CTSJ 257 Critical Praxis: Lyrics on Lockdown

This course will take place at the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall with both Occidental College students and incarcerated students from the BJN Juvenile Hall. It will focus on the uses of the visual and performing arts, spoken word, and hip hop, as tools for positive social change, specifically examining the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). Artists and activists have made use of artistic expression in efforts to educate about the PIC. By examining movements such as the Black Arts Movement, Theatre of the Oppressed, and Hip Hop Theatre, students will gain an understanding of tangible ways in which artists have shaped and addressed social issues. Through collaboration with each other, students will create artistic and dialogical spaces for critical thinking. Students will create art-based workshops which they will then present to classmates. Students do not need to be artists to participate in the course, however, creative building will be an integral part of the curriculum. At the end of the course there will be a closing ceremony in which components of the workshops will be presented to the community, including the Warden and other officials. Readings include work by Augusto Boal, Paolo Friere, Christian Parenti, and Manning Marable.