Difference between revisions of "BUI301 Funny Story"

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Performances could be:
 
Performances could be:
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#Screenplay (perform as a table read) for ''a single scene''. It can be a spec script for an existing TV comedy, fan fiction, or an original work.
 
#Screenplay (perform as a table read) for ''a single scene''. It can be a spec script for an existing TV comedy, fan fiction, or an original work.
 
#Narrative video (maximum 5 minutes) or PowerPoint slide show.
 
#Narrative video (maximum 5 minutes) or PowerPoint slide show.

Revision as of 15:41, 6 September 2022

Blount 301 Funny Story is a seminar taught in the Blount Scholars Program by Jeremy Butler, professor emeritus of television and film, the University of Alabama, during the fall 2022 semester.

Course objectives

  1. The course will present analytical methods for understanding how humor functions in film, television, and other media.
  2. The course will discuss theories of humor.
  3. The course will introduce students to various makers of humorous stories.

Course assignments

A (mostly) visual analysis

Each student will analyze the visual humor in a short film by Buster Keaton.

  1. You will be assigned a short
  2. Learn basic Wikipedia editing and create a Wikipedia-style article for your short on Screenpedia. (The best articles will be uploaded to Wikipedia.)
  3. Learn how to make screenshots (probably with VLC Media Player) and capture at least one from every shot in the short.
    • Submit your screenshots. Due in class Tuesday, 9/20.
    • Select a short segment (minimum 5 minutes) and identify comic moments in it.
      • Use the theories of humor we discussed to explain why they are comic.
      • Submit in print in class Tuesday, 10/4.
  4. Worth 35 points.

A (mostly) verbal analysis

Each student will select a half-hour TV comedy and analyze its use of humor. Elements of the analysis include:

  1. Recaps (short summaries of the plots) of episodes (posted to Blackboard)
  2. Identification of the show's narrative problematic.
    • Discuss how it plays out in two specific episodes (using the recaps for reference)
  3. Discussion of specific examples of theories of humor: superiority, relief/release, and incongruity
    • Explain the theories of humor first and then provide at least two examples for each theory
    • Use the analysis of Modern Family in The Sitcom as a model for analysis.
    • Present your findings to the class during the week before Thanksgiving (11/15 and 11/17).
    • Collect your findings into a 1,500-word essay and submit it via Blackboard/TurnItIn. Due Tuesday, 11/18, 11:59 p.m.
  4. Worth 45 points.

A comic piece

Each student will create a short comic performance to be presented during the final exam period, Wednesday, 12/7, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Worth 10 points.

Performances could be:

  1. Screenplay (perform as a table read) for a single scene. It can be a spec script for an existing TV comedy, fan fiction, or an original work.
  2. Narrative video (maximum 5 minutes) or PowerPoint slide show.
  3. Narrative song (can be a parody or take-off).
  4. Funny story (a la stand-up comedy; maximum 200 words).
  5. Two contributors notes (a la Michael Martone's work).

Two students may work on the screenplay or video together.

If you have public-speaking anxiety, consult with Dr. Butler for an alternative way to submit your work.

Online study guides

Chronological order

List of discussion notes

List of discussion topics

Study groups

Group A:

  • Architha Bommena
  • Anna Gardner Herren
  • Ava Sweeney

Group B:

  • Daisy Hudson
  • Josh Mellott
  • Kate Paras

Group C:

  • Alex Landgraf
  • Logan Busbee
  • Marguerite Sprain

Group D:

  • Mary Elizabeth Martin
  • Sam Sompayrac
  • Zachary Foley

Texts & resources

Books

  • Noël Carroll, Humour: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).

Course outline

Articles and book chapters