def professor

Miscellaneous Extra Credit Postings (SPR 2011)

2011-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Be sure you have checked with Dr. DEF or DAVEY D FIRST!!
Post your responses here.
Do not forget to put your name in the post.

Dr. Rickey Vincent- the OG FunkMaster Prof!

2011-02-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Click the image to view information about Dr. Vincent's research and teaching.
Post your responses here.
Do not forget to put your name in the post.

THE BIG PAYBACK by Dan Charnas

2011-02-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Dan Charnas and the SFSU AFRS 256 SPR 2011 Instructional Aides!!

Charnas's audience: the AFRS 256 (Hiphop) Class!!

Post your responses here.
Do not forget to put your name in the post.

AeroSoul Movement by Refa1 and other Writers

2011-02-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Click the image to view video from the play.
Post your responses here.
Do not forget to put your name in the post.

BAHHRs Researchers Interview Refa1 @ the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland.

COLORSTRUCK by Donald Lacy

2011-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Click the image to view video from the play. Post your responses here.
Do not forget to put your name in the post.

Fall 2010 AFRS Courses Post Extra Credit Blogs Here

2010-12-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

The instructions are on the ilearn extra credit forum. I recommend not posting here, if you have not edited your composition. Remember to cite course readings according to the style guide of your choice. Put your name and your course on your post.

Brian Copeland on Blackness

2010-08-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

A Conversation with Brian Copeland @ SFSU

Comedian and talk-show host Brian Copeland discusses how he turned his life story into an acclaimed one-man show, Not a Genuine Black Man.

Date:

August 26, 2010 4:00pm

Venue:

Knuth Hall

Cost:

Free

Contact:

SF State Box Office

Phone:

415-338-2467

Website:

http://briancopeland.com

ALSO @SFSU

Not A Genuine Black Man

Brian Copeland’s solo show, Not a Genuine Black Man, reveals a little-known chapter of Bay Area history. In 1971, San Leandro was named one of the most racist suburbs in America. Congressional hearings were held. The next year, the then-8-year-old Copeland and his African American family moved to San Leandro. In a monologue both funny and poignant, Copeland shares his story of identity and diversity in an evening of laughter, tears and sociology, exploring how surroundings make us who we are.

Date:

September 17, 2010 8:00pm

Venue:

McKenna Theatre

Cost:

Students: $8 advance, $10 door. Faculty, staff, seniors: $12 advance, $15 door. General admission: $20 advance, $25 door

Contact:

SF State Box Office

Phone:

415-338-2467

Website:

http://briancopeland.com

Ticket Info:

Buy Tickets

Hip Hop, Human Rights and the Promise of a New Transnational Social Movement

2010-04-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

This lecture was given at UW Madison on September 30, 2009 as part of a Hiphop lecture series at the University and with the First Wave Program. Click the picture for the link to play the video.

African American Pioneers in Anthropology: AFRS 310 SPR 10 Project

2010-04-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Students post assignments here.

Jessica Harris created a Facebook page concerning Arthur Huff Fauset. Marcella Campos and Sherry Lizama created a tumblr site for Caroline Bond Day. Corina Aguilar and Jazmin Ruelas created a tumblr site for Elliot Skinner. Tamieka Smith and MacKenzie Jones created a tumblr site for Louis Eugene King. Allison created a Facebook page concerning William Montague Cobb.

TImeless Film Series @ SFSU!!!

2010-04-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Afro-Latin@ Panel at SFSU

2010-04-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Post here if you attended the Afro-Latin@ Studies Panel in the College of Ethnic Studies at SFSU on Tuesday, April 20 from 2pm to 4pm. The participants included Professor Miriam Jimenez, Professor Juan Flores, Professor Nancy Mirabal and Professor Dawn-Elissa Fischer. It was a lively discussion!

((Pictured Below: Professor Roberto Rivera-- a SFSU Strike Veteran and professor of Latin@ Studies @ SFSU-- comments on the discussion.))

Ise Lyfe @ SFSU & Berkeley!!

2010-04-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Ise Lyfe blessed the SFSU campus with his "Is Everybody Stupid" lecture concerning hiphop and politics. Check out his new book PISTOLS &PRAYERS, or post up if you caught one if his live shows on tour.

