Tony Touch & Davey D Photo: www.crazypinoy.com

Hip-Hop and American Society

For the fifth year, Professor Derek Greenfield is offering his innovative class "Hip-Hop and American Society" at Highline Community College. This special-theme course uses the sociological perspective to explore the dynamics of hip-hop culture and the ways in which it shapes and is shaped by the dominant American society. Through this approach, students gain a better awareness of the problems and potential of this contemporary phenomenon as well as a richer understanding of themselves and their world. According to Greenfield, "Hip-hop represents an incredibly powerful vehicle to confront the social issues of our times, and I cherish this opportunity to make education relevant and real for my students." By engaging in experiences ranging from analyzing lyrics and writing their own rhymes to researching the local hip-hop scene to debating the past, present, and future of hip-hop, students in this interactive class participate in a challenging learning community that fosters critical thinking skills and enjoyment of intellectual growth. Each year, students also have the special chance to interact with significant figures in the hip-hop world. The likes of recording artist Common, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and a host of Seattle-based hip-hop visionaries have visited campus to deliver public lectures and sit in on class for lively question-and-answer sessions. Students uniformly express excitement about getting into material that relates to their lives and their hearts/minds -- discovering new ways to think and express themselves along the way. As a former student Dalon Howard mentioned in an article about the class featured in Source magazine, "I had to dig within myself to find a lot of answers."

This Thursday January 24, noted hip-hop commentator Davey D will speak at Highline (2400 S. 240th in Des Moines), addressing the theme of "Hip-Hop as a Revolutionary Tool: Continuing the Legacy of Dr. King and His Dream." Davey D is a widely published expert on hip-hop culture and politics and webmaster for his own award-winning website (daveyd.com). He is also currently the host of Street Knowledge, which is a popular talk show on the Bay Area's number one radio station. The show has featured everyone from Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton to Jesse Jackson to numerous hip-hop artists. The free lecture takes place at 12pm in the Artist-Lecture Center (Building 7) and is open to the public. For more information, contact Derek Greenfield at (206) 878-3710 ext. 3402 or consult the Highline home page (www.highline.ctc.edu).