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| Semester | spring semester 2016 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Thomas Messerli (thomas.messerli@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this seminar, we will explore humour as it occurs in fictional films and television series. We will approach the topic from both the perspective of (linguistic) humour research, and from a pragmatic approach to telecinematic discourse, with special attention to the participation framework in which screen-to-face communication takes place. Based on a review of some of the relevant theory, on empirical research and on our own observation of data from film and television, we will address the particularities of the instances of humour that television audiences experience, which includes aspects of multimodality, of audience design as well as of the different communicative levels (e.g. inter-character; collective sender-television audience) involved in this form of mediated discourse. In so doing, we will also pay close attention to methodological issues, which includes discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using fictional and scripted data in linguistic research. |
| Learning objectives | Students will - get an overview of different theoretical perspectives on humour - understand the advantages and disadvantages of using telecinematic data in linguistic research - learn how to develop operational research questions for research on film and television humour |
| Bibliography | Texts for the course will be uploaded to ADAM. Further reading will be made available on ADAM and/or at the department library. Preparatory reading: Dynel, M. (2013). A view on humour theory. In M. Dynel (Ed.), Developments in linguistic humour theory. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. (Focus on pp. vii–ix.) |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level: for BA05 students those who have completed their proseminar paper in linguistics; for BA13 students those who have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar paper). |
| Course application | Send an email to thomas.messerli@unibas.ch by 15/2/2016 in order to register for the course. Places are limited to 20. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Extending the View (Linguistics) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Focusing on the Discipline (Linguistics) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular and active participation; oral presentation; written assignment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |