Standup comedy, humorous TV shows, and ‘fake news’ broadcasts put current events through the satirical wringer, persuading us to laugh at political leaders, cultural icons, our enemies, and ourselves. Humorous discourse allows us to discuss controversial topics like race, class, gender, religion, and politics in a non-threatening manner. However, humor also has the ability to marginalize and stir violence as we witnessed after the killings related to Charlie Hebdo in Paris and the Mohammed cartoon crisis in Denmark. With a special focus on Denmark and the U.S., we explore how humor can reflect cultural norms and values, instigate change, challenge authorities, marginalize, and empower.
Related Discipline(s)
This course would also be of interest to the following discipline(s):Creative Writing
