This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Learn the styles of comedy in all of its forms — literature, sketches, standup, and more — practicing and honing your writing skills with comedy and humor to become a better writer.
Total classes: 8
Prerequisite: WRITING ESSENTIALS 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I (HS 9-1) and SIMPLIFIED WRITING 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills (HS 9-2). Prerequisites can be taken either live or through Unlimited Access.
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: 2/3 semester Comedy Writing, Creative Writing, or English. For a full semester, add another writing course or continue working on your craft outside of the classroom.
Description
Why do we enjoy comedy? Why is laughter so much fun? And how does comedy and literature relate to life in general — and your success as a writer? Through in-class learning and practical writing exercises each week, discover the joy of writing with comedy in all of its forms — including literature, short and sketch comedy, stand up, and how-to forms (satire, puns, wit, and more) that can be used in both nonfiction and fiction. If you want to expand your writing skills in an enjoyable, practical course (with English, literature, and writing credit), then this is the course for you!
Outline
Week 1: “What is Comedy?” / Your Sense of Humor as a Gift from God / What Makes Something Funny? / Comedy and Humor in Writing vs. Speaking (“Is there a Difference?”)
Week 2: “Where is Comedy?” Using Comedy in Literature, Story, and Online Writing, and More; Famous American Humorists: Literary Giants, from Mark Twain to the Present
Week 3: “Short Comedy” and Comedy as Laughter: Jokes, Puns, Wit, and Wry Humor
Week 4: “What is Satire?” The Biting Edge of Comedy’s Sword
Week 5: Comedy Writing in Plays, Novels, and Stories; Examples of Comedy from Famous Works
Week 6: Sketch Comedy: What it Is, How it Works, Where it’s Used, and How it’s Effective to Connect with an Audience
Week 7: Stand-up Comedy: What it Is, Why it’s So Popular, and Stand-Up Comics as Personalities
Week 8: Comedy in Your Own Writing; Writing with Humor, Laughter and Smiles in Mind
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: PDF’s and links to material provided free by the instructor. All documents are turned in as Microsoft Word documents. If you do not own Microsoft Word 2007 or a later version, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents free.
Homework: Students will have weekly writing assignments plus occasional computer-graded quizzes. There is an estimated two to three hours of homework/coursework per week outside of attending the live class.
