9th Wonder at Duke

[eatsalot]

<p>Thought I’d share something to prospective students about Duke and it’s goals in furthering access to education, while still providing top-notch education. Outrageous Ambitions? I think so. I love my school. <3</p>

<p>

On Tuesday evening heads were nodding in a lecture hall on East Campus. But this time, people around the world could tune in and share the class’s energy.</p>

<p>A special webcast of the popular spring course, “Sampling Soul,” set a record Tuesday for live streaming video at Duke with an audience of more than 10,000 viewers.</p>

<p>The class is co-taught by Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African American Studies, and Grammy-winning music producer, 9th Wonder. Bucknell English professor James Braxton Peterson, Duke ’93, joined them Tuesday for a discussion of rapper Nas’ 1994 album, Illmatic.</p>

<p>While Neal’s students filtered into Richard White Lecture Hall, students of hip hop gathered online to take in the lecture and offer real-time commentary on Twitter. Minutes before the event started, hundreds of online viewers had announced their anticipation on Twitter.</p>

<p>By the end of the night, the number of Twitter postings for the session almost reached 500. Others emailed dozens of questions ranging from the academic to the absurd.</p>

<p>…</p>

<p>“I think these live lectures are awesome and a great way to spread knowledge and the Duke brand to the global community,” said Williams who watched the webcast and tweeted comments. “I think alums would love to see more lectures broadcast on the net, as long as the subject matter is interesting.”</p>

<p>Williams found out about the webcast through 9th Wonder’s Twitter page, which has 30,000 followers.</p>

<p>“He’s a trusted name in hip-hop so it would make sense for people to tune in based on his recommendation alone,” Williams said. Both ‘Sampling Soul’ instructors have large followings on the Internet. Neal has a blog, New Black Man, and is also an active Facebook user. He uses these platforms to “help break down some of the boundaries between the so-called Ivory Tower and the rest of the world.”</p>

<p>Adds Neal, “I’m thankful that there are folk at Duke who see the immense possibilities of these kind of experiences.”

</p>

<p>[The</a> World Listens In to Class](<a href=“http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2010/03/soulclass.html]The”>http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2010/03/soulclass.html)</p>

[collegeA]

<p>discussion of Illmatic?</p>

<p>dangg i wanna go to duke more than ever now</p>

[Harambee]

<p>Another reason why Duke is awesome. There aren’t many other college campuses where you can have deep discussions about rap music.</p>

[frenchhorngirl]

<p>Duke seems like the coolest/most fun school of all the ivies.</p>

[asiandukiepookie]

<p>Duke actually isn’t an ivy league school. a lot of people tend to mistaken it for one though.</p>

[gadad]

<p>

Duke actually isn’t an ivy league school. a lot of people tend to mistaken it for one though.

</p>

<p>Except that it’s 400-700 miles south of the Ivies. :)</p>

[eatsalot]

<p>Many know Duke (and Stanford, as another institution commonly mistaken as an Ivy) is not an Ivy cause we don’t have crappy sports :). (Cornell is just lucky this year… Lol. These are the first NCAA wins for Cornell in history…)</p>