History of American Stand-up Comedy 3301-KA2531-1ST
According to cultural critic Richard Zoglin in Comedy at the Edge (2009), the stand-up comedy revolution of the 1970s permanently changed the character of American humor. Taking this argument as a point of departure, the course offers an overview of American stand-up comedy, with particular attention to its history, major subgenres, cultural significance, and key representatives.
The course combines historical, theoretical, and cultural perspectives. Students will examine stand-up as a form of performance, social commentary, identity expression, satire, and public debate. The materials discussed in class will include selected excerpts from critical texts, stand-up specials, documentaries, interviews, and short video fragments.
Students will read or watch several short pieces before each class and comment on them via Perusall, an online platform for close reading and discussion through comment threads. These materials will then serve as the basis for in-class group and pair discussions.
The list of topics and materials may be modified depending on time, the availability of new or alternative sources, and students’ specific interests.
List of classes
1. Introduction to the course
Overview of American stand-up comedy, course aims, requirements, and key questions.
2. Humor theory I
Selected concepts from Steven Gimbel’s The Philosophy of Humor and their relevance to stand-up comedy.
3. Humor theory II: irony, parody, and satire
Selected concepts from Steven Gimbel’s Isn’t That Clever?, Wayne C. Booth’s A Rhetoric of Irony, and Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Parody, with attention to their relevance to stand-up comedy.
4. Forefathers of American stand-up
Mark Twain, Will Rogers, and Bert Williams; with selected material from Wayne Federman’s The History of Stand-Up.
5. The stand-up revolution I: Lenny Bruce and George Carlin
Transgression, censorship, obscenity, and the changing boundaries of public speech; with fragments from Bruce’s and Carlin’s books and performances.
6. The stand-up revolution II: Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor
Race, politics, autobiography, and social critique in 1960s and 1970s stand-up; with Zoglin’s chapter on race and stand-up.
7. Women and feminist stand-up
Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Elayne Boosler; gender, persona, self-deprecation, and feminist critique. Accompanied by a chapter from Joanne R. Gilbert’s Performing Marginality: Humor, Gender, and Cultural Critique.
8. Early meta-comedy and alternative comedy
Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin, Robin Williams; performance, anti-comedy, absurdity, and the disruption of stand-up conventions. Accompanied by Zoglin’s chapter on innovators and extremists in stand-up.
9. Stand-up and disability
Comedy Warriors documentary, Tig Notaro, Tina Friml, Maysoon Zayid; disability, embodiment, and comic authority. Accompanied by a chapter from Sara E. Green and Shawn Chandler Bingham’s Seriously Funny: Disability and the Paradoxical Power of Humor.
10. Stand-up and depression
Laughing Matters documentary, Neal Brennan, Taylor Tomlinson, Chris Gethard, Aparna Nancherla; mental health, vulnerability, confession, and comic distance.
11. LGBTQ+ stand-up
Ellen DeGeneres, Jerrod Carmichael, Robin Tran, Julio Torres; coming out, queer identity and its mainstream visibility.
12. Student-selected topic / alternative topics for students to choose from I: Contemporary innovators
Possible materials include Bo Burnham and Mike Birbiglia. This class may focus on form, storytelling, theatricality, self-reflexivity, and the comedy special as an artistic object.
13. Student-selected topic / alternative topics for students to choose from II: Foreign and transnational influences
Possible materials include James Acaster, Hannah Gadsby, and Trevor Noah. This class may focus on American stand-up in dialogue with global comedy traditions, migration, national identity, outsider perspectives, and the international circulation of stand-up formats.
14. Student-selected topic / alternative topics for students to choose from III: grief, loneliness, and alienation in stand-up
Possible materials include Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron, Roy Wood Jr., and Patton Oswalt. This class may examine comedy as a response to loss, isolation, social fragmentation and the search for intimacy or community.
15. Student-selected topic / alternative topics for students to choose from IV: truth in stand-up; religion; outrage and apocalyptic comedy; news satire
Possible materials include Hasan Minhaj and debates around truth in comedy; religion and spirituality in stand-up, including American Muslim, Buddhist and Christian comedians such as Ramy Youssef, Dina Hashem, Zainab Johnson, and Pete Holmes; outrage comedy, including Marc Maron, Bill Hicks, Lewis Black, and Bill Burr; and news satire, including Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Saturday Night Live.
