Comedy: Theory

Catalog description

See it in theory. See it in yourself. See it in the world." In this class, students explore the philosophical ideas beneath laughter, humor, and comedy. Looking at classic humor theory as well as more modern theories of humor and comedy, students think critically about comic texts through a variety of theoretical lenses. Students analyze comedy as a cultural artifact, considering how a comic work reflects on the ethics, beliefs, and point of view of its creator and culture of origin. This class uses both written text analysis and performance-based learning.