HCOL-40000-675:
The Sounds and Silence of Laughter
Spring
2020, MW, 3:30-4:50 PM, Schar. 2011
What’s so
funny? Why do you laugh? What makes you
laugh? These are some of the questions
that will be discussed throughout The Sounds and Silence of Laughter. Laughter seems so natural and spontaneous, but
it is also a complicated reaction.
Laughter is often the best medicine, and yet it is just as often a
destructive weapon. We generally like to
laugh, but for centuries laughter was considered a sign of a weak character and
humor discredited as a crude and vulgar genre.
This course will explore the history and theories of humor while
examining a wide variety of critical and humorous texts and media.
01/13, M
introduction
01/15, W
What’s Funny?
01/20, M
MLK Day
01/22, W
Comic
Relief, 2-39
01/27, M
Comic
Relief, 41-68
01/29, W
Comic
Relief, 91-124
02/03, M
Franklin and Satire
02/05, W
The
Importance of Being Ernest
02/10, M
The
Importance of Being Ernest
02/12, W
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” short story by James
Thurber (available on the internet)
02/17, M
The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty (film)
02/19, W
Twain and Humor
02/24, M
Laughter,
75-127
02/26, W
Laughter,
129-187
03/02, M
Laughter,
189-215
03/04, W
take-home midterm essay due
in-class midterm
03/09 M
Spring Break
03/11, W
Spring Break
03/16, M
The
Comic Toolbox, 1-57
03/18, W
The
Comic Toolbox, 58-115
03/23, M
The
Comic Toolbox, 117-161
03/25 W
The Greatest Comedy Film!
03/30, M
Dead
Frog, 1-22, 32-48
04/01, W [April Fool’s Day!]
Dead
Frog, 115-137, 181-196
04/06, M
Dead
Frog, 239-262, 404-419
04/08, W
“Vacation ’58,” short story by John Hughes (pdf)
04/13, M
Nora Ephron, “A Few Words About Breasts” (pdf)
04/15, W
Dave Barry, “Tips for Women: How to Have a Relationship with
a Guy” (pdf)
04/20, M
Writing Limericks
04/22, W
Screening of the Greatest Comedy Film
04/27, M
Final Presentations
04/29, W
Final Presentations
Requirements:
1) Journal
Blogging: Throughout the semester you are required to keep a journal
and post a minimum of 12 entries—6 before Spring Break, and 6 after Spring
Break. In eight of these entries (4
before and 4 after Spring Break) you
are asked to comment on your learning experiences. Every couple of weeks or so you are expected
to blog about what you have learned in our class, in your other classes, or
outside of your classes, that you found interesting, useful, and/or relevant. What
you write is up to you. What I ask is that you reflect on your learning experiences and assess the value of these
experiences in terms of your own life.
Also, in terms of our class focus, I ask that you write 4 blogs (2 before and 2 after Spring Break) about two different incidents in which either
you or people you observed broke out into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
Using your blog, reflect back on not only what specifically caused the
laughter but also how either you or the people you were with were affected by
the laughter incident.
To create your blog, I strongly suggest either Blogger or WordPress.
The
minimum journal entries required: twelve entries.
3) Midterm and
Final Exams: There will be both midterm and final exams, and both exams
will be take-home essays. These exams will not primarily test for familiarity
with course content but will also be used to reflect on your learning experiences.
My intention is to encourage your critical thinking and self-evaluation. In addition to the take-home essay, the final
exam will also have a brief self-reflective in-class activity during the final
exam week.
4) In-Class Writing
and Activities. In most classes there will be short writing exercises or
some type of class-related activity. The writing exercises will serve as a
reading check, but they will also be used to generate discussion. At the end of the semester you will receive a
cumulative score for your in-class work.
5) Student
Presentations I: Lead
Respondent Assignment. Throughout the
semester students will be asked to help lead discussions concerning the
assigned reading texts, and these assignments must be undertaken in small
groups of 2-4 students. Each group will
choose a text or group of texts, assigned on specific class days, and will be
expected to make a presentation to the class that will encourage insight and
discussion. These presentations may
include information about the author[s], the text’s composition, and an
analysis of its themes and issues. More
importantly, these presentations should also include a discussion of what the group
thinks is relevant in the text and a list of questions for discussion. These presentations should be informative,
creative, and engaging. A brief handout summarizing key points
and pertinent information and listing the discussion questions is required.
