French Studies: Study Abroad
Syllabus
To Apply
To apply, go the course page on the University of Florida International Center website
Contact
Benjamin Hebblethwaite
Assistant Professor
hebble@ufl.edu
Hip Hop Culture and
French Language
FRE 4956 / AFA 4905
Since the end of World War II France has been profoundly impacted by the arrival of significant immigrant groups from North and West Africa. In recent years, immigrant youths have formed gangs and have taken protest and sometimes violence to the streets; these protestors were derogatorily characterized by Nicolas Sarkozy as la racaille, ‘street rabble.’
Since the early 1990s, rap music has emerged as the musical style and cultural force most closely associated with immigrant youth. In addition to studying scholarly work on urban culture and ethnomusicology, this class examines French rap as a way to gain insights into the culture, language, society, and psychology of second generation immigrant youth in France.
- Study rap, rhyme, beats, and style in French.
- Learn to speak street French. Investigate verlan and other linguistic
processes in street French.
- Study the French rap industry, skateboarding, tagging, graffiti, break-dancing,
scratching, producing, video games, fashion and micro-entrepreneurialism.
- Discover what makes a French DJ or MC tick.
- Study the intersection of poetry, music, dance, and art found in hip
hop.
- Research the contributions of West Africans and North Africans to
France's urban culture.
- Attend a hip-hop concert in Paris.
- Visit a hip-hop music, style and fashion business.
- Take a trip to banlieue neighborhoods on the periphery of Paris.
- Visit various locations that were impacted by the massive rioting
of 2005.
- Learn about the politics of rap and its positions on immigration,
la racaille 'the rabble,' and the power of the street.
- Experience all the classic sites in Paris with a hip hop point of view.
- Students will stay with French host families and thus be totally immersed in French.
- Dramatically improve your French and make friendships which last a lifetime.
Examples of Artists Covered
French Artists
Students will study the French artists:
- L’algérino
- Sexion d’Assaut
- Kenny Arkana
- Diam’s
- Suprême NTM
Pre-Requisites
- Intermediate French level
- Must have completed at least FRE 1131
Academic Credits
Participants will earn 6 academic credits:
- Les rappeurs, la racaille et la rue en France [3 credits]
This class seeks to understand rap and la racaille ‘street rabble’ and the tentacles of its culture which include creative writing, poetry, skateboarding, tagging, graffiti, break-dancing, scratching, producing, video games, fashion and microentrepreneurialism. Students will be required to write an academic paper about street culture in France and also regularly compose their own raps for performance in class (beats will be supplied). The class will be taught in French. - Intermediate French language [3 credits]
The Intermediate French Language course will be held at the L'Institut Catholique.
To Apply
To apply, go the course page on the University of Florida International Center website.
