Course schedule:
Week 1: Introductions
M: August 26
W 28: Introduction.
Other activities: Start blog
F 30: Watch: Monty Python, Argument Clinic sketch.
Read: “Theories of Humor" and Nancy Sommers, Revision Strategies
Other activities: Start blog, email me the link, and select a date to serve as lead blogger. Post your first blog entry on the best piece of comedy you’ve seen recently (post the link or describe it), and whether you feel the reading helps you understand the work or its ideas.
Week 2 – Superiority, Incongruity, Relief: Theories of the Comic
M Sep. 2: Labor Day. No Class.
W 4: Read: Lippitt
Other activities: Write a blog post on which account you find most persuasive, and use another example of comedy to illustrate your claims. Do the theories just describe different types of comedy, or does one get closer to the essence (and why aren’t all examples of incongruity, superiority, or relief funny?)
F Sep. 6: Read: Lippitt
Week 3 – Peer Editing
M 9: Read Lippitt.
W 11: Blog discussion
Other activities: Post your response to the lead blogger’s post for all Wednesday classes. We will usually discuss the lead blog and the piece of comedy it analyzes on Wednesdays. We will also usually discuss some shorter readings to guide our discussion.
F 13: Read McGraw and Warner.
Other activities: Read each other’s posts and leave comments for each Friday class. Fridays we will continue our discussions of your blogs, focusing on your responses to each other. Highlighting the work of classmates during our discussion is an excellent way to participate. We will also use Fridays for activities such as peer editing or discussing an additional reading or a film.
Week 4 – Comedy and Politics
M 16: Read: “Waiting for the Conservative Jon Stewart.”
W 18: Blog discussion
F 20: Bring rough draft for peer editing.
Week 5 – When are We “Just Joking”?
M 23: Read: This Article on Trump’s Humor
W 25: Blog discussion
F 27: Paper 1 due. Writing workshop or possible library day.
Week 6 – Incongruity Theory’s Founding Father
M Sept. 30: Read: Hutcheson, “Thoughts on Laughter”
W 2: Blog discussion
F 4: Writing workshop or other activity TBA.
Week 7 – Great Job
M Oct. 7: Reading/Viewing TBA or Possible library day
W 9: Blog Discussion
F 11: Bring rough draft for peer editing.
Week 8 – All Your Breaks are Belong to Us
M 14: Fall break. No class.
W 16: Blog discussion
F 18: Paper 2 due. Writing workshop or library day.
Week 9 – Genres: Irony and Satire
M 21: Read The Irony of Satire
W 23: Blog discussion
F 25: Writing workshop or other activity TBA.
Week 10 – Comedy and Tragedy
M 28: Read: Zupancic
W 30: Blog discussion
F Nov. 1: Bring rough draft of paper 3.
Week 11 – We Live in a Society
M 4: Read Article on Gang Weed
W 6: Blog discussion
F 8: Paper 3 due. Writing workshop or other activity TBA.
Week 12 – Throwing Your Old Car Battery Into the Ocean
M 11: Read article on Tide Pod Memes and Article on Millennial Humor
W 13: Blog discussion
F 15: Bring Rough Draft of Paper
Week 13 – It’s Free Real Estate
M 18: Read: Article on Meme Warand Article on Memes and Politics
W 20: Blog Discussion
F 22: Bring rough draft of paper.
Week 14 – Wait for it…
M 25: Read: Article on Memes and Dadaism
W 27: Thanksgiving break
F 29: Thanksgiving break
Week 15 – Recovering from Steamed hams
M Dec. 2: Read: Zupancic
W 4: Bring draft.
F Dec. 6: Bring draft.
Week 16 – Press F
M 9: Last class.
W 11: Study day.
F 13: Final exams.
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