This interdisciplinary rotating topics course explores creative practice across the breadth of disciplines offered at Columbia College Chicago and the myriad ways in which artists engage with issues of power, privilege, and justice through their work. Students will research and discuss social justice issues and artists’ creative interventions, as well as how these events are shared and communicated with others. Through this engagement with artistic cultures, communities, and histories, students will respond by creating their own new creative work, analysis, and commentary.
Section 01: Comedy for Social Justice
Taught by Grace Overbeke (Theatre)
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Room 618-503
July 5 - August 5, 2023
Comedy is a powerful tool, and when used strategically, it can make a big difference for activist movements. Comedians like Dick Gregory and Volodymyr Zelensky show a clear path between comedy and advocacy. Drawing on conversations with a diverse group of faculty and industry professionals, this course explores how comedians can apply their skills to change attitudes towards marginalized groups, spark conversation, and direct media discourse about issues ranging from climate change to sexual assault law. The course also includes site visits to comedy institutions like Second City and The Annoyance, and looks at applied comedy, like Clown Care, in which artists use improvisation techniques to engage in comic play with vulnerable populations like hospital patients or refugees. This upper-level course is both a discussion seminar and a practice-based class, culminating in an original piece of comedy designed to advance a social movement chosen by the student.