Anthropology of Humor and Laughter - SPRING 2007

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week # 1 - January 10, 2008


Let’s laugh! 
What is laughter? Recognizing, vocalizing, defining, and using laughter. Physiology and evolution of laughter. Is laughing what makes us human or is it smiling?

Readings for Week 1:

EW: #1

Provine, Robert R.: Chapters 1-3. Pp. 1-53. Chapter 5. Pp. 75-97. 

In Robert R. Provine:  Laughter. A Scientific Investigation. Viking. 2000.

Polimeni, Joseph & Jeffrey P. Reiss: The First Joke: Exploring the Evolutionary Origins of Humor. In Evolutionary Psychology. Vol. 4. 2006. Pp. 347-366. www.human-nature.com./ep/downloads/ep04347366.pdf 

Strubbe, Bill: Getting Serious About Laughter. In World And I. 2003. www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/march/nspub.asp