PMA 1700 - Laughter

(LA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

D. Feldshuh, S. Warner.

What makes us laugh, and what doesn’t? How does laughter vary from person to person, place to place, and across time? What work does laughter perform? Is it contagious? What does it mean to have (or lack) a sense of humor? What is laughter’s relationship to pleasure and pain, health and wellness? In this course, we will experiment with the art of “making funny.” Students will explore the science and psychology of humor, construct laughter through language and the body, analyze jokes (to learn how to tell them), and investigate the role of humor in a democratic society. (EP/HTC)