To Laugh or Not to Laugh: Exploring Race and Gender Through Humor

Catalog description

Can laughing be innocent, or is it always coded? This course explores the intersections of race, gender, and humor within various cultural and historical contexts. It examines how humor can reflect and shape ideas about race and gender, how it can both challenge and reinforce stereotypes, and how it operates in different media and genres as a form of resistance and oppression. Students will engage in weekly screenings of stand-up comic specials, sitcoms, movies, documentaries, and social media trends, coupled with guest lectures and critical readings that interrogate theories of humor, performance, and gender studies.