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Live from Santa Monica, California, the comedian, author, and University of Southern California lecturer David Misch will delve into comedy in its various forms. Comedy has been with us for all time, but 20th-century entertainment has given us stand-up, the comedy duo, the visual gag, and satirical forms of social commentary. This course will offer a perspective on humor’s complex layers of meaning and profound importance in our everyday lives. We’ll start with “The History of Ha,” on mythology and the role of the trickster; then discuss political satire (includes mature content); “Comedy vs. the Apocalypse,” an examination of how humor helps during hard times; and conclude with Buster Keaton, the comic genius of silent film. Along the way, we’ll explore a broad sampling of comic styles.

Dates and time: Thursdays April: 7, 14, 21, 28, 6:30-8 pm, Online via Zoom