Har School

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I’m not sure why this is being presented as if it’s somehow absurd. This sounds like a great idea.

If this doesn't sound like college, it's because this isn't a normal classroom.

A new program at Columbia College Chicago allows students to take classes at The Second City, the humor mecca that has turned out some of America's best-known improvisational comedians. Students also attend shows, network with artists and present their work in a showcase - all for college credit.

Seriously.

In high school I took a class on humor. Not on how to be funny but an examination of what is funny and why. I probably signed up for the class as part of my life plan for continually seeking the Path of Least Resistance but I wound up really learning things (accidents will happen). I found it fascinating analyzing different forms of humor and the psychology of laughing. Most of us just laugh reflexively at something that tickles us and never give much thought as to why. But there is some “science” to it. At first, the class kind of annoyed me, not only because I was learning in an unplanned way but because I found myself dissecting jokes and gags and one-liners. At one point, I thought I was doomed to never be able to sit back and simply enjoy something funny again. And while that hyper-analytical phase soon disappeared, I still, sometimes barely consciously, look at the mechanics of something I find funny.