Welcome! Here is our official course schedule, updated in real time as needed.

Note: After the first few weeks, the assignment for each Wednesday also includes reading and responding to the lead blogger, and the assignment for each Friday includes reading and commenting on your peers’ blogs. From time to time I may move readings around or replace them to more closely coincide with the class’s current interests. Watch the blog for these updates.

From time to time I may announce changes in the course schedule.Although I will try to post an updated version of the syllabus online as quickly as possible, you are responsible for all changes announced in class.

Confederacy = A Confederacy of Dunces

Course schedule:

Week 1: Introductions

M August 24

W 26: Introduction.

Other activities: Buy A Confederacy of Dunces and start reading ahead (it is a long book and we will attempt to finish it by week six).

F 28:    Watch: Monty Python, Argument Clinic sketch.

Read: “Theories of Humor.”

·      John Lippitt, “Humour and Superiority.” 
·      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 31: Read:   This description of Hobbes

·       Hutcheson’s “Thoughts onLaughter” (Introduction and first letter).

Watch:  Watch Kids in the Hall, “McGuillicutty and Green.”

W Sept. 2: Read: Finish Hutcheson, “Thoughts on Laughter.”

·         Read Zupancic.

Other activities: Write a blog post on which theory of comedy 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 5:      Read:   Freud, “Creative Writers” (Skim Frye).

·      Smith (Part 4, “Of the Effect of Utility,” read ch. 1 and skim ch. 2).

Week 3 – Idiots and Dunces

M 7:    Labor Day. No Class

W 9:    Watch: Idiocracy (Also on Netflix mail and other streaming services).

Read:   Read: “Waiting for the Conservative Jon Stewart.”

·      Confederacy, Intro, pp. 1-27.

Other activities: Post first response to lead blogger’s post and readings by Wednesday’s class.

F 11:    Read Confederacy, pp. 27-58.

Bring some ideas for possible paper topics.

Week 4 – Dunces cont’d

M 14: Read:   Confederacy, pp. 58-104.

W 16: Read: Confederacy, pp. 104-152.

F 18:    Read: Confederacy, pp. 152-207.

Bring in rough draft for peer editing.

Week 5 – Dunces, cont’d

M 21:  Read: Confederacy, pp. 207-235 (through ch. 9)

W 23: Read: Confederacy, pp. 235-261 (through ch. 10)

F 25:    Read Confederacy, pp. 261-303 (through ch. 11)

Paper 1 due. Library day or writing workshop.

Week 6 – Genres of Comedy - Satire

M 28: Read Confederacy, pp. 303-336 (through ch. 12)

W 30: Read: “Death of Satire.”

·      Read Confederacy, pp. 336-377 (through ch. 13)

F Oct. 2: Read Swift, A Modest Proposal

·      Finish Confederacy (through ch. 14)

Bring rough draft for peer editing.

                       

Week 7 – Genres of Comedy – From Satire to Slapstick and Back

M 5: Watch Chaplin, The Great Dictator (On Hulu - Or You Tube copy here)

W 7:    Read: The Onion

Watch Mr. Bean.

F 9: Read: The Irony of Satire (Moodle).

Bring rough draft for peer editing.

Week 8 – Genres of Comedy – From Silly To Gross

M 12: Fall break. No Class.

W 14: Read: Swift, An Examination.

F 16:    Watch: South Park, Mr. Hankey.

Read: The Onion

Paper 2 due. Writing workshop or library day.

Week 9 – Genres of Comedy – From Gross to Absurd

M 19: Read: Rochester, Signior Dildo.

W 21: Watch Mr. Show

F 23: Read Zizek.

Bring rough draft of paper 3.

Week 10 – From Absurd to Dark

M 26: Read Rochester, A Satyr.

W 28: Watch Twin Peaks (Watch season 1 episodes 1 and 3 - but hey, might as well watch 2 also, no? On Hulu and Netflix)

F 30: Read: Andre Breton and Claude Rawson.

Bring rough draft of paper 3.

Week 11 – From Dark to Anxious and Existential

M Nov. 2: Watch Annie Hall (On reserve in library, or rent or buy on Amazon or Google Play)

W 4: Read Kierkegaard (through to end of preview, p. 18) and this brief reflection on his work.

F 6: Paper 3 due. Possible library day or writing workshop.

Week 12 – From Existential to Political

M 9: Watch: To Be or Not To Be (1942 version - watch here on You Tube or rent online)

W 11: Watch: Mr. Show

F 13: Read Melville, “Bartleby the Scrivener."

Possible writing workshop or library day.

Week 13 – Farting around

M 16: Watch: Team America: World Police (on Netflix, HuluPlus, and YouTube)

W 18: Read: The Benefits of Farting 

F 20: Read Zupancic (Moodle).

Possible Writing workshop

Week 14 – Giving Thanks

M 23: Clip show/Student Choice Awards

W 25: Thanksgiving break. No class

F 27: Thanksgiving break. No class

Week 15 – Almost there

M 30: Writing workshop.

W Dec. 2: Bring in rough draft.

F 4: Bring in rough draft.

Week 16 - Finish

M 7: Last class.

W 9: Study day.

F 11: Final exams.