Hello everyone-Thank you for such thoughtful introductions. I love reading about you and seeing your pictures.Just as a reminder. Please be aware that you will not be able to post anything on the boar

Hello everyone-

Thank you for such thoughtful introductions. I love reading about you and seeing your pictures.Just as a reminder. Please be aware that you will not be able to post anything on the board after it closes on Saturday night at 11pm. I'd like you to keep a few things in mind as we move forward. First, always return to your initial post later in the week to see if anyone has asked you a question. I'd like you to please try to respond to the questions asked on your original post. I realize this is not always possible because of the timing of the question and other factors, but please try. Second, if you ask someone a question, please plan to return to the thread and engage with the person's answer. Third, try to ask your questions as early as possible in the week (Saturday night is not a good time, obviously, as the person won't have time to respond before the board closes). I don't mean to discourage you from asking each other questions, as they arecrucial to moving a conversation forward. I'm simply asking that, when possible, you do not just leave questions hanging out there without follow up. Be mindful of the discussions you're participating in and treat them as you would any face-to-face discussion. Finally, please don't feel like you have to read EVERY single post on the board (that's my job), but do try to get a sense for your classmates' ideas over the course of the quarter.I'd like you to be aware of a couple of things as you approach this week's readings: 1) each author I've assigned is writing about history/culture from their own historical/cultural moment, and 2) each of you are reading these authored historical accounts from your own historical/cultural moment. Although this sounds like a simple concept, it can be difficult to remember, especially as you are writing about the readings. For now, I would like you to concentrate on being as aware of the author's biases as you are your own, to consciously recognize that they are constructing a particular narrative. Our job will be to ask what kind of narrative they are writing and how it helps us to better understand media and politics. I think this will encourage us to avoid sweeping generalizations about hip hop, race, gender, youth culture, etc. These categories are not static; they change over time, and we need to be very diligent in our attempt to understand their historical specificity. It's always best (and only possible, in my opinion) to write from your own viewpoint. Please be mindful of this throughout the quarter.To begin our discussion this week, I'd like you to think critically about how each of the authors (Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Tricia Rose) approaches writing the history of hip hop and answer the following questions.*What historical facts do they rely upon to write this history?*What are the political stakes of hip hop, according to each author?*What do the two pieces share in common?Both of our authors are professors, so after you've named them initially, you can either call them Dr. Gates, Jr. or Dr. Rose (or Professor instead of Dr.) Also, I am not asking you to pit these two writers against one another or to declare one easier to read than the other, etc. It's not necessarily a compare and contrast (though a little bit of that is fine). I'm asking you to be observant of their writing styles and each professor's overall approach to chronicling the history of hip hop.Also, please incorporate your thoughts on the Google debate in at least one your posts this week. It doesn't have to be the first post that's due Wednesday. If you'd like, you may address the readings in your first post and the Google debate at some point later in the week and in your response to someone else. The link for the debate is here: http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/versus-hip-hop/(you may need to cut and paste link into new window)The debate is 2 hours long, so you'll want to set aside some time to watch it (taking notes will be helpful). Be forewarned: it can be super frustrating to watch at times. I'm assigning it because several of the authors we read this quarter are present at the debate (including Tricia Rose, one of our authors for this week). Secondly, I think it gives a pretty clear snapshot of how challenging it can be to have a public conversation about hip hop culture and rap music. Everyone seems to have an opinion about rap music, but not everyone is familiar with the history of hip hop culture. I am looking forward to hearing what you think.Have a great week!Prof. Roberts p.s. At this point, if you have any questions, please email me directly. I'm ALWAYS here to help! I would strongly suggest that you take a minute or two this week and re-read the syllabus regarding posts (amount per week, format, etc). You are required to post at least 3 times for an average score and 5 or more if you're hoping for an above average score. This is important to understand from the beginning, as you will not be able to make up discussion points in the future. Also please be advised that all due dates are on the syllabus and because shorter writing assignments are due on the discussion board (and not uploaded as individual assignments), the only "due dates" you will see in your Canvas notifications will be for your two hip hop definition assignments.This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe paper contains a clearly-articulated, arguable claim

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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe paper is logically structured, with a descriptive title, introduction, conclusion, and supporting arguments

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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSources are used appropriately to support author's claims

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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSources are cited correctly (MLA style) in the body of the paper and the paper is free from grammar and spelling errors

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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThis paper clearly touches on the themes of the course and draws the bulk of its evidence from class readings