Michael Eric Dyson Explains Jay-Z Course

Author/speaker Professor Michael Eric Dyson shared some of the details of his Georgetown course, "Sociology of Hip Hop - Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z," a course that examines the cultural and social weight of Jay-Z's music and persona.

"This class is about the politics, the culture, the racial dimensions, the class dimensions, the economic dimensions of Hip Hop culture seen through a figure like Jay-Z." said Dyson an an interview with The Washington Post. “This is not a class meant to sit around and go, ‘Oh man, those lyrics were dope,' we’re dealing with everything that’s important in a sociology class: race, gender, ethnicity, class, economic inequality, social injustice.... His body of work has proved to be powerful, effective and influential. And it’s time to wrestle with it.”

Dyson also acknowledged his somewhat unique place among cultural commentators too young to have been part of the Civil Rights generation but too old to have been a part of the Hip Hop generation.

“I’m a tweener, man! I couldn’t march with Dr. King and them. And I’m too old to be a Hip Hopper,” added Dyson. “But I’ve been granted honorary status in each generation.... I see my tongue as a bridge over which ideas can travel back and forth.”