March 4 @ SFSU

2010-03-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

Chuck D & Dr. Gaye Johnson @ SFSU!

2010-02-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hiphop pioneer Chuck D and UCSB Black Studies professor Dr. Gaye Johnson conversed with students on the topics of art, technology, education and activism on Thursday, February 4 at 11am in Jack Adams Hall of the Cesar Chavez Student Center at San Francisco State University. Being that SFSU is the birthplace of Black Studies in US universities and that SFSU still hosts the only College of Ethnic Studies, the event was slotted as a 'sort of homecoming' for those who position Hiphop as part of the larger Black Studies and Ethnic Studies movements.

This event was organized by the Black Student Union with support from the Department of Africana Studies and the College of Ethnic Studies at SFSU.

Math Raps and Other Issues in Hiphop Education

2009-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Professor Mark Anthony Neal and I joined Jean Feraca on Wisconsin Public Radio's Here on Earth show on September 23, 2009 to discuss teaching through hiphop. Alex Kajitani, a public school teacher from San Diego, began the discussion by describing his efforts to incorporate his rap musical productions as an educational tool in classrooms. Other math rappers called in, such as Mrs. D (aka Sharon Danziger) from St. Louis. Our conversation began as a discussion defending the use of hiphop as part of a culturally relevant curriculum and turned into a fun-filled cipher, as callers highlighted key concepts in hiphop education, from multiplication to multiple intelligences. Download the mp3 to listen.

Click here to view DEF PROF PICKS concerning hiphop and education.

eBLACK STUDIES WORKSHOP 2009!!!

2009-08-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

The eBlack Studies Cooperative Research Network met for the second time in Savannah , Georgia at Savannah State University (SSU) under the outstanding leadership of Dr. Ronald Bailey and other SSU faculty. Some of the topics engaged include cyberorganizing, international distance learning collaborations, the use of information technologies in instructional and research design, and issues associated with archiving, library science and digitization initiatives. An important aspect of this convening is the representation of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the eBlack Studies movement. This eBlack Studies network first met in 2008 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with generous support from NCBS and the Ford Foundation. A link to the first workshop that includes the eBlack Studies Manifesto and reading resources may be found at http://eblackstudies.org/workshop. Below is a photograph from the 2008 eBlack Studies Workshop.

((photograph above by Dr. Ron Bailey on Dr. Jill Humphries's camera))

((photograph above facilitated by Dr. Abdul Akalimat))

Bboy Park 2009

2009-07-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

This year Bboy Park is August 22-23. Bboy Park is an annual Hiphop festival that takes place in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan. It includes competitions that encompass all the fundamental elements of Hiphop culture including dance, lyricism, graffiti art, beat production and the "overstanding" element of KNOWLEDGE (a def prof fav). Check out this Hiphop Archive film by Bianca White and Def Prof (as Dawn Banks) for more info:

There'll be more highlights to come in September.... especially for those who thought it was only going on @ Fuji Rock ; )

DefProf on NBC Bay Area Vista

2009-04-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

((Click Arrow or Picture to Play Video))

The part about accountability and action is around the time code of 5-5:30 minutes.
(See the "100 miles and Runnin" blog post for more info...)

100 Miles and Runnin'

2009-04-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama has been in office 100 days. Tonight he gave his address. Read the transcript and download the audio by clicking the image below.

Or watch it on the White House Youtube channel.

Many media pundits and public servants are giving out "grades" that resemble academic parameters of evaluation. Not surprisingly, many in the President's party have distributed evaluations of "A+" and representatives of the fractured Republican party have given more diverse evaluations ranging from "As" to "Incompletes" (for example, see this panel moderated by Gwen Ifill in St. Louis, Missouri).

While more conservative discussants seem to focus on spending and comparisons to Roosevelt's New Deal, more progressive evaluators are rightly criticizing the US's decision not to participate in the United Nations' Durban Review Conference in Geneva, April 20-24, 2009 (see this posting by the Green Party).

