Class Description
Comedy is often treated as a fatuous, superficial, and all-around lesser art form, but humor is no laughing matter. This class will provide a serious investigation of comedy and the philosophical, political, and psychoanalytic functions it serves, with a special focus on the joke. Along the way, we will explore theories of comedy put forth by Plato, Kant, and Freud, and study comics ranging from Aristophanes and Richard Pryor to the Marx Brothers and Hannah Gadsby.
Harrison Sherrod manages a film production company by day and teaches classes at the Newberry by night. He has led courses on everything from metaphysical detectives and con games to Star Wars and Marxism.
Materials List
Required
- Instructor-Distributed Materials
First Reading
- Please read the provided excerpt from Alenka Zupancic's "The Odd One In: On Comedy."
Cost and Registration
1 session, $100 ($90 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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