The Role of Humor in Social Protest

(4 Credits)

What's so funny about demanding our rights? This seminar will investigate the serious history of deploying humorous interventions to effect social change. If "every joke is a tiny revolution," as George Orwell posits, our goal will be to study seminal protests that deploy comedic elements to redistribute power. From medieval court jesters to the ACT UP Kiss-in to the Funny or Die sketch which helped Congress pass a sexual assault bill, to more subtle forms of activism such as conceptual art, feminists of the FLUXUS movement, and political humorists, we will apply a range of critical texts (including humor theory, legal regulations, social reform movements) as lenses to deepen our understanding of humor as a means to bypass resistance with a humanist approach. We will also conduct contextualizing research to determine what makes for a successful protest versus ones that fail. In addition to written assignments, students will share insights through oral presentations, multi-modal forms, and volunteer at a social justice organization of their choice. Students will leave the course with broadened research skills, creative communication strategies, increased public speaking confidence, and important skills for assessing and constructing arguments.