H48.1000 Lecture 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Andrea Thome
H48.1000.001 (Undergraduate - Sophmores, Juniors, Seniors only)
H48.2000.001 (Graduate)
Wednesdays 12:30 – 3:15pm
Undergraduate and Graduate
4 points
How do you engage in “civic dialogue” when all the channels for communication seem inaccessible, unproductive or just plain uninspiring? How do you get your message heard in a world dominated by mass-market millionaires and corporate media monopolies? How do you change society when you feel trapped on its margins? From the Roman poets to Dave Chappelle, satire, parody, caricature and other forms that combine humor and criticism have been an important part of public discourse, articulating social and political dissatisfaction and inspiring resistance to the status quo. Satire allows you to make the powerful ridiculous – and when you’ve got them laughing, you can sneak inside their stronghold and destabilize the foundations. In the hands of those who are dispossessed, marginalized, or otherwise kept out of the dominant systems of power, satire can be a tool for empowerment and expression that allows them to infiltrate the forms and languages of power in order to communicate their own message. Yet satire is not only a weapon of resistance and a channel to express criticism; creating satire also requires the satirist to engage in civic dialogue. In order to appropriate a form, or pointedly criticize and mock a social behavior (or a public figure), you have to observe it carefully and understand how it works, what strategies it uses.
This class uses two interwoven approaches to study satire and civic engagement: 1) the analysis and examination of the social/moral/political goals, mechanisms and effectiveness of satirical works, and 2) the practice of using satire’s techniques of “creative criticism” to respond to current issues. In the analytical thread of the class, we will look closely at works of satire, parody and caricature and examine how they integrate humor, social criticism, and civic action. We’ll investigate how laughter gets people to let their guard down and analyze how satirists take advantage of this opening in order to challenge closed minds, provoke discussion where there was none, and plant the seeds of social change. The class will survey a wide range of satirical forms, focusing particularly on parody but also including caricature, political cartoons, radical clowning and ridiculous spectacles. We will look at case studies of satirical performances, literature, visual arts, media and internet projects created by artists and activists including Reverend Billy, the Yes Men, the Guerrilla Girls, Jesusa Rodriguez, Culture Clash, Jon Stewart and my own parody collective, Fulana, as well as work by non-contemporary artists as diverse as Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Swift and Richard Pryor.
In the second thread of this class, students will also explore satire practically and creatively: by making satire of their own. By coming to understand the uses, goals and techniques of satire (and its related forms), students can unlock a toolchest of strategies, tactics, and aesthetic maneuvers that can empower them to respond to problems in their own world.
This course will count toward general education requirements for TSOA students (Humanities).
