Overview
Ancient humour is one of the lenses scholars can utilize to examine the culture of the ancient Mediterranean, and by contrast our own culture. What is considered to be “funny” or humorous tells us much about the values and preconceptions of the lived experience of individuals and the broader community they are a part of. This course will combine a series of readings (in translation) from ancient comedy, satire, romance, and literary parody, with discussions of the use of humour as relief in more serious genres such as epic, tragedy, and courtroom speeches. Throughout the semester students will compare ancient perspectives on humour with contemporary ones, and discuss how the similarities and differences reflect respective broader social norms.
Each week there are podcasts and activities, which take the place of weekly lectures that students can access in onQ, in addition to the required readings.
Learning Outcomes
After completing CLST 205, students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast ancient and modern conceptions of humour
- Synthesize, evaluate and present a scholarly argument to their peers
- Respectfully debate and discuss with their peers opposing perspectives
- Illustrate with examples their own positions on a given topic
- Apply conceptions of humor to different ancient media
Topics at a Glance
Week 1: What is Humour?
Week 2: Why is it Funny?
Week 3: A Funny World
Week 4: The Earliest Humour
Week 5: Eccentrics Looking for a Story
Week 6: A Farmyard of Quacks
Week 7: A Sucker for Every Occasion
Week 8: Bursting the Bubble and Other Oddities
Week 9: Women in Ancient Humour
Week 10: Epic Proportions
Week 11: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Agora
Week 12: The Roman Wit