The course objective is to explore the form, function and development of satire and humour within a literary, cultural and historical framework through influential examples of Greco-Roman tradition to the present day. The course aims to provide a critical awareness to aesthetic and ideological implications of laughter in a variety of literary and theatrical contexts.
Prerequisite(s)
None
Corequisite(s)
None
Special Requisite(s)
None
Instructor(s)
Assist. Prof. Dr. Farnaz Esmkhani
Course Assistant(s)
--
Schedule
Thursday 9:00-12:00
Office Hour(s)
Thursday 12:00-14:00
Teaching Methods and Techniques
-Formal lectures, discussions and presentations.
Principle Sources
Juvenal, Satire 16
Chaucer, The Wife of Bath Prologue, The Miller's Tale
John Dryden, MacFlecknoe
Alexander Pope, An Essay On Man, Epistle I
“A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind" John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. 1531-1532. Print.
Other Sources
-Bergson, Henri. Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of Comic. London: Macmillan, 1911.
Sypher, Wylie, ed. Comedy. 1956. Baltimore: John Hopkins U Press, 1980.
Abrams, M. H. (Meyer Howard), 1912-2015. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston, MA: Thomson, Wadsworth, 2005.
Highet, Gilbert. Anatomy of Satire, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1962.
Course Schedules
Week
Contents
Learning Methods
1. Week
Introduction
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
2. Week
Introduction to Satire, Satire as an ancient Literary Form, Horace and Juvenal
Juvenal, Satire III
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
3. Week
Juvenal Satire III
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
4. Week
Chaucer, From The Wife of Bath prologue
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
5. Week
Chaucer, From The Wife of Bath prologue
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
6. Week
John Dryden, MacFlecknoe (1682)
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
7. Week
Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
8. Week
“A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind" John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
9. Week
“A Satyr Against Reason and Mankind" John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
10. Week
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
11. Week
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
12. Week
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
13. Week
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
14. Week
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Oral presentation, Group Discussions and Term Paper
15. Week
George Orwell, Animal Farm
16. Week
Final Exams Week
17. Week
Final Exams Week
Assessments
Evaluation tools
Quantity
Weight(%)
Midterm(s)
1
30
Quizzes
2
20
Attendance
1
10
Final Exam
1
40
Program Outcomes
PO-1
Show knowledge of a substantial range of authors, movements and texts from different periods of literary history.
PO-2
Identify the intellectual, cultural and socio-historical contexts in which literature
is written and read.
PO-3
Employ the necessary skills in the reading, analysis and in appreciation of literature.
PO-4
Recognize, interpret, and comment on rhetorical and figurative language.
PO-5
Identify, distinguish between and assess the distinctive characteristics of texts written in the principle literary genres.
PO-6
Recall and define key terms and concepts relating to language, literature and/or culture.
PO-7
Recognize the role of different social and cultural contexts in affecting meaning.
PO-8
Demonstrate responsiveness to the central role of language in the creation of meaning.
PO-9
Recognize different structures and discourse functions of the English language.
PO-10
Display competence both in written and/or oral expression and in the
communication of ideas in a variety of contexts.
PO-11
Demonstrate critical skills in the close reading, description, interpretation,
and analysis of literary and non-literary texts.
PO-12
Use logical thought, critical reasoning, and rhetorical skills to effectively
construct arguments.
PO-13
Apply guided research skills including the ability to gather, sift, organize and
present information and material.
PO-14
Show competence in planning, preparation and revision of essays,
presentations, and other written and project work.
PO-15
Reflect on ethical and philosophical issues raised in literary, critical, and
cultural texts.
Learning Outcomes
LO-1
Show knowledge of different types of satire and humour and trace their historical development from ancient Greece and Rome to the present.
LO-2
Demonstrate how satire as a form of art attacks predominant cultural trends in a variety of socio-historical contexts.
LO-3
Understand and identify a variety of literary methods and devices used by writers of satire and humour.
LO-4
Gain familiarity with ideological implications of laughter in a variety of literary contexts.
LO-5
Recall and define critical terms and seminal concepts relating to satirical works.
LO-6
Demonstrate critical skills in the close reading, description, interpretation, analysis of texts by focusing on their satirical aspects.
LO-7
Show competence in planning and preparation of presentations and written work for the course.
