A university in Georgia will be offering a literature class that will focus on the contributions of hip-hop duo OutKast on the rise of the genre. The course will also talk about current political issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement.
Savannah Morning News reported that Regina Bradley, a Language, Literature and Philosophy professor at Armstrong State University, will be introducing the course to her students. She revealed that her areas of interest are African-American literature and pop culture.
Bradley was a Nasir Jones hip-hop fellow at Harvard University's Hiphop Archive & Research Institute. She also had her Ph.D. there.
The course, named "OutKast and the Rise of the Hip-Hop South," will focus on how the group's ideas about the South and southerness influenced other Southern writers. Students of this class will be required to listen and analyze OutKast's albums and other songs in the same genre. They will also be required to examine socio-political movements such as Black Lives Matter and how hip-hop can be used to express political opinions.
Bradley added that the students' final project will be a 12 to 15-page paper, which she deems as a "nerdy hip-hop review." Students will need to choose an album from OutKast or any from the genre and provide a detailed discussion of the themes in it.
Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the duo behind OutKast, have connections to Savannah, Georgia. Big Boi was born there and the former was able to partner with Savannah College of Art and Design last year for exhibitions focusing on statements featured on his jumpsuits during the group's 2014 reunion tour.
According to BET, this is not the first time that pop culture has been studied academically. Three years ago, Rutgers University announced that it will offer a course named "Politicizing Beyoncé" which focuses on the iconic star's contributions to the entertainment and business industries.
