Critical Reading Review 4

Katz, Mark. “The Case for Hip-Hop Diplomacy.” American Music Review. XLVI, no. 2 (Spring 2017): 1-5.

 Summary:
Mark Katz, the author, is the director of a government funded organization called Next Level. The program sets up workshops in other countries that are headed by US hip hop artists to teach hip hop to children in poorer areas. The State Department funds the program to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, by emphasizing shared social and cultural values." It's difficult to measure exactly how effective Next Level is in accomplishing that goal, so there's a constant worry that the program will no longer be funded. However, Mark Katz argues that the program has a wealth of potential to help connect with other countries and that such a budget cut would be a bad move.

 Discussion Question:
Is it worth the money and effort to implement cultural diplomacy programs like Next Level? Why or why not?

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