POLS 3045, “Humor and American Politics” is being offered in Summer I and will meet virtually. The course looks at the role of humor in American politics. It provides an overview of the history and various forms of political humor, what types of messages are typically contained in political humor, and the mechanisms involved in how political humor shapes political behavior.
The course includes political humor in various media, but because of its prevalence in the modern world the focus will be on televised and Internet political humor. We will be paying special attention to political humor as it is targeted at political leaders, especially presidents and presidential candidates.
