ISP 237 Laughing at Ourselves: Comedy and Identity
3 hours
Comedy helps us understand identity through its unique embrace of similarity and difference, celebration and heartbreak, solidarity and isolation. From ancient to contemporary times - from Greek gender roles through Roman slavery, from Medieval cosmology through ethnic sitcoms to LGBTQ standup -- artists use comedy to explore and express their experience of identity. Some hide their vulnerability behind the mask of comedy; others use it as a megaphone to speak their truth. This interdisciplinary course draws examples of comedies of identity spanning time, place, and culture in a wide variety of artistic forms, such as drama, literature, poetry, film, the visual arts, cartoons, clowning, caricature, music, and dance.
Notes
This course satisfies the Flexible Core: Creative Expression area of the Gen Ed Program.