CCS 150

In the 1980s in New York City hip-hop was born. In basement parties, front stoops, and oversized boomboxes the sound of hip-hop could be heard flooding the marginalized communities that the government abandoned. Since this art form emerged it has shaped and been shaped by United States culture. Hip-hop has also been criticized for its violent, misogynistic, and hyper capitalist content. Despite their presence in hip-hop culture from the very beginning, women are often left out of these conversations unless they're being framed as powerless, exploited figures. This course challenges that framing and examines Black feminist hip-hop cultures. We will consider the ways that Black women understand their own participation in hip-hop culture, as well as the ways they engage in subversive work both within and outside of the hip-hop community. We will also discuss the ways that the violent legacies of discrimination, and hip-hop's resistance, inform the ways that hip-hop culture is understood today.

Offered spring semester

AUDT - NO (Cannot be audited.), CO24 - CCS (Critical Conversations Seminar)