Over the years, various philosophers have presented competing theories about humor. This assignment is a short (2-3 pages) paper that describes, in your own words, your understanding of the theories of humor and how they contrast and conflict with each other. The paper should also discuss how these theories relate to what we have studied so far in Rod Martin's book, The Psychology of Humor. You may also briefly touch on Grice's Rules of Conversation, but those should not be the focal point of your paper.
Briefly describe at least one example of humor in your own career or another part of your life, and analyze what theory or theories are seen in that example.
It's important to compare, contrast and integrate your writing in this paper. Do not simply itemize each type of theory, as you would a grocery list. Include more than one theory and academic discipline in each paragraph wherever possible and demonstrate that you see how they integrate or relate to each other.
Important: Be sure the entire paper is your original work. Do not repeat course material verbatim or put it in quotes; describe your understanding of what we have learned in your own words. If you do not put things in your own words, it can be seen as plagiarism and can become part of your record at Park. Please contact me if you have questions about plagiarism.
Assignment Details: The paper is to have at least 2-3 full pages of your original writing, not counting the cover page. You may list references to cite specific theories you're discussing, but that does not count toward the length of the paper. The paper should not be more than three pages long, and should be double-spaced, in 12-point type (Times Roman is a good font to use). Be sure to put your name on the paper and in the document title. Otherwise, I will need to guess who submitted the paper, or draw names out of a hat!
Topic: Follow the guidelines in the second paragraph above.