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American University School of Communication COMEDY IN American University School of Communication COMEDY IN COMMUNICATION: The Role of Humor in Persuasive Messages COMM-XXX-XXX Professor Chris Palmer Spring 2010 Class Times: XXXX Location: XXXX How to Contact Professor Palmer: Office: MGC Room 302 Telephone: office 202-885-3408; cell 202-716-6160; home 301-654-6137 (before 10:00 p.m.) E-mail: [email protected] (this is one of the best ways to reach me) Office hours: Tuesday 8:00-10:00 pm; Wednesday 2:00-6:00 pm; and by appointment any time. There is a sign-up sheet on my door. I encourage you to meet regularly with me so I can do everything I can to help you get the most out of this course. I want to have at least one meeting with you individually within two weeks of the first class and I want to meet with you individually numerous times over the course of the semester. Course Description: Communication through humor is an important way to make stories more memorable, characters more compelling, and causes more accessible. Understanding and appreciating humor is a unique part of being human, and making people smile and laugh is a learnable skill. To truly understand the nature of humor empowers the individual to communicate strategically – to create messages that are “stickier,” or more memorable and persuasive. This class will introduce students to some of the major theories behind humor, examining the various ways in which humorous messages are constructed, and focusing on how humor can be used as an effective tool for persuasion. We will advance our understanding of humor by studying how politicians like JFK and Ben Franklin have used it to deflect criticism and advance their agendas, reviewing academic literature on the use of humor in advertising and political 2 communication, and examining the works of famous humorists, including Mark Twain, Judy Carter, Steve Allen, Landon Parvin, Jon Stewart, Monty Python, Chuck Klosterman, and the Marx Brothers. Distinguished guest speakers, including comedians from DC, Hollywood, and New York City, will offer insights concerning the effective creation of comedic messages. We will draw on the knowledge gained from these sources – comedians, literary works, scholarly articles, television shows and films – to produce our own comedic works at the end of the semester as the course culminates with the creation of humorous essays, video productions, and speeches. Format: We will strive for class sessions that are lively, engaging, fun, creative and informative. Our format will combine discussion, presentations, guest speakers, case studies, in-class screenings and analysis. The actual classes might deviate from the readings and assignments described in this syllabus. All changes will be indicated clearly in class and by e-mail. ***** Class Schedule and Calendar NOTE: All readings and assignments must be completed after the class under which they are listed, and before the beginning of the class following. Class 1: Introduction Introduce each other, complete a questionnaire, go over the syllabus, and review the plans for the semester. Class 2: Why We Should Take Humor Seriously Understanding and interpreting humor is one of the human mind’s most fascinating abilities. Comedy crops up in many parts of our culture: in theater, literature, political speeches, films, television shows, advertisements, and social issue messages. Humor is frequently used as a tool for persuasion, and it is important for us to understand how it functions. Having a basic knowledge of humor in persuasion allows us to become critical consumers of humorous message and learn how to utilize humor in our own persuasive efforts. 3 Lesson Plan Watch episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, clips from Late Night with Conan O’Brian, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, videos of presidential speeches, and funny advertisements. Take notes on the use of humor in these videos, paying close attention not only to specific jokes, but the overall messages in which these jokes are embedded. Readings - About Barbers, an essay by Mark Twain - Transcript from TDS (The Daily Show) - Read excerpt from The World’s Funniest Jokes and Why They’re Funny, by Chris Palmer and Jeremy Polk - Attardo, S. (2000). Irony as relevant inappropriateness. Journal of Pragmatics, 32 Read: p. 795 section 1.2, pp. 816-818 section 5.3 Assignment Take notes on the TDS transcript and write down your thoughts about how humor has been used at certain points throughout it. What types of humor are being used? How might the jokes contribute to or detract from the arguments that Jon Stewart and the correspondents make? Think about the content of TDS in general, not just its jokes. What effects might watching the show have on the American public when it comes to voting? Or people’s attitudes towards politics in our country? Or our perception of the