#6: Laughter
Instructed by Dr. Sara Warner & Dr. David Feldshuh at Cornell University
PREVIOUS: #7: Toxicity in Context
It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine. If that is the case, then medical personnel at Cornell University must be coasting through the semester — and it’s all thanks to Dr. Sara Warner, Dr. David Feldshuh, and their new course Laughter: a wild, funny exploration of what drives contemporary society’s sense of humor.
#6: Laughter
School: Cornell University
Course: Laughter
Instructors: Dr. Sara Warner & Dr. David Feldshuh
Course Description:
What makes us laugh, and what doesn’t? How does laughter vary from person to person, place to place, and across time? What work does laughter perform? Is it contagious? What does it mean to have (or lack) a sense of humor? What is laughter’s relationship to pleasure and pain, health and wellness? In this course, we will experiment with the art of “making funny.” Students will explore the science and psychology of humor, construct laughter through language and the body, analyze jokes (to learn how to tell them), and investigate the role of humor in a democratic society.
Ask the Instructors: Dr. Sara Warner & Dr. David Feldshuh
Why did you elect to offer Laughter at Cornell this year?
Dr. Warner: The world is in a period of upheaval. Laughter helps us take stock of a situation, release tension, heal wounds, and build communities. Laughter is not necessarily positive, however; it can be used as a weapon to divide people (known as the superiority theory of humor), and we see this at play in contemporary politics.
Dr. Feldshuh: The idea for the course was Sara Warner’s. I’m fortunate that she asked me to join in the ride. Laughter is a wonderful catalyst for experiencing as well as reflecting on so many areas of interest: creativity, how and why we laugh, laughter and health, laughter as status emblems, laughter and gender, political protest and laughter, funny people, funny things, funny situations, etc.
What do you ultimately hope that your students take away from participating in Laughter?
Dr. Warner: This course explores the art, craft and skills required to “make funny,” including constructing and analyzing jokes, joke writing, trying out the performance of different kinds of comedy such as stand-up, wit, physical comedy, improvisation, masks, and clowning. Our aim is to catalyze creativity, laughter, and learning through humor. This class is dedicated to sparking the insights and imagination of each student through embodied explorations of laughter.
Dr. Feldshuh: An important part of the course is actual practice in “making and performing funny.” Although the class is only in its fourth week, the imagination, insights, openness and energy of our students help make each class unique. And there isn’t a class without lots of laughs. What’s not to like?
If you could teach a course on any topic at all, what would it be?
Dr. Warner: Laughter is a dream class for me, and Professor Feldshuh a dream collaborator.
NEXT: #5: Performing Death and Desire: Vampires on Stage and Screen
We’re highlighting seventeen of the most innovative university courses offered this academic year. For the full list of courses, click here.