6) Student
Presentations II: The Greatest Comedy Film of All Time! In a small group (2-4), students are
asked to research comedy films that have been listed as some of the greatest
comedy films ever, and then—collectively—choose the one that you think the best
or funniest overall. In class you must
present short clips from the film and then discuss why you think it’s the best
comic film overall. At the end of class,
we will vote on the best comic film (and best overall presentation). Your primary task, then, is to frame an
argument to convince the class that your film is truly the greatest comedy
film.
7) Student
Presentations III: What We
Learned! For the final
assignments, student teams (2-4 students) are required to create and present a
brief video project (8 to 10 minutes) that offers a concluding reflection of
their thoughts, observations, and experiences throughout the semester in our
class. There is no specific format or
formula, but students are asked to reflect on what they experienced as learners
that was interesting, striking, memorable, and/or relevant. These videos should
be engaging and creative. Along with the
video presentation, student teams must submit a 1-2-page justification of their presentation (1 justification per
presentation). Both videos and
justifications must be uploaded to the blogs.
8) Participation
and Attendance: I am not formally setting an attendance policy, and you are
responsible for your own attendance. I caution you, however, to keep in mind
that in-class writings and activities cannot be made up or turned in late.
Also, please keep in mind that active participation is expected, and both
written and verbal contributions will count towards participation.
9) Sense of Humor
and An Appreciation of Irony: Given the course’s subject matter, a
willingness to laugh is essential. I
also ask for your patience, understanding, and good humor. I sincerely wish
that all of us enjoy our work together this semester, and I ask for your help
in making this course a success.
10) Never Use the
Non-Word “Very.” For the rest of the
semester, at least in our class, this useless four-letter word is forbidden.
Grading
Scale:
15%--Midterm Take-Home Essay
15%--Final Take-Home Exam
5%--In-Class Final Exam
15%--Blogging
15%--Classroom Presentation I: Lead Respondent
Presentation
15%--Classroom Presentation II: The Greatest Comedy Film
of All Time
15%--Classroom Presentation III: Final Presentations
5%--In-Class Writing and Activities
Concerning
grades, I do make use of the plus/minus system.
Also, I expect Honors students to demonstrate excellence in all of their
work. Weak, sloppy effort is always
difficult to mask and will always receive less than full credit.
Required
Texts:
Comic
Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor, John Morreall
The
Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even If You’re Not,
John Vorhaus
Anguished
English, Richard Lederer
The
Importance of Being Ernest, Oscar Wilde
Poking
a Dead Frog, Mike Sacks
Laughter,
Robert R. Provine
Dan Williams
TCU Press (3000 Sandage) and 1238
Library
817-257-5907 (campus)
Office Hours: by appointment. I will meet with students whenever it is most
convenient, but since I work out of two offices, please check in advance where
I’ll be working on a particular day and time.
I am free for online virtual office hours virtually any day.
Course
Outcomes:
--a familiarity with the history and theories of humor and
laughter
--a familiarity with multiple cultural concepts, aesthetic
approaches, and ideological perspectives of humor and laughter
--a familiarity with the genres, types, and media of humor
--a specific acquaintance with representative comedic texts
--a familiarity with the structures, practices, and
conventions of comedic writing
--a general understanding of how laughter and humor function
socially and culturally
--an ability to distinguish between positive and negative
humor
Academic Conduct:
TCU Mission: To educate individuals to
think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global
community.
Honors
Pledge: “As a member of
the John V. Roach Honors College, I pledge to dedicate myself to intellectual
inquiry, life-long learning, and critical thinking, to demonstrate personal and
academic integrity, and to engage others in earnest and respectful discussion
with an open mind.”
All members of the class are expected
to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, discussions, and
chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward
the message to the Chair of the department and appropriate action will be
taken, not excluding expulsion from the course. The same rules apply online as
they do in person. Be respectful of other students. Foul discourse
will not be tolerated. Please take a moment and read the basic information about netiquette
(http://www.albion.com/netiquette/).
· Cheating: Copying
from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer
files and listings; using, during any academic exercise, material and/or
devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; collaborating with
or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without
permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or
soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other
assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student or
permitting another student to substitute for oneself.
· Plagiarism: The
appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and
the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own
offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of
another’s work without giving credit therefore.
· Collusion: The
unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.
· Abuse of resource materials:
Mutilating, destroying, concealing, or stealing such material.
· Computer misuse:
Unauthorized or illegal use of computer software or hardware through the TCU
Computer Center or through any programs, terminals, or freestanding computers
owned, leased or operated by TCU or any of its academic units for the purpose
of affecting the academic standing of a student.