media? Save this document for later in the semester. Class 3: The Nature of Humor and its History, Part 1 We now know that humor is used as a tool for persuasion. Before we can understand how humor is used as a tool for persuasion, we must understand the nature of humor itself. To do this, let’s examine some common techniques used to create jokes, and study the history of humor in brief. Lesson Plan Elaborate on the Attardo reading assigned during the last class. Explore the idea of incongruity as it relates to humor: that a sudden, surprising, and unexpected change in direction that is related to the context of a story is at the heart of most jokes. Pages XX-XX in The World’s Funniest Jokes and Why They’re Funny explain the ideas that “relevant inappropriateness,” or a change in direction based on context, is the basis of humor, and that surprise (good comedic timing) enhances the quality of a joke and brings it to life. It explains in greater detail why context, change in direction, and surprise must all be present in order for a joke to work. Discuss double entendres and reverses as they are explained in the Helitzer text. Watch films and TV clips that offer demonstrations and discuss these as we watch them. In-class Videos Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqzQxMtmjn8&feature=related Dan Aykroyd’s Mainway Toy Company Dan Aykroyd’s Ask President Carter Dan Aykroyd’s Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute 4 Readings - Helitzer: chapters 1, 6, pp.50-57, pp. 144-148 - Pun for the Ages by Joseph Tartakovsky - Napalm and Silly Putty by George Carlin, pp. 1-11, pp. 21-22, pp. 56-68, pp. 71-75, p. 82 (section entitled “Maybe They’ll Adopt”) Assignment Examine the above essays by George Carlin. Note where different forms of humor that have been described by Helitzer are used, and write down your thoughts about why these jokes work in order to prepare for next week’s class discussion. If you don’t find the jokes funny, make a note of that, but also write down why the joke (based on its construction) should work in theory. Class 4: The Nature of Humor and its History, Part 2 We have learned about two of the most common joke structures: double entendres and reverses. Let’s study four more: stupidity, triples, paired phrases, and physical abuse in the context of historical and contemporary comedy. Lesson Plan Discuss the assignment from the last class in detail. Set up the desks in a circle to encourage contribution to the discussion. Encourage people to ask questions about ideas that they don’t understand, and debate arguments that their peers make about why certain jokes are or are not funny. Discuss triples, stupidity, paired phrases, and physical abuse as they are explained in the Helitzer text. Watch films and TV clips that offer demonstrations and discuss these as we watch them. Relate all six joke structures to incongruity as we have defined it. In-class Videos Laurel and Hardy – The Music Box Three Stooges – Curly’s Sweater 5 Readings - Helitzer, chapters 7 and 8 - Read excerpt from The World’s Funniest Jokes and Why They’re Funny by Chris Palmer and Jeremy Polk - Read or watch one of the following comedic works: o Essays . Excerpt from Don’t Shoot, It’s Only Me by Bob Hope . Ambrose Bierce . PG Wodehouse . Bill Cosby . Woody Allen . Nora Ephron . SJ Perelman . Isaac Asimov . Charlie Chaplin o Films . Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush . The Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers . Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Monty Python’s Life of Brian Assignment Essay 1 (15% of final grade): Select an essay to read or a video to watch from the above list. Write an essay in response to that video or literary work, analyzing why it is or is not funny. Draw on information from Helitzer and Attardo in your analysis. Note what types of humor are used, and explore the reasons why jokes are or are not effective. Due next class. Class 5: Timeless Techniques Used by the Best Comedians Trends in comedy change over time, and people from different generations find different jokes funny based on the cultural atmosphere in which they were raised. Although people’s appreciation for comedy is partially based on frame of reference, some simple comedy techniques are timeless. Let’s take a closer look at the history of comedy. Lesson Plan Watch The Marx Brothers’ Horse Feathers. Take notes to be discussed during the second part of class. Also watch the “comedy techniques” sketch from Monty Python Live. Readings - Helitzer: chapters 14, 17, 18 - Excerpts from The Onion - Excerpts from Calvin and Hobbes - Selections from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Killing Yourself to Live, both by Chuck Klosterman 6 - Excerpts from speeches by famous politicians (see books by Bark, Kador, and Smith on the supplementary reading list) Assignment Take detailed notes on the readings above.
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