Racial Humor and the Politics of Difference
CHUM 341
Spring 2012
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ENGL 350 |
This course approaches the study of ethnic humor as an important historical archive of racism, on the one hand, and the contestation and the subversion of racist logics on the other. What can a study of racial humor tell us about the politics of difference and power in our society? What is it about humor that makes it such a compelling vehicle for addressing legacies of racism and colonialism? To probe these questions, we will examine a wide variety of literature and cultural media that utilize a particularly ethnicized or racialized sense of humor, drawing on theories of humor from Aristotle to Freud. Attending to the historical contexts that shape these humor sensibilities, we will explore how these cultural texts may provide us with unique insight into the psychology of our social and sexual ideologies, as well as our racial unconscious. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Logical Reasoning |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Sandra Cisneros, CARAMELO
George Schyuler, BLACK NO MORE
Zadie Smith, WHITE TEETH
Salman Rushdie, HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES
Rokeya Sakhawat, HOSSAIN SULTANA'S DREAM
Sam Selvon, LONELY LONDONERS
Zakes Mda, WAYS OF DYING
Maxine Hong, KINGSTON TRIPMASTER MONKEY
Sigmund Freud, JOKES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE UNCONSCIOUS
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Examinations and Assignments:
2 short papers (8 pages each)
1 Final Seminar Paper (5-20 pages)
1 In-Class Presentation |
| Instructor(s): Khanna,Neetu Times: ....R.. 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: CFH106; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 16 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 8 | JR non-major: 8 | SO: 0 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 7 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 2 | Unranked: 5 |
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