English 118 - COLQ: WRITING ABOUT HUMOR

In sections limited to 15 students each, this course primarily provides systematic instruction and practice in reading and writing academic prose, with emphasis on argumentation. The course also provides instruction and practice in conducting research and in public speaking. Bilingual students and non-native speakers are especially encouraged to register for sections taught by Holly Davis. Priority will be given to incoming students in the fall-semester sections. Course may be repeated for credit with another instructor. Nietzsche called maturity the rediscovered seriousness of a child at play. What is the meaning of comedy, in light of this "seriousness of the child at play"? Why do we laugh, at what, and in what way? How do we distinguish silly comedy from serious comedy? This course will examine such questions on comic platforms including film, music, videos, short stories, cartoons, and more. We will explore the "structure" of the comic moment as viewer or listener encounters surprise, transgression, or enchantment, especially in twentieth-century comedy, and the affectivity of the comic encounter from pure "clowning" to savage social commentary. Enrollment limited to 15.(WI)