My 100-day assessment is that people must continue to make our government ACCOUNTABLE through sustained ACTION, which includes making informed decisions that best affect our collective well-being and equality. I said this on NBC Bay Area news before inauguration and I maintain that position.

(click the image and link to the blog post to watch the video)

As someone who participated in the 2001 UN WCAR, I am very disappointed in the US government's position regarding the Durban Review Conference.

There are petitions available to help voice this concern.

I am hopeful regarding the stimulus plan, but I am still collecting information and attempting to participate and voice concerns (see what Professor Abdul Akalimat posted concerning the plan's broadband aspects on the eBlack Studies listserv). There is more to come concerning my activities. Check out this NTIA site for now.

What are you doing?

Berkeley Hiphop Conference

2009-04-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

Professors as well as undergraduate and graduate students who teach and research Hiphop studies gathered at UC Berkeley on April 18, 2009. In addition to exihibitions and performance, many conference papers were presented and discussed. Topics included issues concerning community-relevance, research methods, publication challenges and ethics, among others. There were over 80 attendees at this free conference on a warm sunny day in Berkeley, California. The participants reflected the "collective" aesthetic associated with Hiphop culture, which gave this conference a positive and memorable "vibration." My three-year old son even enjoyed the traditional conference format because the content presented and the passion of the presenters proved engaging.

-- Post From My iPhone

SexTech 2009

2009-03-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way to holler at a scholar, Dr. Carla Stokes-- the Founder and Director of H.O.T.G.I.R.L.S., Inc.-- at the Sexuality and Technology Conference in downtown SF, March 22-23, 2009. SexTech '09 is an HIV/STI prevention conference that focuses on youth and technology.

Dr. Carla will unveil information about her organization's new campaigns and other fly science will be dropped. Hope to see you there; )

Unarmed 22 Yr Old Murdered in Oakland by Police?

2009-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

What happens when unarmed, cuffed or otherwise subdued and submitting humans are murdered by the state that purports to protect and serve them? What happens when communities of children, peers and parents witness these humans being murdered in the public sphere, such as at a train station? What happens when these behaviors seem to follow a pattern or they are repeated in certain communities? Can community members experience repeated trauma by witnessing such violence to unarmed individuals? Who is safe? What is safe? What is justice?

Check out this short clip from the News:

Check out Davey D's interview with Attorney John Burris, who is noted for his work against police brutality on Breakdown FM:

What to do? Well, here is where theory and research might help us change policy. Check out Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt's website by clicking the description below:

http://www.stanford.edu/~eberhard/#policing:

Hiphop Archive's Christmas Mix!!!

2008-12-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

Feeling Bah Humbug? Click on the Hiphop Archive's Christmas mix and feel the spirit; )

Being under economic stress, my all time favorite remains Santa's Rap by the Treacherous Three (featuring Kool Moe Dee & Doug E. Fresh) off of the Beat Street Soundtrack. I still own this on vinyl and used it to practice scratchin when I was in elementary : ) Enjoy!!!

"Jingle, jangle with the po" ; )

It's World AIDS Day!: Donate to HOTGIRLS!

2008-12-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

H.O.T.G.I.R.L.S., Inc. (Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations, Inc.) is founded and directed by Dr. Carla E. Stokes. This is a wonderful intervention/ mentoring program and it deserves our support. We learned with President-elect Obama's campaign that even $5 here and $5 there can make major differences. I'll post more about the organization and its Director at a later date, but for now, please click the image below to see how you can donate, and help our teen girls in real life situations!

Richard Pryor on Anthropology, Human Origins and the N-word: 2008 AAA Recap Pt. 1

2008-11-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am just getting finished with five days of conferring at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) in San Francisco, California. I kept remembering this skit by Richard Pryor as I weaved in and out of paper presentations and directed students on their projects conducted on-site at the conference. Hearing students from diverse disciplines gush about the relevancy and liberatory aspects of anthropology brought Pryor's skit to mind. It is a great example of what we talk about in class: relationships between popular culture, research and policy. Shout out to the students of AFRS 310 Fall 08 as well as the amazing theorists and teachers who generously shared their precious time to "build" on important topics in contemporary anthropology with us. Stay tuned for Part 2, for more on this; )