct thesis that states exactly what you plan to argue. It does not say “I will discuss…” Instead, state your argument and move on to prove it. If I have to wait until the end of the paper to figure out what your point is, you have already failed. Some students put the thesis sentence in italics or bold it. If you want to do this that’s fine. It helps me zero in immediately on what you will argue and may help you keep track of your focus.

Paragraphs 2-5 — justifications. Each subsequent paragraph proves some part of your thesis. They start with and include sub assertions. These sub assertions introduce related bits of evidence and are in effect a mini thesis that makes a refined point about SOME aspect of the thesis. In other words, it pinpoints a specific part of the thesis and explains why the information you present is relevant. After the sub assertion, include your evidence — an example, quote, and citation, for example. You must include examples from the narrative. You can combine justifications in paragraphs as long as they relate to the sub assertion, which on a larger scale connects to the thesis. Start each new paragraph with new sub assertions and justification that highlights a another different part of the thesis. Continue until all parts of your thesis are illustrated and justified. Adjust your thesis if need be.

Final Paragraph — add some deeper insight. You started with a thesis — what additional intellectual points can you add that both reflects the original thesis but seems to carry your initial concept further?