MCD 1350 - THE AMERICAN COMIC TRADITION

credits: 3.0
Crosslisted/Same As: ENG 1350
The foundational assumption of this course is that a distinctively American comedic tradition was inaugurated during the Civil War and redounds to the present day. This tradition is individualistic and entrepreneurial. It has been imperative to the innovation of a number of genres and aesthetics, including stand-up, sitcoms, and sketch shows, but asserts the authority and autonomy of individual comics independent from the cultural products they create or the media companies they contract with. In this course, we will interrogate this tradition through case studies of specific comics. Will primarily focus on contemporary figures, but for comparative purposes will also study historical icons like Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Lucille Ball, and Richard Pryor. The goal is to better understand how comedy works in U.S. culture, but also how it contributes to enduring national myths and contemporaneous political discourse. Objectives: A) Identify and interrogate enduring American myths through engagement with celebrity comedians and the cultural products they help to create; B) Recognize and describe common comic genres in print, cinema, and broadcast media; C) Reproduce comic tropes by understanding the forms they favor. Method of Instruction: Multimedia Curation, Collaborative Research, Discussion, and Lecture. Method of Evaluation: Response Papers, Participation Surveys, Discussion Prompts, and Joke Writing. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.