230472 Stand-Up Comedy (S) (SoSe 2020)

While comedy as a genre generally reflects the time of its creation, humor operates as a buffer to social inequality, casting a critical eye over the effects of cultural bullying. This course is particularly interested in exploring the role of stand-up comedy as it challenges norms and cultural taboos, forces us out of our comfort zone, raising awareness for why we laugh and what we laugh at. Inspired by the necessity for a more visible presence of stand-up comedy and taboo humour in the academic discourse, this course specifically explores the role of stand-up comedy in mediating and reshaping the racial and social dynamics of US-American society.