Hip-Hop Studies - Certificate

The certificate in hip-hop studies is is designed to emphasize both the theory and practice of Hip-hop. Classes immerse students in the culture of Hip-hop, as well as develop the critical thinking skills and theoretical context required for understanding Hip-hop's socio-historical development and political efficacy.

Hip-hop, which arose in youth communities of color in the 1970s amid political abandonment and economic devastation, has become the most important cultural movement of the last half-century. Practiced in nearly every corner of the globe, it is now one of the most important through-lines in human culture. To understand Hip-hop is to understand the world in which we live. Inclusive excellence is the bedrock of Hip-hop; membership in its community is not defined by subscription to a particular place or race but rather to its unique ethos, which privileges virtuosic innovation as much as historic and self knowledge.  

Hip-hop is fundamentally an interdisciplinary form. It does not live in one field alone. Rather, it is a dialogue that occurs across dance, music, visual and verbal arts, as well as history and theory. While the Hip-hop Studies Undergraduate Certificate is housed in the Department of Theatre & Dance, courses are available in other departments, such as History, English, Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Organized in this way, with offerings from several campus departments, the consolidated certificate program is the best way to give students a sense of the richness, complexity, and vitality of Hip-hop.

Requirements

Prerequisites

All currently matriculated undergraduate students at CU Boulder are eligible for admission to the certificate program. Students must submit a one-page statement of intent to formally enroll.

Program Requirements

To earn this certificate, students must complete a total of 18 undergraduate credit hours comprised of both practice-based movement courses and writing/research-based theory courses.

Students must complete a total of 8 credit hours in both the required core theory courses as well as a movement course option as listed below. Students select the remaining 10 credits from an array of pre-approved courses offered on a regular basis in the departments of Theatre & Dance, History, Sociology, Ethnic Studies and English. Additionally, nine of the certificate’s 18 credits must be awarded in upper-division courses and no more than nine can come from any one department. Students may petition to have special topics courses in these and other departments approved by their hip-hop studies advisor.

To earn the certificate, students must earn above a grade of C- in each course and meet the undergraduate school’s overall GPA requirement.