Seton Hall is currently in the process of developing a new Hip-Hop Studies program led by Dr. Edmund Adjapong.
The new program will be open to all undergraduate students across the university as a minor of study. According to Adjapong, the program is in the process of being proposed, so there is no official launch date yet. However, planning is underway.
The idea for the program stemmed from Adjapong’s research in hip-hop and education. It was the brainchild of Adjapong and Dr. Bryan Crable, founding dean of the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM).
“We had the idea of innovation across the university and interdisciplinary studies,” Adjapong said.
Crable agreed with Adjapong, discussing the program’s versatility.
“Hip-Hop Studies is an interdisciplinary field,” Crable said. “It involves folks who are artists, folks who are in music or dance, folks who are in history, education, communication, Africana Studies, English and literature, all different kinds of fields.”
Adjapong said that two courses for the program are in the approval process: Intro to Hip-Hop Studies and Hip-Hop and Social Activism. The minor study will end with a capstone, according to Adjapong.
The Academy of Hip-Hop Culture, Equity, and Excellence was created to help develop the new Hip-Hop Studies program, which is led by Adjapong and Dr. Stephanie James Harris, director of SHU’s Africana Studies program.
Adjapong said he wants the program to have some type of collaboration with Africana Studies as well.
He added that what makes this program unique is that it won’t solely be performance-based; rather, it will examine hip-hop as an area of study that comments on broader societal issues.
“The way we’re conceptualizing this program is looking at hip-hop as a culture and a conduit for social justice,” Adjapong said. “I also think the applications of hip-hop in regards to social justice and social activism align with the university’s mission.”
Crable said he feels it’s important for people to see that hip-hop is more than a form of entertainment.
“Hip-Hop Studies is an area of inquiry,” Crable said. “There are scholars who do work in Hip-Hop Studies and are contributing to a better understanding of the intersections between art and culture and social life.”
Crable added that the program will allow students to “elevate” hip-hop as a phenomenon so it can be taken seriously as an “intellectual body of knowledge.”
“[Hip-hop] highlights the ways in which American social life can be understood from multiple perspectives,” Crable said.
Crable also said this program is a great way to bring together technology, media, art, education, and social life, saying that it speaks to many fields within CHDCM.
One of Adjapong’s main goals for the Hip-Hop Studies program is to determine ways that the minor can support students in different areas, such as developing their critical thinking and research skills.
Delianie Cerda is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at delianie.cerda@student.shu.edu.