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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom is governed by the rules set forth in Resolution No. 16 of the Teaching Council for the programs English Studies, English Studies – Linguistics, and English Studies – Literature and Culture of 9 December 2025
https://ia.uw.edu.pl/fileadmin/ilustracje/dokumenty/2026/RD_IA_2025_UCHWALA_nr16_narzedzia_AI_nowelizacja_ZAL2_EN.pdf
Course coordinators
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will have familiarity with:
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English Studies, with particular emphasis on humor studies, American stand-up comedy, satire, irony, parody, comic performance, and the cultural functions of humor
K_W08 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English Studies to the analysis of American stand-up comedy, its history, subgenres, major representatives, rhetorical strategies, and socio-cultural significance
K_U08 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
Applies to students who began their studies in the year 2022/2023
Knowledge
Students will have familiarity with:
K_W02 understand key terminology, well established methods and theories of linguistics, literary studies and culture studies within English studies, with particular emphasis on humor studies, American stand-up comedy, satire, irony, parody, comic performance, and the cultural functions of humor
K_W03 describe methodology and recent developments in English literary studies and culture studies, especially in relation to contemporary humor studies, comedy studies, stand-up comedy, media satire, minority comedy, and the relationship between humor, identity, and public debate
K_W05 list the characteristics of English grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics, morphology and pragmatics on an advanced level, with particular attention to their relevance for the analysis of stand-up comedy, including rhetorical strategies, irony, punchlines, stylization, performativity, and the relationship between language and audience response
K_W07 explain principles of designing literary and culture studies, with special focus on selecting appropriate methods and tools in formulating research questions concerning American stand-up comedy, humor studies, satire, performance, social representation, and the cultural functions of comedy
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 employ the terminology and methodological tools from linguistics, literary studies and culture studies in the analysis of American stand-up comedy, humor studies, satire, irony, parody, comic performance, and the socio-cultural functions of humor
K_U02 employ the methodology of literary and culture studies within English studies, respecting the ethical norms and copyright law, in the analysis of critical texts, stand-up recordings, comic performances, documentaries, interviews, and other audiovisual materials discussed in the course
K_U04 implement knowledge to describe a problem and identify means to solve it, thereby completing a project in literary studies and in culture and religion studies, especially in relation to the history and theory of American stand-up comedy, humor as a form of social commentary, satire, identity representation, transgression, and public debate
K_U11 design one’s own development
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 undertake life-long learning and personal development, applying skills and competences to select subjects and projects optimally suiting one’s personal interests
K_K03 value responsibility for one’s own work and respect the work of others, adhering to the professional and ethical norms in various projects and other activities undertaken at work, voluntary services, etc.
Assessment criteria
- entry tests during each class (easy multiple-choice questions checking familiarity with the materials assigned to read/watch at home) (verification of outcomes: W, U)
- preparation/homework (i.e., reading assignments, commenting, and taking part in class and online discussions on Perusall.com) (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
- final assignment (term paper, video essay, or a recorded podcast discussion) (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
Bibliography
Bingham, Shawn Chandler, and Sara E. Green. Seriously Funny: Disability and the Paradoxical Power of Humor. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2016.
Booth, Wayne C. A Rhetoric of Irony. University of Chicago Press, 1974.
Brodie, Ian. A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-Up Comedy. University Press of Mississippi, 2014.
Bruce, Lenny. How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography. Playboy Press, 1965.
Carlin, George, and Tony Hendra. Last Words. Free Press, 2009.
Federman, Wayne. The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle. Independently published, 2021.
Gilbert, Joanne R. Performing Marginality: Humor, Gender, and Cultural Critique. Wayne State University Press, 2004.
Gimbel, Steven. Isn’t That Clever?: A Philosophical Account of Humor and Comedy. Routledge, 2018.
Gimbel, Steven. Take My Course, Please! The Philosophy of Humor. The Great Courses, 2018.
Gray, Jonathan, Jeffrey P. Jones, and Ethan Thompson, editors. Satire TV: Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era. NYU Press, 2009.
Gregory, Dick, and Robert Lipsyte. [N-word]: An Autobiography. E. P. Dutton, 1964.
Hutcheon, Linda. A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. University of Illinois Press, 2000.
Kohen, Yael. We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.
Limon, John. Stand-up Comedy in Theory, or, Abjection in America. Duke University Press Books, 2003.
Nesteroff, Kliph. The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy. Grove Press, 2015.
Nesteroff, Kliph. We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy. Simon & Schuster, 2021.
Oppliger, Patrice A., and Eric Shouse. The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.
Shales, Tom. Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night. Back Bay Books, 2015.
Tafoya, Eddie. The Legacy of the Wisecrack: Stand-up Comedy as the Great American Literary Form. Universal-Publishers, 2011.
Watkins, Mel. On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying: The Underground Tradition of African-American Humor That Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. Simon & Schuster, 1994.
Zoglin, Richard. Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America. Bloomsbury USA, 2008.
Notes
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Term 2026Z:
Two absences allowed. |