Imagine a class where students could discuss Jay Z’s arena tour and the origins of Kanye’s latest lyrics.
At LSU, that class exists.
It’s called Introduction to Poetry: Poetic Foundations of Hip Hop, and it’s taught by Susan Weinstein, English professor and rap/hip-hop aficionado.
But Tupac wasn’t always at the forefront of Weinstein’s playlist.
In her early teaching ventures, Weinstein took note of students who wanted to write poetry and rap lyrics but didn’t have any interest in actually reading or learning about where the material came from. In an effort to try to make poetry more relatable to students, Weinstein knew that she had to learn a thing or two about what her students were interested in.
“In order to understand them as writers, I had to first understand the culture,” Weinstein said.
This desire to understand hip-hop culture quickly spawned into the basis for much of Weinstein’s research.
“I’ve always seen song lyrics and poetry as connected, and I thought it’d be fun to teach,” Weinstein said.
The class begins by looking at hip-hop culture, moves through rap history and travels all the way back to the African-American slavery era, Weinstein said. Through all of this, she hopes that students will begin to notice connections.
“I want students to see that the contemporary form they enjoy did not come out of nowhere,” Weinstein said.
Weinstein’s teaching style differs from some professors, and on the first day of class, she encourages students to share their favorite rappers and then uses that information to structure the class.
According to Weinstein, some students come in with a knowledge of the music’s forefathers, and some don’t, but everyone comes in with a favorite rapper or hip-hop artist. Among the most common are artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z and Lupe Fiasco. According to Weinstein, some also come in with their share of guilty pleasures, the most common of which is Kanye West.
Psychology sophomore Amber Lee’s interests lie with rappers like Nicki Minaj, but she also enjoys the pop stylings of Miley Cyrus. Lee signed up for the class in an attempt to break away from normal English classes.
“I have an interest in hip- hop and I thought it would be better than something on old, well-known poems and poets,” Lee said.
Lee’s reasoning is precisely why Weinstein believed this class would work at the undergraduate level. By pulling students in with her rap hook, she would be able to coax out their interest in poetry.
By most standards, Weinstein has succeeded — the class is full.
“I have an interest in hip hop and I thought it would be better than something on old, well known poems and poets.”