The first Thinktank is on Comedy & Social Commentary, due Sept 29 in class.
Steps:
1. Choose an example from contemporary society (the last ten years) of something comedic that is engaged in social commentary. By comedic, we’re focusing on the intention to create humour or provoke laughter.
2. Include the example in your submission: if it is on paper (cartoon, article, written joke, etc) you can attach it; if it is online, please provide the title and URL.
3. Write a very short essay (500 words) that includes the following things:
a. An analysis of how this example creates humour: draw on in-class categories to aid you in this part.
b. An analysis of how this example is engaged in a kind of social commentary: What is it commenting on? How does it achieve this commentary? What sort of audience is it directed at? Does it aim to provoke social change?
c. Compare your example to the ways in which plays we have studied use comedy to comment on society. Draw parallels and contrasts where you can. *Use specific examples from plays in class by way of comparison. Can similar kinds of humour be used to create different messages? Can the same message be delivered in a variety of ways? What does your example add to our understanding of how comedy can be used as social criticism?
You will submit this paper in class on Sept. 29. You will also share your example in small groups on that day, so do your best to bring the materials necessary (e.g. laptop) to share the example as quickly as possible, and plan out a few points that you will share from your paper (so that you don’t have to read the whole thing out loud!).
If you have questions, you can post them below using the Comment function. You’ll need to provide your name and Queen’s email address to avoid the comment being marked as spam.
A student asks “do you want us to make a Works Cited List for the plays discussed in class and/or the comedy we are using?”
Answer: Please do list citation information for all examples used in your paper. You do not need to include a separate Works Cited page, but the list should come at the end of your essay. The “Writing Advice–U of T” link above contains useful information on how to cite different kinds of texts. If you are citing a play from the Course Reading package, it’s fine if you note the Author, Title, and then use the Course Reader in place of bibliographic information; e.g.: Aristophanes, The Frogs. DRAM201 Course Reader, Fall 2008 (Prof. Harrower).
Comment by theprof — September 24, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
Hey,
I’m wondering how you go about properly citing a Youtube video?
Comment by Shawna — September 25, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
Hi Natalie,
Just wondering if we can use the first person for our Thinktanks or would you prefer them to be more formal in the third person?
Thanks!
Comment by Dani — September 25, 2008 @ 9:59 pm
Hi – I think I addressed both of these questions in class, but for the record, for next time: Cite internet sources by listing the title of the video, as well as the full URL. For formal citation instructions, see my advice in Comment 1 above.
As for the first person, I mentioned in class that it is best to avoid using “I” in formal essays, not because it’s bad per se, but because it helps to get you in the practice of making clear, supportable statements, as opposed to relying on opinions.
Comment by theprof — September 30, 2008 @ 1:34 pm