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Course Syllabus
HUMOR WRITING FOR PRINT, BROADCAST (JOUR 488)
Instructor
Mark A. Shatz, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Office: Room 170-I
Phone: 740-588-1496
e-mail: shatz@ohiou.edu
Office hours will be announced in class.
Overview
During the early 1980’s, Professor Mel Helitzer created
the first university-level humor writing course. This extremely
popular class taught students the fundamentals of humor writing
and included the infamous final exam--a performance before
a live audience.
Catalog Description
Theories and techniques of writing humor for newspaper, magazines,
speeches, and other media.
Objectives
The following are the objectives for this course.
• Learn the fundamentals of humor writing.
• Practice writing humor for outlets (e.g., newspapers, magazines,
radio)
• Understand how humor writing can be applied to professional
settings.
• Discover how to transform family functions into enjoyable
experiences.
But I Ain’t Funny
OK, some individuals are naturally funny while others are
humor-challenged, such as my mother and Al Gore. Fortunately,
you do not have to be a born comic to be successful in this
course. The focus of this course is on the process of humor
writing. If you actively participate in class discussion and
complete all the assignments, then you will earn a grade that
reflects your effort as well as the “laughability” of your
writing.
Pedagogical Beliefs
I believe that three conditions, or “connections,” must exist
for learning to occur. First, learning is more enjoyable and
productive when students connect with other students. The
student-student connection will be fostered by a variety of
cooperative learning activities and projects. Second, intellectual
growth is promoted when students view an instructor as accessible
and “human.” I will use an assortment of instructional strategies
to facilitate the student-teacher connection. Third, students
are more motivated to learned when they understand the everyday
and practical significance of the course material. Active
learning activities will engage you in the learning process
(and not allow you to be a passive participant). In sum, the
instructional strategies and course topics should produce
an intellectually challenging and rewarding experience.
Course Outline
The course concepts, reading assignments, and class schedule
are described in separate handouts.
Textbook
• Helitzer, M. (1987). Comedy writing secrets. Writer’s Digest
books: Cincinnati, OH.
Student Feedback and Evaluation
The final course grade is determined by the total points
earned. The following is a breakdown of the possible points.
(The specific course components are explained in the following
sections.)
Assignment Points
Homework projects 160
Final exam 140
Class participation 100
Your final grade will be determined by the following criteria.
Grade Percentage Points
A 90% 360
B+ 87% 348
B 80% 320
C+ 77% 308
C 70% 280
D+ 67% 268
D 60% 240
Homework Assignments
The weekly homework assignments will provide you with an
opportunity to refine your humor writing skills. Each homework
assignment is worth 20 points for a total of 160 possible
points.
Final Examination
Your ability to apply the course concepts will be evaluated
by a performance before a live audience. Although you are
not required to perform, you are required to write the material
for the performance. The details of the final exam will be
discussed during the first class session. The final is worth
140 points.
Class Participation
The majority of class time will be devoted to developing
your humor writing skills. Individual and group activities
will require you to participate actively in the class. Class
participation is worth 100 points.
Contributing Editor
The Contributing Editor provides you with an opportunity
to earn extra credit for making additional contributions to
the class (e.g., assisting with the development of a class
Web page, promoting the class final). Possible contributions
to the course will be discussed during the first class. The
points earned from Contributing Editor can increase the final
course grade by only one grade level (e.g., “B” to “B+”).
“I Did My Homework Assignment but...”
Faculty are often required to judge the legitimacy of a student’s
excuse for failing to meet a course requirement. Although
there are clear and valid excuses (e.g., a death, an illness),
most student excuses are questionable and force instructors
into the awkward position of having to determine the validity
of the excuse. To be fair to you, and to me, each student
will be assigned an imaginary “Get out of jail card” that
can be redeemed for a minor transgression. The “card” expires
in 48 hours (i.e., a late assignment must be turned in within
48 hours after the due date). After the card has been used,
and a second transgression occurs, the consequence will be
a significant grade reduction or dismissal from the course.
Attendance Policy
Attendance of each class session is mandatory. Remember,
that each class session is the equivalent of one week of lecture
(i.e., 10% of the entire course). Therefore,
1) any student missing the first class will be dropped from
the course,
2) if a student has an official written excuse for a missed
class, then the student will be allowed to make-up the material
without any penalty,
3) a student without an official excuse will be required
to make-up the material and will receive a 10% point reduction
in their overall course grade,
4) a student missing two classes will be dropped from the
course, and
5) a student regularly missing portions of class will be
required to make-up the material and receive a 10% point reduction
in their overall course grade.
Freedom of Speech...Not
Although the majority of today’s professional comedians use
obscenities in their performances, vulgarity is not a necessary
component of effective humor writing. Humorists ranging from
Bill Cosby to Jay Leno have built successful careers without
going for the “cheap” joke. I will strongly encourage you
to restrict your use of obscenities except when making references
to OSU, the Taliban, or Kathy Lee Gifford.
Academic Misconduct: How Not to Graduate From OU
Any form of academic misconduct (e.g., stealing material
from comics, lying) will automatically result in a failing
course grade. I will also refer the case to the University
Board for further disciplinary action. This zero tolerance
policy means that you must weigh the benefits of “cheating
and lying” your way to a better grade versus the consequences
of being tossed out of OU and having academic misconduct charges
placed on your record.
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