Laughing Matters

The Comedian as Social Observer, Teacher, and Conduit of the Sociological Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID5795553
AuthorsShawn Chandler Bingham (Shawn Bingham, PhD, is Director of the Interdisciplimary Social Sciences program at the University of South Florida. His research focuses on the intersections between sociology and other areas, especially the sociological ideas of individuals not formally trained in academic sociology. He is the author of Thoreau and the Sociological Imagination: The Wilds of Society, published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2008.), Alexander A Hernandez (0000-0002-1264-7499, Alexander A. Hernandez received his MA from the University of South Florida. His research interests include teaching pedagogy, the sociology of technology and the sociology of knowledge. He is currently working on his PhD at Boston College.)
Year2009
Volume37
Issue4
Pages335-352
Publication date2009-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeaching Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0092-055X • E-ISSN: 1939-862X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0092055x0903700403
OpenAlexW2108203214
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited47

Much of the sociological curriculum often represents society as tragedy. This article explores the incorporation of a society as comedy component in introductory courses at two institutions using the sociological insight and social critique of comedians. A general discussion of parallels between the comedic eye and the sociological imagination is followed by specific steps for locating, selecting and incorporating comedic clips into various courses. Through comparisons between experimental and control groups, as well as student questionnaires, we found that the use of comedians to model sociological perspectives increased student ability to apply course concepts, decreased student anxiety when tackling new concepts, and engaged a broader number of students during class discussion. We conclude with discussion of challenges specific to these methods-language use and controversial comedians-as well as the broader need to learn from figures who have been historically successful at engaging the public on issues of social importance

Comedy · Sociological imagination · Sociological theory · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Humor Studies and Applications · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences

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