ENGL 151-07, First Year Writing Seminar: Reflections on Satire, Fall 2011

Abstract

In October 2009, Atlantic columnist Christopher Hitchens wrote, ―the smug satire of liberal humorists debases our comedy—and our national conversation.‖ At the same time, however, popular opinion has named Jon Stewart one of America’s most trusted newscasters. This class will focus on the features and functions of satire in the past and present as we use the linked practices of reading, writing, and discussion to develop your critical thinking and compositional skills. Satire, Jonathan Swift observed, is a mirror in which one sees everyone’s face reflected but one’s own. We will look at satire itself and generate our own conversations about its place and purpose in cultural discourse.