FRN2220

Rap culture: towards an ethnographic analysis of contemporary France

P Durel

8 points - 3 hours per week - First semester - Clayton

Objectives On successful completion of this course students should have developed an understanding of (i) rap as a cultural practice within the hip-hop movement, (ii) the social and historical significance of rap and hip hop as an answer to an urban environment and social context marked by the dilution of structures, (iii) the question of immigration and integration in contemporary France and its relation to hip-hop culture. They should also have developed and deployed strategies which make sense of the corpus of texts according to their understanding of the social context in which these texts have been produced. In this regard, students should have acquired an understanding of (i) the function of the MC as author and the relation of his/her art to other forms of oral cultural productions, (ii) the function of the rap artist as social commentator, (iii) the specificity of rap lyrics, their suprasegmental and prosodic features as well as their creative use of the French language. The development of specific competences (written and oral comprehension, written and oral production) in French are also integrated in the program.

Synopsis The program examines rap as cultural practice and hip hop as popular culture. We will examine the social context of such a cultural practice, the social conditions of production and circulation as well as the broader social structures of power in contemporary France. We will also look at the specificity of rap lyrics. A mixture of press documents, audio documents, television documentaries and films will form the corpus of texts. As an integral part of the course, students will also be expected to build on their ability to communicate and interact efficiently in French both in oral and written form. The reading workshops and the seminars will be principally conducted in French.

Assessment Two article reviews in French (400 words and 500 words): 10% each - Two written assignments in French (600 words and 1500 words): 15% and 20% respectively - One oral presentation in French: 20% - One individual project (200 words): 25%

Prescribed texts

Bazin H La culture hip hop Descle de Brouwer, Paris, 1995
Photocopied anthology of articles produced within the department

Recommended texts

Lepoutre D C_ur de banlieue codes, rites et langages Odile Jacob, 1997

Recommended listening (CD)

La Haine (Musiques inspires du film), Delabel, 1995
Ma 6-T va cracker (musique du film), Why not productions, 1997

Film

La Haine Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995

Back to the 1999 Arts Handbook