PWR 2KAA: Sitcoms to Stand Up: Writing About Comedy and Resistance

“Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.” 

Why did this Jim Carrey joke get a laugh? Marvin Diogenes, Director of PWR, asserts “comedy is meant to re-orient someone to the world.” If the adage Carrey plays on is “behind every great man is a great woman,” he reorients us by centering the woman instead of the man. In this class, you’ll write about the ways comedy has reoriented you to the world.

In Writing About Comedy and Resistance, students will explore how comedy is used to critique and disrupt the social order. Using open access course materials and regular class improv activities, and guided by a definition of “comedy,” you might investigate the censorship of certain comedians and shows, or explore a particular comic’s approach. Think of comedies and comedians, like Hacks, Blackish, SNL, Community, and UnPrisoned, Bowen Yang, Wanda Sykes, Robin Tran, or Michael Che. How does their work help us view society through new lenses?

Potential course paper topics might include an interrogation of Hollywood casting, or of sketch content of SNL, improv theaters like Second City and the Groundlings, work of a specific comic, Hacks as a feminist treatise, or the role of YouTube in expanding diverse comic voices. Students will learn rhetorical skills including public speaking, concise and engaging written and spoken work, and translation of entertainment into research to investigate comedy from a place of resistance.

Major Assignments

Research Proposal

(3-5 minute live oral presentation; written proposal of 900-1200 words; reflective memo of 250 words): You will propose a comedy topic—such as YouTube Comic Diversity, Queer Stand Up, or the cult following of Rocky Horror—to delve into for the quarter. Your proposal will utilize secondary sources to offer a rationale for study of your topic. It will include a clear research question with concretely defined terms and assertions of possible research methods.

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; 10-12 pages of research-based writing): After conducting one type of primary research (as proposed in your RP) you will create an academic argument that incorporates a range of sources on a comedic topic. The final project should be aimed at a journal appropriate to the discourse community of the comedic issue, whether it is barriers to women in comedy, SNL and Politics, or the role of HBO specials in comedic careers.  

Delivery of Research

(10 minutes of live oral presentation with multimedia support): You will translate a research-based argument and present it in a live, oral presentation engaging with visual support. Potential ideas for this are using memes that inspire comedic dissent, highlighting a website that features diverse comics, or interspersing audio or visual data, such as a brief clip or imagery from an Andy Samberg song.