This course provides a scholarly approach to the study and comprehension of Jamaica's dancehall culture.  The course utilizes principles from anthropology - the study of culture.  The course also seeks to increase and expand knowledge on dancehall culture through an examination of the genesis and evolution of dancehall as a sociocultural system.  Dancehall is approached as a space with a set of culturally logical meanings that guide thought and behaviour. Some areas to be examined include cosmology, aesthetics, politics, sexuality, gender socialization and transnational cultural interpretations to name a few.  The emphasis will be on how people use the dancehall culture for identity construction.  Finally, the course will also examine dancehall culture and its worldview in relation to the wider Jamaican culture, the Caribbean and the World.