Hip-hop arose in communities of color in the 1970s amid political abandonment and economic devastation. Today, hip-hop is practiced in nearly every corner of the globe and is one of the most important through-lines in human culture. To understand hip-hop is to understand the world in which we live.

The undergraduate certificate in hip-hop studies is designed to emphasize the theory and practice of the interdisciplinary form that is hip-hop. Classes immerse students in hip-hop culture and support students in developing the skills and theoretical context necessary for understanding hip-hop’s socio-historical development and political efficacy.

  •  Gain knowledge of one of the most important American cultural forms to have emerged in the last half-century.

  •  Develop skills in a cultural dialogue that occurs across dance, music, visual and verbal arts, as well as history and theory.

  •  Understand hip-hop’s socio-historical development and political efficacy.