PHIL 89.001 – FYS: Special Topics (Philosophy of Humor)

Instructor: Matthew Kotzen. This course meets TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in KL B125.

This is a course on various philosophical issues related to laughter and humor. The course is roughly divided into three sections, though part of the aim of the course is to explore connections between these sections: 1) Historical and contemporary philosophical theories of humor; 2) Connections between more traditional issues in philosophical aesthetics and the philosophy of humor; and 3) Moral questions about humor, including the question of what makes some jokes racist/sexist/heterosexist/etc and the question of how humor and morality interact. We will focus on how scholars from different fields pose and answer questions about humor, comparing and contrasting their methodologies, assumptions, and goals.

FYS enrollment procedures are located here.