Hip Hop Culture & The Arts
Undergraduate Minor
Overview
The Undergraduate Minor in Hip Hop Culture and the Arts is an interdisciplinary program housed in the College of Fine Applied Arts. Students completing this program will explore fundamental content in Hip Hop history, generate original creative work, engage with critical cultural considerations, develop introductory skills with relevant digital media, and participate in youth programming in the Champaign-Urbana community.
Follow this link for more details on the
Hip Hop Culture & The Arts Minor in the University Course Catalog
If you have questions about the Hip Hop Culture & The Arts undergraduate minor, please contact faa-hiphop@illinois.edu.
Requirements
The Minor is open to all undergraduate students, with no prerequisite requirements. The student is responsible for notifying their college of the desire to pursue the minor by completing and appropriately filing the Statement of Intent to Pursue a Campus-Approved Minor.
The undergraduate minor in Hip Hop Culture & The Arts requires 16 credit hours. There are two required core courses (AFRO 228 – Hip Hop Music: History and Culture and FAA 481 – Hip Hop Ambassadors) and additional course options in the categories of Creative Studies, Cultural Studies, and Digital Media Studies. Degree requirements and other details are listed in the Course Catalog.
Of the 16 credits for this minor, a minimum of 6 credits must be advanced courses at the 300- or 400-level that are distinct from credits earned for a student’s major or another minor.
Courses
Courses in orange are offered in the Spring 2026 semester.
Required Core Studies
(6 credits)
* Enrollment in FAA 481 Hip Hop Ambassadors requires instructor permission. All students will need to complete Protection of Minors training and a criminal background check to work with minors during the semester. Some field experience locations may have additional requirements for participation. Contact the course instructor for further details about days, times, locations, and requirements of current field experience programs.
Creative Studies
(2 credits min.)
- ARTD 217 – Graphic Design for Non-Majors
- ARTS 220 – Introduction to Fashion
- ARTS 221 – Fashion Illustration
- ARTS 241 – Image Practice
- ARTS 245 – Beginning Illustration
- ARTS 320 – Fashion and Textiles Design
- ARTS 420 – Making Fashion: Apparel Design in Context
- ARTS 446 – Topics in Performance Art
- DANC 116 – Dance I: Hip Hop
- DANC 216 – Dance II: Hip Hop
- DANC 330 – Dance Documentation
- DANC 340 – Dancing Black Popular Culture
- DANC 424 – Collaborative Performance
- FAA 481 – Hip Hop Ambassadors
- MUS 127 – Beatmaking I
- MUS 128 – DJing I
- MUS 129 – Emceeing I
- MUS 327 – Beatmaking II
- MUS 328 – DJing II
- MUS 329 – Emceeing II
- MUS 425 – Hip Hop Studio
- MUS 446 – Songwriting
- MUSC 457 – Hip Hop Collective
- UP 427 – Digital Storytelling
Cultural Studies
(3 credits min.)
- AFRO 132 – African American Music
- ARTE 480 – Popular Visual Culture
- ARTH 260 – Graffiti and Murals
- EALC 230 – Popular Cultures of Contemporary East Asia
- EALC 369 – Hanguk Hip Hop
- FAA 201 – Black Arts Today
- FAA 480 – Advanced Studies in Hip Hop
- GWS 462 – Hip Hop Feminism
- LLS 240 – Latina/o Popular Culture
- MACS 320 – Popular Culture
- MUS 132 – Popular Music Studies
- MUS 411 – Genre Studies in Musicology
- MUS 418 – Regional Studies in Musicology
- THEA 263 – Introduction to African American Theatre
- UP 160 – Race, Social Justice, and Cities
- UP 330 – The Modern American City
- UP 473 – Housing & Urban Policy
If needed, select from any additional or repeatable courses above to complete the 16 minimum hours required for the minor.
Other courses may be approved in selection with and approved by minor advisor.
At least six hours of coursework for the minor should be advanced (300-level or 400-level courses) and must be distinct from credit earned for your major or another minor.
Advising & Other Inquiries
If you have questions about the Hip Hop Culture & The Arts undergraduate minor, please contact faa-hiphop@illinois.edu.