· Fabrication and falsification:
Unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an
academic exercise. Falsification involves altering information for use in any
academic exercise. Fabrication involves inventing or counterfeiting information
for use in any academic exercise.
· Multiple submission: The
submission by the same individual of substantial portions of the same academic
work (including oral reports) for credit more than once in the same or another
class without authorization.
· Complicity in academic misconduct: Helping
another to commit an act of academic misconduct.
· Bearing false witness: Knowingly
and falsely accusing another student of academic misconduct.
Anti-Discrimination and Title IX Information
TCU prohibits
discrimination and harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin,
ethnic origin, disability, predisposing genetic information, covered veteran
status, and any other basis protected by law, except as permitted by law. TCU
also prohibits unlawful sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, sexual
assault, incest, statutory rape, sexual exploitation, intimate partner
violence, bullying, stalking, and retaliation. We understand that
discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence can undermine students’
academic success and we encourage students who have experienced any of these
issues to talk to someone about their experience, so they can get the support
they need.
As an
instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning
environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share
information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your
written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep any
information your share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I have
a mandatory reporting responsibility under TCU policy and federal law and I am
required to share any information I receive regarding sexual harassment,
discrimination, and related conduct with TCU’s Title IX Coordinator. Students
can receive confidential support and academic advocacy by contacting TCU’s
Confidential Advocate in the Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education office
at (817) 257-5225 or the Counseling & Mental Health Center
at https://counseling.tcu.edu/
or by calling (817) 257-7863. Alleged violations can be
reported to the Title IX Office at https://titleix.tcu.edu/student-toolkit/
or by calling (817) 257-8228. Should you wish to make a confidential report,
the Title IX Office will seek to maintain your privacy to the greatest extent
possible, but cannot guarantee confidentiality. Reports to law enforcement can
be made to the Fort Worth Police Department at 911 for an emergency and (817)
335-4222 for non-emergency or TCU Police at (817) 257-7777.
Mandatory Reporters: All
TCU employees, except Confidential Resources, are considered Mandatory
Reporters for purposes of their obligations to report, to the Coordinator,
conduct that raises Title IX and/or VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) issues.
Mandatory Reporters are required to
immediately report to the Coordinator information about conduct that raises
Title IX and/or VAWA issues, including any reports, complaints or allegations
of sexual harassment, discrimination and those forms of prohibited conduct that
relate to nonconsensual sexual intercourse or contact, sexual exploitation,
intimate partner violence, stalking and retaliation involving any member of the
TCU community, except as otherwise provided within the Policy
on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Conduct.
Mandatory Reporters may receive this
information in a number of ways. For example, a complainant may report the
information directly to a Mandatory Reporter, a witness or third-party may
provide information to a Mandatory Reporter, or a Mandatory Reporter may
personally witness such conduct. A Mandatory Reporter’s obligation to report
such information to the Coordinator does not depend on how he/she received the
information. Mandatory Reporters must provide all known information about
conduct that raises Title IX or VAWA issues to the Coordinator, including the
identities of the parties, the date, time and location, and any other details.
Failure of a Mandatory Reporters to provide such information to the Coordinator
in a timely manner may subject the employee to appropriate discipline,
including removal from a position or termination of employment.
Mandatory Reporters cannot promise to
refrain from forwarding the information to the Coordinator if it raises Title
IX or VAWA issues or withhold information about such conduct from the
Coordinator. Mandatory Reporters may provide support and assistance to a
complainant, witness, or respondent, but they should not conduct any
investigation or notify the respondent unless requested to do so by the Coordinator.
Mandatory Reporters are not required
to report information disclosed (1) at public awareness events (e.g., “Take
Back the Night,” candlelight vigils, protests, “survivor speak-outs,” or other
public forums in which students may disclose such information (collectively,
public awareness events); or (2) during an individual’s participation as a
subject in an Institutional Review Board approved human subjects research
protocol (IRB Research). TCU may provide information about Title IX rights and
available resources and support at public awareness events, however, and
Institutional Review Boards may, in appropriate cases, require researchers to
provide such information to all subjects of IRB Research.
911 for an
emergency and (817) 335-4222 for non-emergency or TCU Police at (817) 257-7777.
Statement of Disability Services at TCU
Further
information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box
297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.
Adequate time
must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not
retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as
possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each
eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable,
professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for
documentation may be found at http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_documentation.asp.
Students
with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a
building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their
instructor/professor as soon as possible.
