Princeton University is offering a new class focusing on the women that shaped hip-hop.
Launching in the Spring 2026 semester, the Ivy League course will highlight how women emcees revolutionized the rap game. Titled “Miss-Education: The Women Of Hip-Hop,” the class will expand the intellectual study of the music genre at the school’s Lewis Center for the Arts.
Three dynamic scholars will lend their expertise to teach the class and develop its groundbreaking curriculum. According to Hot97, this includes Chesney Snow, an academic in hip-hop studies, Dr. Francesca D’Amico-Cuthbert, historian in hip-hop culture, and Eternia, a female rapper whose art surrounds gender equity in rap.
The academic leaders behind the course also shared the exciting news to Instagram. As class gets in session, these Princeton professors will lay the groundwork for women rappers’ foundational influence on hip-hop.
The multimedia course, also part-seminar, lab, and performance workshop, will delve into how one preserves these female-focused histories while dissecting the legacy of the cultural institution. With its “gendered lens,” it will reimagine hip-hop study by grounding its conversations on its women players.
“Through a gendered
lens, we’ll trace the development of Hip Hop culture, examine the range of women’s experiences within it, and explore the emergence and evolution of Hip Hop feminisms,” detailed the course creators.Beginning with the pioneers of female rap like Roxanne Shanté, the class will further dissect the women who revitalized and transformed hip-hop. Furthermore, the course will dissect the feminist ideals behind the politics and platforms leading the genre’s evolution.
With further emphasis on documenting these histories through oral recollection, such as podcasting and performance work, students will dive deeper into the inspirations behind some of the culture’s greatest “femcees,” such as Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, and more.
The interdisciplinary study will not only break down the oral tradition, but further amplify how women emcees played a pivotal role in the artistic tradition. While also noting the feminist dialogue within their own lyricism and careers, these relatively untold stories will find new light at Princeton.
By integrating archival practices, academic dissection, and performance-based work, the course will add to the growing discourse of hip-hop intellectualism. Just as these female rappers broke down barriers, this “Miss-Education” course will have no pre-requisites to join the discussion.
“All creative thinkers” are encouraged to take a seat and add to this underrepresented element of hip-hop studies.
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