Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

ID 252 Laughing Matters

(4 Credits)
Why do we laugh? What is laughter? What makes something funny? How do we laugh? In this course, students will investigate, discuss and analyze the science, theories, and effects of laughter and humor. Through the study of the science of laughter, physiological and psychological processes about the brain and laughing will be investigated. The social, physical, and mental benefits will be experienced and analyzed through participation and exploration of laughter yoga, stand up performance, physical comedy, improvisation, and interactive games. Through the exploration of mass media (digital, print, broadcast, and outdoor media), students will develop a comedic eye while discussing observations of various sociological and political perspectives. The universality of educational competencies of laughter and humor will be applied and implemented through a sustained fieldwork experience with elementary students and the building of a culminating project with those students.

Students will be required to obtain three clearances (FBI, Child Abuse, and Criminal Record Check) prior to participating in the fieldwork experience.