Global Comedy and Humour Studies

Introduction: What is "Global Comedy"? Activity: Humor Rorschach Test. Chapter 1: Aristophanes' Lysistrata and 'Middle Comedy' in Modern Context Aristophanes, Lysistrata Activity: Staging Comedy. Chapter 2: Plautus and 'New Comedy' Plautus, Mostellaria Connections: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Chapter 3: The Tao of Humor: Wisdom and Laughter in Zhuangzi and Liezi Selected Writings of Zhuangzi (Basic Writings) and Leizi. Chapter 4: Commedia dell'arte: Roots and Branches Mel Gordon, Lazzi (scenarios: "Pulcinella, The False Prince" and "Pulcinella, Physician by Force" Chapter 5: Humor and the Politics of Place: Shakespearean Love Comedy Abroad William Shakespeare, The Tempest Connections: Aime Cesaire, A Tempest. Chapter 6: Insanity, Absurdity and Parody Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote. Chapter 7: Shifting Targets of Humor: Negotiating the Objects of Ridicule Moliere, Tartuffe. Chapter 8: Versatility of Humor in Senryu: Humorous Haiku of Edo Era Japan Assorted Senryu Connections: Senryu Today: Satirizing the "Salaryman" Life. Chapter 9: Humor and Gendered Morals: Thus Do All... Women? Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte, Cosi fan tutte. Chapter 10: Funny Money: Satires of Finance from Balzac to "Occupy Wall Street" Honore de Balzac, Mercadet Connections: The Wolf of Wall Street. Chapter 11: Satirizing the East: The Politics of Intercultural Humor Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado Activity: Contemporary Comedic Stereotypes of Asia. Chapter 12: Fish Out of Water: Incongruities of Place Hagop Baronian, Honorable Beggars. Chapter 13: Oscar Wilde and the Raskin's Semantic Script Theory of Humor (SSTH) Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Saville's Crime. Chapter 14: Ridiculing the State: Satire and National Allegory in Modern China Lu Xun, "The True Story of Ah Q". Chapter 15: Vernacular Theater and the Ironic Burlesque Eduardo de Filippo, Christmas in Naples. Chapter 16: Postcolonial Tricksters and Comic Spirit Patrick Chamoiseau, Solibo Magnificent. Chapter 17: Satires of Polygamy: Culture Clash as Incongruity Set Ola Rotimi, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. Chapter 18: "Ya Mama": Abjection as Social Power Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, Mule Bone The Pharcyde, "Ya Mama" Activity: Humor in Intra-group Dynamics. Chapter 19: Macabre Humor: Framing and Contextualizing for Acceptance Edward Gorey's Amphigorey Collections Ken Tanaka, Everybody Dies Activity: Why do people laugh at "sick" jokes? Chapter 20: Humor and Children: Dr. Seuss vs. Shel Silverstein Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham Shel Silverstein, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book Chapter 21: Comedic Manga in Japan Yakitate Ja-pan!! and Cross-Cultural Parody. Chapter 22: New Media Humor and the Ethics of Inclusion Activity: Is it ever "just a joke"? Chapter 23: Stand-up Comedy in History and Transnational Perspective Trevor Griffith's Comedians Activity: Stand-up Brainstorming Activity: Diagramming Stand-up Jokes. Chapter 24: Film Humor from Screenplay to Theaters Part I: Human Nature, Charlie Kaufmann Part II: Dogma, Kevin Smith