GWSS 241 A: Hip Hop and Indie Rock

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GWSS 241 Hip Hop and Indie Rock Syllabus YG-1.docx

GWSS 241: Hip Hop & Indie Rock

University of Washington

Summer 2024 (Full Term)

Instructor: Yasmine Gomez, M.A.

Email: ygomez@uw.edu

Office Hours:

https://washington.zoom.us/j/94218409939

Drop in via Zoom Wednesday 1-2 pm or by appointment. To request an appointment, please send a message via Canvas or a direct email.

Course Information

Meeting Time: Monday and Wednesday, 3:30-5:40 p.m. on Zoom*

*Please login in through your UW Zoom account or you will not be given access.

Zoom Link: Use link for meeting through Canvas Zoom

Classroom Playlist Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tfkDdyX54PwQQtI2fOBBv6GLk-hN1799OextlyX8AfI/edit?usp=sharing

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge that we at UW are uninvited guests on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Duwamish, and Suquamish, Stillaguamish, and Muckleshoot peoples who have lived in the Salish Sea basin and throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades since time immemorial.

Course Description:

This course introduces you to popular music studies through the practice of archive building, oral history analysis, critical thinking and writing and digital scholarship.  Throughout the quarter, we explore popular music as a site of history, power, social change and memory. In our readings and discussions, we engage criticism that draws upon alternative archives to tell the story of popular music in innovative ways. We ask how race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class and region and identity fit into the stories we tell about particular genres of music. To grapple with these questions, we situate punk, hip hop, pop, and other music genres within a range of sonic and performance influences such as blues, gospel, estilo bravío, punk, country, son jarocho, and disco. We will also explore global influences on these genres.

Together, we will engage in digitally mediated hands-on experience, working in popular music studies as a field of practice. You will participate as new media scholars. As we analyze how various writers, filmmakers and musicians make sense of popular music by turning to archives and histories, we will use oral histories contained within the UW Libraries’ Women Who Rock (WWR) Oral History Archive to create our own alternative stories in class. The WWR Oral History Archive features a diverse array of women from the U.S., Mexico and beyond, who have made significant contributions to music scenes, social justice movements, public scholarship, and community life. The course readings also draw heavily on work that has been shaped by the Pop Conference, a yearly conference on international popular music.

You will use the course readings and the WWR Oral History Archive to produce scholarship in the form of new media at an introductory level in individual and collaborative Canvas discussions, posts, and synchronous class assignments; a mid-term; and a final project. Through the course assignments, you will not only come to understand the contours of popular music studies through its practitioners, but you will also contribute to the shape of the field and its future.

The class examines the relationship between archives, memory, collective identity and storytelling in three ways:

(1) through content that demonstrates the importance of storytelling and memory in relation to popular music narratives;

(2) through archive/meta-data methods; and

(3) through individual and collaborative desktop media production.

Rationale: scholars in the humanities and social sciences often cite evidence housed in archives to create persuasive stories, to make and tell history. But not all evidence is archived. Pop music critics frequently face this challenge. The WWR archive records and preserves evidence often left out of conventional music archives, so that new stories might be told. Sometimes you need to create your own archive to tell a new story.

Course Objectives:

• Develop your ability to listen to, analyze, and discuss popular music and performance and other kinds of cultural texts
• Interpret the broader social, historical, gendered, racialized, aesthetic and cultural contexts in which popular music has evolved
• Illustrate popular music’s centrality in the making of personal and public identities, and collective memory and history
• Assess the impact of popular music on social movements of the past and present
• Recognize the archive as a site of epistemological conflict
• Develop collaborative research skills
• Utilize social media for purposes of documentation
• Create introductory level digital scholarship utilizing new media forms, especially podcast production
• Understand the multiple ways archives relate to social justice

Required Texts:

All of the readings for this course are either hyperlinked on the syllabus (the underline indicates a hyperlink) or available as PDFs located in the “File” section of the course Canvas site in course readings under the corresponding week.

The syllabus is subject to change at any time. If something shifts, I will tell you beforehand.

Unit #1: Write to Rock

Unit #2: Making Scenes

Unit #3: Building Communities

Grading Breakdown

Please note that you are responsible for reading all materials assigned, but due to time constraints all materials may not be covered extensively.                     

Course Requirements & Grading:                                                                   

Weekly assignments:                                                       

Individual Brainstorms/Canvas discussion posts                                           15%                                                                                                                    
Participation, Breakout Discussions, and Group Brainstorms                       15%

Major Assignments:

Jukebox Reflection (7/7)                                                                                15%          
Critical Karaoke (7/14)                                                                                   15%                                                 
Project Proposal (8/4)                                                                                     5%

Final Project (8/16)                                                                                         35%   

=          100%

Incomplete assignments

If you receive below a 60 on a major assignment, I will provide specific feedback. You will be able to submit a revised assignment for one week after receiving feedback. If you do not revise and resubmit your assignment within a week after receiving feedback, the assignment will remain at the original grade.

Late assignments

You must turn in your weekly assignments on time. I will not accept them beyond the day they are due unless you have communicated with me. For your Critical Karaoke and Jukebox Reflection, each day after the deadline will be a ½ point reduction. In the case that you know you will be late, it is best to reach out for an extension without point reduction.

Online Learning Community Guidelines

Your preparation is essential for the success of our discussion across the quarter. This class requires active engagement with the course materials and with each other--even if we are on an online community. Come to our meetings prepared to talk about the day's music and readings and make sure you’ve done all your reading, listening and viewing before our class times on Mondays and Wednesdays. I will send announcements via Canvas, so please check Canvas daily. You will also receive instructions on Canvas outlining the expectations for each of the class assignments. I will schedule occasional workshops through Zoom to help you complete the course’s new media projects as they approach. I encourage you to meet with me by appointment in office hours to discuss the course readings and assignments and let me know how you are doing.

• As an online learning community, I ask that you keep your screen on during our synchronous meetings and in your zoom breakout rooms. I realize showing your face on screen can be intimidating, but your presence helps to nurture a strong and meaningful learning community.
• This course may include content that can be difficult, provocative, and/or upsetting. If you have concerns about any of the topics covered, please contact me to discuss how to handle sensitive course material. When you approach content that pushes your boundaries, consider it a stopping point to reflect on your own history/experiences and draw upon course materials and conversations to push yourself and your thinking forward. Any racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, classist comments which invalidate experiences, opinions, and/or feelings of others will not be tolerated in our learning community.
• Respect the privacy of the classroom. Students may choose to share personal experiences in this course. Be respectful and keep that person’s story safe: don’t talk about it outside of class without gaining their explicit consent. Do not record audio or video without permission from Disability Resource Services (and please chat with me). Do not copy/share discussion board content. I encourage you to talk about what you are learning in this course, but when you are discussing the course, maintain privacy and respect for your classmates and the perspectives shared in class.
• Respect your fellow classmates. A large portion of this course will involve discussion, group work, and online collaboration, so it is imperative that we all maintain a respectful atmosphere in our online learning environment. As we approach content, we should respect each other’s opinions and interpretations.
• If you don’t know someone’s gender pronouns, use gender neutral pronouns until you do. Apply this to the authors we read as well.
• Communicate with me if you are falling behind. It’s much easier for me to help you figure a way out of the overwhelm and through your workload if you communicate with me early.

Academic Integrity: 

Cheating tends to happen when students feel helpless and overwhelmed. If you are feeling this way, come to office hours as soon as possible. We will work together to get you back on track.

Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:

Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s))

Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments without permission)

Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct may receive a zero on the assignment (or other possible outcome). The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct

and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/

Please familiarize yourself with the student academic responsibility statement, which can be found here: 

https://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

Chat GPT and other AI use: 

All work submitted for this course must be your own. Any use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, when working on assignments is forbidden. Use of generative AI will be considered academic misconduct and subject to investigation

The assignments in this class have been designed to challenge you to develop creativity, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills. Using AI technology will limit your capacity to develop these skills and to meet the learning goals of this course.

Please note that AI results can be biased and inaccurate. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information you use from AI is accurate. Additionally, pay attention to the privacy of your data. Many AI tools will incorporate and use any content you share, so be careful not to unintentionally share copyrighted materials, original work, or personal information.

If you have any questions about what constitutes academic integrity in this course or at the University of Washington, please feel free to contact me to discuss your concerns.

LEARNING RESPONSIBILITIES

Privacy

The instructor’s intellectual property rights and the privacy of all course participants must not be violated. Students may not share course materials with non-class members without explicit written permission from the course instructor. Students may not record any part of a class session without the express consent of the instructor, unless approved as a disability accommodation. This course will run synchronously, and these Zoom class sessions will be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video, and computer screen. Student audio and video will be recorded if they share their computer audio and video during the recorded session. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will not be shared with or accessible to the public. All recordings will be housed on secure platforms authorized by UW.

Academic Integrity

Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. It is therefore essential that all of us engaged in the life of the mind take the utmost care that the ideas and expressions of ideas of other people always be appropriately handled, and, where necessary, cited. For writing assignments, when ideas or materials of others are used, they must be cited. In any situation, if you have a question, please feel free to ask. Such attention to ideas and acknowledgment of their sources is central not only to academic life, but life in general. Please acquaint yourself with the University of Washington's resources on Academic Conduct. Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to cheating (sharing answers and previewing quizzes/exams) and plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s).

Plagiarism

"One of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism, using another's words or ideas without proper citation . . .The guidelines that define plagiarism also apply to information secured on internet websites. Internet references must specify precisely where the information was obtained and where it can be found . . .. The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and  someone else's begins" (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm). For further explanation of university policy about what constitutes academic misconduct, please consult the cited website. If you are at all confused about how to properly cite your sources, contact us and we'll document them together.

Classroom Community, Diversity & Inclusion

You are learning from the course materials, the instructor, teaching assistants, and each other. You will have different viewpoints and perhaps even strong feelings about certain topics discussed in class. The different perspectives you bring are vital to the learning process. We expect you to listen to each other with respect, interest, and attentiveness. It is my intent that students from diverse backgrounds will be well served by this course and that the materials presented will respect differences of gender, sexuality, disability, age, class, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. The UW Diversity webpage provides an overview of the ways the university addresses this value.

Access and Accommodations

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

Technology Protocol

Cell phones may not be used in class unless required to create an inclusive and accessible learning environment. Always request permission from the instructor and other students before recording any class content.

Religious Accommodations

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

UW POLICIES & STUDENT RESOURCES

Equal Opportunity

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) supports the University’s compliance with the law and spirit of equal opportunity and affirmative action as it relates to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or other protected veterans.

Disability Resources for Students

Title IX: Sex- and Gender-Based Discrimination

Title IX, Title VII, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Washington State law, and University of Washington policy collectively prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, pregnant or parenting status, and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) identity. Anyone may contact the Office of the Title IX Coordinator at any time about sex- and gender-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of sexual misconduct.

Medical Notes
Students are expected to attend class and to participate in all graded activities, including midterms and final examinations. To protect student privacy and the integrity of the academic experience, students will not be required to provide a medical excuse note to justify an absence from class due to illness. A student absent from any graded class activity or examination due to illness must request, in writing, to take a rescheduled examination or perform work judged by the instructor to be the equivalent. Students are responsible for taking any number of examinations for which they are scheduled on a given day and may not request an adjustment for this reason alone.

Writing Support

The Writing Center supports students in GWSS courses. Their tutors assist at all points of the writing process—from brainstorming to the final draft—so that your written work clearly and effectively communicates your ideas. You can also seek help through other campus sites: Odegaard Writing and Research Center or Academic Support Programs.

UW HEALTH & WELLNESS RESOURCES

Husky Health & Well-Being

UW Seattle Husky Health & Well-Being offers a wide range of health and wellness services, from exceptional medical care and counseling services to recreation classes, safety resources, peer health advocacy, trainings and more.

UW Counseling Center

The Counseling Center’s staff of psychologists and mental health counselors provide confidential and culturally sensitive counseling, consultation, referral, and crisis intervention services. The UW Counseling Center exists to support UW students in all aspects of their development. Please call 206-543-1240 during regular business hours to access services and for further information.

LiveWell Center for Student Advocacy, Training and Education

LiveWell empowers students with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and well-being while at UW and beyond. LiveWell uses both the expertise of professional staff and passion of Peer Health Educators to provide evidenced-based health promotion, education, and prevention services.

Safe Campus

SafeCampusis the University of Washington’s violence-prevention and response Program. They support students, staff, faculty and community members in preventing violence. Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others.

For a list of further counseling resources available on- and off-campus, contact GWSS’s Undergraduate Academic Counselor, Adrian Kane-Galbraith (gwssadvs@uw.edu).

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A GWSS DEGREE?

Your GWSS Advisor Can Help!

Your GWSS Advisor can help you navigate the ins and outs of the major and minor requirements as well as point you to other departments that could be offering content that matches the focus of your course of study. But that is not all. Your GWSS advisor is here to help you thrive in your time here at University of Washington, from helping with your internship placement or filling out a Hardship Withdrawal. Helping you in your academic success is more than helping you pick classes; it’s helping you access the support services you need to reach your highest potential.

Adrian Kane-Galbraith is the GWSS Undergraduate Academic Counselor. For more information or to schedule an advising appointment, contact them at gwssadvs@uw.edu.

Career & Internship Center

The Career & Internship Center is your one-stop-shop for a host of different resources. From appointments to work on your resume to seminars and meet and greet events with employers from across the region and beyond. The Career Center is here to help you make the connection between your course of study and the career you have always dreamed for. The Career & Internship Center’s Non-Profit/Social Justice/Education Community might be of particular interest to GWSS students.

Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity

Did you know that you could get funding for that research project you have always wanted to take on? The Undergraduate Research Program (URP), which is housed at the University of Washington in the Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity, Mary Gates Hall 171, under the auspices of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, facilitates research experiences for undergraduates with UW faculty members across the disciplines. URP maintains a listing of current UW research opportunities and national programs.

The URP assists UW undergraduates in:

• Planning for an undergraduate research experience
• Identifying faculty mentors and projects
• Defining research goals
• Presenting and publishing research findings
• Seeking funding for research

WHAT IF I HAVE A GRADING OR COURSE CONCERN?

Grade Appeal Procedure

A student who believes that an instructor erred in the assignment of a grade, or who believes a grade recording error or omission has occurred, should first discuss the matter with the instructor, before the end of the following academic quarter. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor's explanation, the student, no later than ten days after his or her discussion with the instructor, may submit a written appeal to the chair of the department, with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. Within ten calendar days, the chair consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student's performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the chair believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the chair, with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that department to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The dean and Provost should be informed of this action. Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in a department or college file.

Concerns about a Course, Instructor, or Teaching Assistant

If you have any concerns about a GWSS course, instructor or teaching assistant, please see the instructor or teaching assistant as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or teaching assistant, or are not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact GWSS’s undergraduate advisor (gwssadvs@uw.edu) or the chair of the department in Padelford B-110.