The focus of this course will be the art of comedy and humor. We will approach them from a variety of angles: philosophical attempts to define humor, scientific investigations of the origin and meaning of laughter, moral examinations of the limits of comedy and its political power, and the theological question of the place of humor in a meaningful life. 

In this course, the artform we will focus on is video games. They raise interesting questions about the relationships between real and virtual worlds or real and virtual identities. Aesthetic issues we will discuss include: What is distinctive about interactive artworks? Are video games artworks at all? Why do we enjoy failing? Why do we care about fictional events? Ethical issues include: Is it morally wrong to enjoy virtual killing? Why is virtual killing acceptable but not other virtual immorality? Can video games make us more empathetic? How do virtual acts carry over to how we behave in the real world?

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Prerequisites:

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Typical Periods Offered: Summer

Notes: Subfield B