Title
FSEM1010-06.FSEM: Rhetorical Power of Humr.F16.Gaetano,George
Document Type
Syllabi
School
CLA
Department
COMM
Course Subject
FSEM
Course Number
1010
Course Section
06
Course Title
FSEM: Rhetorical Power of Humr
Academic Term and Year
Fall 2016
Credits
4.00
Area of Study
FSEM
Course Description
In addition to entertaining people, humor can also be used to persuade. It can aid in shaping people’s perceptions, changing opinions, and even reinforcing and intensifying existing beliefs. In this First-Year Seminar we will examine how people from groups who are marginalized by either their gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, are able to use humor to exercise power that the dominant culture often denies them. We will analyze the comic stand up routines and satirical writings of humorists from such groups, as well as programs like The Daily Show, SNL, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and examine how humor is used to influence people’s beliefs and opinions concerning issues of sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia.
Recommended Citation
Gaetano, George, "FSEM1010-06.FSEM: Rhetorical Power of Humr.F16.Gaetano,George" (2016). Historic Syllabi -- full text access limited to internal Hamline administrative staff only. 11472.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/syllabi/11472