How do you make an audience laugh? How do comedians write, hone and deliver their material? What makes a joke funny? Does it matter what comedians say, and what we laugh at?
You will write and perform your own stand-up sets, before selecting one to perform in a public gig at the end of term. Whether you are a complete beginner who will be performing stand-up for the first time, or a more experienced comedian who wants to develop their act while improving understanding of their craft, you will learn to create artistically ambitious stand-up comedy that understands and responds to its social context. By acting as a director for your classmates and learning to analyse professional comedians’ work, you will gain the ability to reflect critically upon your own and others’ performances.
You will gain the skills needed for a range of careers in the comedy industry including performing, directing, organising and managing stand-up, as well as skills that are vital for many careers. You will emerge as a highly capable public speaker who can write and deliver engaging material, using a sophisticated range of verbal tools to deliver your message with clarity.
Lecture: 16 hours
Workshop: 27 hours
Main Assessment Methods:
Essay.
Assessment Details: Analysis of stand-up clip worth (2,000 words). Worth 40%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Performance.
Assessment Details: Stand-up set (5 minutes). Worth 60%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment Method:
Like-for-like. Including alternative form of reassessment for performance components: video of 5 minute stand-up comedy performance.
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages. https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html.
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1. Create stand-up comedy performances that demonstrate advanced understanding of stand-up comedy techniques and conventions.
2. Apply knowledge of the working processes of stand-up directors and dramaturgs in order to appraise and develop stand-up created by themselves and/or others.
3. Apply detailed knowledge of the form and contexts of stand-up comedy in order to analyse and critically assess stand-up comedy performance.
4. Reflect on their own actions, taking personal responsibility for generating safe and ethical stand-up performance.
5. Initiate and carry out an independent research project on their chosen aspect of stand-up comedy performance.
University of Kent makes every effort to ensure that module information is accurate for the relevant academic session and to provide educational services as described. However, courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. Please read our full disclaimer.
