Respect the Technique: Hip Hop & Technology! The 3rd annual Hip-Hop Studies Conference will be held at Howard University from November 14 to 16, 2025. Please click on the link for the call for submissions.
Hip Hop Studies
What is Hip-Hop Studies?
Hip-Hop Studies explores Hip-Hop as a global cultural movement with deep roots in Black and African Diaspora traditions. This interdisciplinary program provides students with the tools to analyze, engage with, and contribute to Hip-Hop culture through research, critical theory, creative practice, and media production.
Who Is This Minor For?
Scholars & Researchers: This minor offers deep engagement with the scholarship that shapes the field of Hip-Hop Studies. Learn from and contribute to the work of leading thinkers, & train in research methods that prioritize community engagement and academic responsibility.
Social Science & Justice: Interested in sociology, political science, African American and African Studies, or education? Explore how Hip-Hop emerges from and responds to systems of inequality, social movements, and everyday life in marginalized communities.
Artists & Practitioners: Whether you’re an MC, dancer, visual artist, or fashion innovator, this minor gives you space to develop your creative voice while connecting to the cultural legacies that inform your work.
Media & Industry: Ready to work in music, podcasting, or digital media? This minor provides hands-on experience in audio production and entrepreneurship, and offers opportunities to connect with the Hip-Hop Museum, SiriusXM, and other industry leaders.
Upcoming Courses
Fall 2025 Hip-Hop Studies Courses
The following courses will be offered Fall 2025
AFST 122: ST: Black Women & Popular Culture (T/TH 12:40PM - 2PM)
ENGL 283: ST: Prophetic Hip Hop & the African American Literary Tradition (T/TH 2:10PM - 3:30PM)
FASH 102: African American Dress (MWF 8:10AM - 9AM)
HIST-043: Colloquium on Music, Resistance, & the Black Diaspora (T/TH 3:40PM - 5PM)
MJFC 200: Introduction to Media Production (multiple sections)
MJFC 330: Multimedia Audio Production (multiple sections, *has prerequisites)
THAC 124: Seminar in Hip Hop Theatre (T/TH 2:10PM - 3:30PM)
Learning Objectives
As a Hip-Hop Studies Minor, you will:
- Analyze Hip-Hop culture as a global, political, and artistic movement.
- Study lyricism, performance, and visual culture through a scholarly lens.
- Explore how Hip-Hop shapes and is shaped by language, gender, race, and resistance.
- Gain research skills that center ethics, creativity, and community.
- Prepare for careers in academia, media, the arts, and beyond.
Howard University’s Hip-Hop Studies Minor is more than a program—it’s a community of scholars, artists, and leaders using Hip-Hop to ask the hard questions and create new possibilities.
Contact us to learn how you can declare the minor and start your journey.
Foundational Courses
Minors Must Take 2 of the Following 3 Foundational Courses
• AFRO 128: Hip Hop
• AFST 132: Hip Hop & Popular Culture in Africa
• ENGW 104: Writing, Literature, & Discourse (Dr. David Green)
Course Electives
Course Electives
• AFST 122: ST: Black Women & Popular Culture
• ENGL 283: ST: Prophetic Hip Hop & the African American Literary Tradition
• FASH 102: African American Dress
• HIST 043: Music, Resistance & Black Diaspora
• PORT 700: Brazilian Hip Hop
• THAC 124: Seminar in Hip Hop Theatre
• THFD 211: Seminar in Hip Hop
• THDN 030: Dance History II
• MUSI 033: Entrepreneurship in the Business of Music and Arts
• SOCI 261: Problems of the Black Community
• MJFC 200: Introduction to Media Production
• MJFC 462: Advanced Audio Production *Prerequisite courses include Intro to Media Production, Music in Media, Audio for TV & Film, Podcasting, and Audio Engineering.
• MJFC 330: Multimedia Audio Production *Prerequisites: MJFC 200 Intro to Media Production, MJFC 211 Announcing and Interviewing for audio majors, and MJFC 201 Multimedia Storytelling for journalism majors.
• SLMC 401-01, 402-01, 403-01, 404-01405-01: Practicum-Internship
Additional Optional Electives
• IDSD 155: A Hip Hop Convo on Race (1 hour)
• IDSD 160: Woke Poetry (1 hour)
News and Events
Affiliated Faculty and Staff
College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Msia Kibona Clark, Director and Faculty Coordinator for the Hip-Hop Studies Minor and Associate Professor of African Studies
Ms. Benita King, Director of Operations, Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. David Green, Associate Professor of English
Dr. Tammy Brown, Associate Professor of History
School of Communications
Dr. Roger Caruth, Faculty Coordinator for the Hip-Hop Studies Minor and Assistant Professor of Strategic, Legal & Management Communications
Dr. Tia Tyree, Interim Associate Dean, School of Communications
College of Fine Arts
Mr. Timothy Jones, Faculty Coordinator for the Hip-Hop Studies Minor and Lecturer of Theatre Arts
Dr. Elka Stevens, Associate Professor of Art