Teaching in the Mix: Turntablism, DJ Aesthetics and African American Literature. Issue 2 (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jennings, Kyesha; Petchauer, Emery
• Is Part Of: Changing English. Volume 24:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 216
• Page End: 228
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Hip-hop -- DJ -- curriculum development -- multimodality; English literature -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 410
• DOI: 10.1080/1358684X.2017.1311035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1358-684X

Abstract

Abstract: Leveraging the aesthetic turn in hip-hop scholarship, this article examines how some of the goal-directed and compositional techniques of DJs can be used to redesign and remix African American literature courses. Specifically, we focus on drops and blends, two moves evident among DJs and turntablists in hip-hop culture. Anchoring our analysis to DJs and what they do with records, we also conceptualise the classroom and curriculum as a mix with various media, samples and layers that afford the instructor different pedagogical opportunities. Overall, we argue these DJ moves are not simply surface-level descriptions of course design and execution, but rather they entail different ways of thinking about course design and execution when properly understood from their hip-hop context.