Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0229 - Hate, Hope & Humor

Stand up, satirical news, and memes: How do these and other humor-related cultural forms allow both right-wing extremists and the members of the many groups those extremists target (immigrants, racial/ethnic/religious minorities, queer people, women, etc.) to challenge the status quo? What is the power and are the limitations of these cultural forms? In this discussion-based and writing-intensive course, students will grapple with humor's many social and political functions, and in relation to white supremacy, rape culture, and other weighty issues. Course readings will include literature by scholars in communication, media studies, sociology, psychology, political science, and ethnic studies, which we will draw from in analyzing specific performances and platforms. Ultimately students will produce a final research project on a humor-related topic of their own choosing, and present it to the class.

Media and Technology Students are expected to spend a minimum of 6-8 hours of work outside of class time per week Students may not be registered in both LCSEM-0127 and HACU-0229