Hip-Hop is one of the few cultures that can simultaneously promote wasteful consumerism, misogyny, homophobia, and violence, while also developing multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, multi-faith, and multi-class alliances. This course will chart the birth and maturity of Hip-Hop culture, considering its impact on contemporary national dialogues about race, gender, sexuality, class, politics, and religion. The course content will trace the historical origins of Hip-Hop from the mid-1960s into the present, drawing on a host of written, audio, and visual sources.