"Theories of Laughter" is an inquiry into humanity's efforts to understand a crucial element in our lives and culture that is often taken for granted or lightly regarded. We'll explore both humor theory and humor practice and look at its uses and abuses in the arenas of literature and entertainment. We'll ask questions like why do we laugh when people trip and fall? Can humor truly be benign? Is the social act of laughter gendered? When we laugh at a problematic joke, does that mean we're immoral? Can humor be both a form of social control and a force for liberation? And why did Henry Kissinger and the North Vietnamese negotiators make so many jokes at the Paris Peace talks? Students will analyze a variety of texts in relation to humor theory and write creative exercises to try out the principles and techniques we discuss.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-A-II
"Theories of Laughter" is an inquiry into humanity's efforts to understand a crucial element in our lives and culture that is often taken for granted or lightly regarded. We'll explore both humor theory and humor practice and look at its uses and abuses in the arenas of literature and entertainment. We'll ask questions like why do we laugh when people trip and fall? Can humor truly be benign? Is the social act of laughter gendered? When we laugh at a problematic joke, does that mean we're immoral? Can humor be both a form of social control and a force for liberation? And why did Henry Kissinger and the North Vietnamese negotiators make so many jokes at the Paris Peace talks? Students will analyze a variety of texts in relation to humor theory and write creative exercises to try out the principles and techniques we discuss.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.