Jessie’s motivations:
As a graduate student of English and African Diaspora Studies I build upon the rich tradition of hip hop culture by utilizing edutainment as a pedagogical tool to inspire students to think, write, and engage in literature. The term “edutainment” coined my KRS-One, a prolific hip-hop emcee and philosopher, means to educate and entertain through creative teaching strategies. In my composition course at the University of Missouri-Columbia I use hip-hop culture to not only teach invaluable writing skills but to use the creative force of the genre as a survival tactic to overcome adversity. While most critics and scholars rightfully question the misogyny, objectionable violent behavior, and aggressive materials that is featured in mainstream rap music, most overlook that the genre has inspired a new generation of future writing to question the status quo, to accept survivor rather than a victim mentality, and to articulate their emotions in a creative and constructive matter. At Mizzou, my daily assignments focus on hip hop writing as purpose-driven writing that gives voice to the voiceless and utilizing the power of speech to create tolerance and cultural understanding. The students that leave my course become more diverse and more aware of their place in the world regardless of their race, sex, or creed.
Service Activities:
- MAC Scholar Program, University of Missouri-Columbia 2006 – 2009
- Organized Save the Arts Festival, a benefit for St. Louis inner city school, Monroe Elementary School where the budget for the art department was depleted by the state of Missouri
- Organized the Rock the Vote, a program that utilized several genres of music and poetry to encourage students to vote as a result 200 college freshmen and upper-classmen registered to vote.
- Organized and facilitated, Both Sides of Black: Issues of Colorism, a program that focused on the intra-racial hatred between light complexioned and dark complexioned African Americans
- Organized a program titled U.S. Foreign Policy from an International Perspective, facilitated by Dr. Paul Rorvig, which brought awareness to the global concerns of both the U.S. and foreign countries
Fellowships, Awards, and Honors
- Gus Ridgel Fellowship, (Funded) 8/2009
- Gus Ridgel Fellowship, (Funded) 8/2008
- Thurgood Marshall, Dept. of English (Funded) 8/2005
- 2004 CMSU Programmers Hall of Fame Award, Central Missouri State University 4/2007
- Kenneth Davis Folklore Award, Southwest American and Popular Culture Conference ($200.00) 2/2006
- 2004 Africana Studies Achievement Award, Central Missouri State University – Africana Studies Dept 5/2004
- 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Student Leadership Award, Office of Community Engagement 1/2004
- McNair Scholarship, Central Missouri State University ($2600.00) 10/2003
Presentations:
- Jessie Adolph (2009). Sankofa Rememorization MGSC at the University of Chicago (Research Presentation)
- Jessie Adolph (2009). Black Sermonic Discourse CLA Conference (Poster Presentation)
- Jessie Adolph (2008). Spoken Word Conference Talk Spoken Word Conference at Stephens College (Informal Talk)
- Jessie Adolph (2006). Black Sermonic Discourse in Black Arts Movement Poetry Southwest Popular and American Culture Conference/New Mexico
