The Worlds of Comedy

There are survey courses in art, history, art history, and (this is true) history of art history. Isn't it time for one of the most vibrant and popular of the arts to be taken seriously? This course has the temerity to claim humor is an art form, then try to prove it by looking at the history, mythology, anthropology, biology, psychology, philosophy, and even theology of humor. This multimedia presentation has copious examples from comedy experts, including Chaplin, Keaton, Groucho, Woody, Sellers, Pryor, Martin, Ferrell, Python, Colbert, Stiller, Silverman, and Schumer. The instructor also draws on his background to show how professional comedy is made. Contains adult themes and language. This course uses the Hybrid format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.