PWR 2KTA: A Rebel with a Cause: The Rhetoric of Giving a Damn

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Television Academy) unveiled the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series in 2015, first awarding Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for the next seven years HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. After the Emmys shifted Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category for its 75th anniversary in 2023, the Talk Series Emmy Award returned to its original winner with The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and The Daily Show with hosts Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, and Dulcé Sloan. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert win in 2025 sealed for many that the most lauded shows are those whose humor blends with political commentary and other poignant messages about select and controversial topics of the day. How do these Talk Series and Variety Series Emmy winners (and nominees) use humorous speech to draw attention to and insights about what – for many families – is taboo dinner table conversation?

Furthermore, what of the late-night pundit as rebel? How do these hosts use their platforms to champion important causes, and how successful are they at achieving their goals (and what are those goals)? Students in this course will research and analyze these phenomena, then apply their knowledge to deliver their research – in both in written and oral form – about award-winning late-night punditry (shows and nominees), within cultural contexts and from the disciplinary perspective of students’ choosing. Potential topics span the importance of research in the success of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to, e.g., how Talk Series shows (or one in particular) present the role of race and other discriminations in U.S. Supreme Court Opinions and Dissents. Students are invited to deliver their final research project while embodying a Talk/Variety Series persona and as such may choose to show, not just tell, how controversial topics may be persuasively and ethically delivered to an intellectual audience. Major assignments require drafts/rehearsals, conferencing, and written reflections

Major Assignments

Research Proposal

(3-5 minute live oral presentation; written proposal of 900-1200 words; reflective memo of 250 words) Students will begin the quarter by proposing original research related to late-night punditry. Options may include analyzing the role of public opinion (if any) in Emmy nominations, comparing and contrasting the styles of individual series, or exploring why, for instance, Late Show with David Letterman, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Conan only received singular Emmy nominations in the span of a decade.

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; approximately 10-12 pages) Using the research and writing skills developed in PWR 1 (and further developed in this course) and building upon research proposals, students will synthesize a range of perspectives in an argumentative paper. Topics may include oversight of Talk Series by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), methods of influencing the writers’ room, or the role an audience’s scientific knowledge plays in developing or delivering late-night STEM humor.

Delivery of Research

(10 minute oral presentation with appropriate multimedia support) Students will translate written research-based arguments into educational and creative oral presentations to the class. Students will explore strategies of delivery and make decisions about which media will be the most effective as support for their arguments.