FINAR604 GE: Grotesque Body & Humor

This course will take the form of a collective research group comprising distinct yet interrelated parts: viewing, reading and group discussions of visual/ textual sources, visiting artists, group critiques and either an exhibition or a series of public talks created by participants related to the course; to be determined. Our research will focus on historical and contemporary definitions of humor and the grotesque, their overlap, and their respective constructions as social and cultural categories, through artistic, philosophical, psychoanalytic, literary, feminist and post-colonial perspectives. Our sources will include readings, artists' practices ranging from painting to performance, pre- to post-20th century, popular culture and the media. Using the model of a research group each participant will be responsible for active engagement and participation in furthering the group's understanding of the presented material and for presenting a final project that reflects a nuanced understanding of the subject. Please bring a sense of humor and a strong stomach!