‘Getting Real IV’ hip-hop lecture series to feature educational innovators

A free semester-long series of lectures on hip-hop education will bring the nation’s top scholars, artists and leaders in the growing field of hip-hop studies to campus to teach about the teaching and learning theories behind this innovative education movement.

The lecture series is hosted by UW–Madison education Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings, the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) and Pedagogical Flows.

“Getting Real IV: Hip Hop Pedagogy, Arts and Culture in the K-12 Classroom, in Higher Education, the Music Industry and Beyond” features Monday-night lectures from Feb. 17 through May 12. Most lectures will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. in 1101 Grainger Hall, with the exception of events shown listed below.

Guest lecturers will include high-profile representatives of the hip-hop music industry as well as pedagogical innovators who focus their work on demonstrating how culturally relevant pedagogy can help to bridge the achievement gap in our nation’s public schools through the creation of new strategies and curricula to reach students who have been historically under-served by traditional schooling.

The series is hosted by OMAI, a unit of the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, the Office of the Vice Provost for Continuing Studies and the School of Education’s Office of Outreach and Partnerships. More details about the events are available here.

Lectures, times, locations and guest speakers include:

• Feb. 17, 2080 Grainger Hall: “The Art and Craft of Creating Hits in Mainstream American Media,” featuring Jack Knight, an urban songwriter and producer.
• Feb. 24, 1101 Grainger Hall: “The Challenges and Successes in a Lifetime of Programming Hip Hop Culture,” with Ebro Darden, vice president programming for Emmis New York.
• March 3, 1101 Grainger Hall: “The Future of Hip-Hop Education and Pedagogy — What Does the Future Look Like?” panel discussion.
• March 10, 1101 Grainger Hall: “A Black Feminist History of Hip-Hop,” with Brittney Cooper, an assistant professor of women’s and gender studies and Africana studies at Rutger’s University.
• March 24, Majestic Theatre, 115 King St.: “A Tribute to Saul Landau: Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Social Justice and Activism in the Film and Music Industries,” with Greg Landau, an award-winning music and video producer, educator and music historian. Co-sponsored by LACIS and Communication Arts Department.

• April 14, 1101 Grainger Hall: “The Globalization of Hip Hop and the Connection Between Old School Political Movements and Contemporary Global Arts Movements,” with Charlotte Hill O’Neal, aka Mama C.
• April 21, 6 p.m., Promenade Hall, Overture Center: “First Wave Process Talk and Line Breaks Showcase,” with Chris Walker, the artistic director of OMAI/First Wave.
• April 28, 1101 Grainger Hall: “The Intersection of Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop in the Life of an Award-Winning Multiplatform Artist,” with Colman Domingo, an award-winning actor.
• May 5, 5 p.m., 1101 Grainger Hall: “The State of Hip-Hop Studies in Higher Education in the United States and Across the Globe,” with Samy Alim, an associate professor in the social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary policy studies at Stanford University.
• May 12, 1101 Grainger Hall: Students in Ladson-Billings’ seminar “Pedagogical Flows, ” will perform pieces developed throughout the semester.