Faculty First Year Seminars 191LL13 - Race, Hip Hop and Identity in

What does it mean to be an Italian in the 21st century? How has this sense of identity changed as the country has become more multicultural? What role does the nation's colonial past play in the current discourses on race relations, acceptance, and citizenship? How does art play a role in combating racial stereotypes, effecting change, and giving a voice to the voiceless? This course examines Italy's racial past and present? - perhaps surprisingly - through the lens of global hip-hop music and culture, an increasingly popular form of expression among first and second generation Italians. The course will cover Mussolini's colonial enterprise and its continued ramifications, issues such as ius sanguinis vs. ius solis, and a general history of the hip-hop genre in its relation to social justice. Students will become familiar with the leading voices of Italian hip-hop such as Mahmood, Ghali, and Amir Issaa and the role their work plays in the discussion of contemporary race relations in Italy.

First-Year - Fresh/Soph