This study aims to investigate topic choices of humour as well as how humour is conjointly constructed in podcasts, with particular focus on the similarities and differences between men and women in both same- and mixed-gender groups. Six podcasts were chosen to be investigated through two different methods: 1. instances of humour were categorised based on the topic of the humour and 2. conversation analysis (CA) was used to analyse the contributions of the different groups of participants with a focus on the pragmatic force and the discursive effect of the contributions. The pragmatic force of the contributions could be supportive or contestive and the discursive effect could be maximally collaborative or minimally collaborative. This study found that the similarities were greater than the differences between same- and mixed-gender groups, regarding both topic choices and how the humour was constructed; however, there were some differences between the groups regarding both aspects. Men tended to make more self-deprecating jokes while women made more jokes about Personal Anecdotes; furthermore, contestive and minimally collaborative humour was more common in groups involving men. This study indicates that podcasts can be an important area of research for future studies regarding humour and gender.

Humour can be a valuable tool for psychotherapists, if executed in a respectful manner. Laughter has myriad health benefits, and is associated with reduced depression, increased self-esteem, and lower perceived levels of stress (Eckstein et al., 2003). It can strengthen the therapeutic alliance and simplify the process of confronting clients on dysfunctional behaviours (Thomas et al., 2015). However, rigorous empirical study of humour in psychotherapy is scarce, as is clinical training in its use (Franzini, 2001). Ergo, this study queries: (1) How do counsellors and psychotherapists use humour in their therapy sessions? (2) In what contexts do counsellors and psychotherapists perceive humour use as being appropriate and beneficial in therapy? And (3) In what contexts do counsellors and psychotherapists perceive humour use as being potentially harmful? A semi-structured interview protocol was used to interview seven psychotherapists in Canada with a minimum of five years of work experience. Interviews were audio recorded, and data obtained was analyzed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012). This study examined the experiences of psychotherapists to determine how they use humour safely and effectively in therapy sessions, with the aim of gaining knowledge to inform clinical training on how best to minimize the potential for harm, and maximize the therapeutic benefits of humour in therapy. Eleven main themes, each with several subthemes, emerged in the data analysis. Implications for therapy, counsellor education and further research are discussed.

In marginalized communities, humour has been used to manage stigma in internet spaces which facilitate the gathering of individuals with stigmatizing commonalities. This thesis endeavours to show the methods that emerge from internet communities, specifically through the platform Discord, that are used to redefine how information about mental illness is conveyed and how it entails personal interaction. Focused on the way depression memes are interpreted by users of the Discord, and how the need for humour is used as a tool to distance oneself from interpersonal relationships, I have examined how the fear of being labelled mentally ill still manifests itself within a space originally intended for transgressive content. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Discord's 2meirl4meirl server, and consisting of participant observation as well as informal interviews, I argue that users, by attempting to shed from themselves their marginalized status by interacting in Discord, introduce new, but faulty, methods of stigma management.

Faire de l’humour peut sembler être un divertissement qui vise à faire rire un spectateur. Pourtant, la question à savoir ce qu’est faire de l’humour est loin de faire l’unanimité et c’est précisément la question de ce mémoire. Dans le premier chapitre, je discuterai de la nature de l’objet humoristique qui est généralement considéré comme un objet unidimensionnel alors qu’il devrait être analysé sous trois dimensions : son contenu (le sujet), son contenant (la forme) et son contexte (l’environnement). Une seule de ces dimensions peut être amusante pour que l’objet soit amusant. Dans le chapitre 2, j’expliquerai ce qui est considéré comme amusant en présentant les diverses théories philosophiques en humour : la théorie de la supériorité, celle du relâchement et celle de l’incongruité. Il ressort de la discussion que parmi ces théories, seule celle de l’incongruité est universelle à tous les objets humoristiques. Au chapitre 3, je défendrai l’idée que l’amusement est une émotion au même titre que la peur et la colère, car il répond à la plupart des critères qui permettent de définir une réaction affective comme étant une émotion. Finalement, au chapitre 4, je soutiens le fait que l’amusement n’est pas la seule émotion qui joue un rôle en humour : la surprise est « introductive » à l’amusement. La surprise peut modifier la perception qu’un individu a de son propre amusement. Je suggère que faire de l’humour requiert une connaissance du spectateur afin de générer une « surprise-amusement » chez ce dernier. / Humour may seem like entertainment that aims to make someone laugh. Yet, the question of what it is to be humorous is far from unanimous and that is precisely the question of this thesis. In the first chapter, I will discuss the nature of the humorous object, which is usually considered as a one-dimensional object, whereas it should be analyzed in three dimensions: its content (the subject), its container (the form) and its context (the environment). Only one of these dimensions need to be comic for the object to be amusing. In chapter 2, I will explain what is considered amusing by presenting the various philosophical theories of humour: the superiority theory, the relief theory, and the incongruity theory. The discussion will show that of these theories, only the incongruity theory is universal to all humorous objects. In chapter 3, I will argue that amusement is an emotion in the same way as fear and anger as it meets most of the criteria for defining an affective reaction as an emotion. Finally, in chapter 4, I argue that amusement is not the only emotion that plays a role in humour: surprise is "introductory" to amusement. Surprise can alter an individual’s perception of their own amusement. I suggest that making humour requires knowledge of the spectator to be able to generate "surprise-amusement".

An analysis of the comic techniques used by Gogol in his early works, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka and Mirgorod, to illustrate the transition from mere aesthetic laughter to mature humour. In addition, an examination is made of his purpose as a satirist. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

I denna artikel undersöker författarna hur lekfullhet och humor kan användas i en animation för att uppmärksamma miljöfrågor, med syftet att uppmuntra publiken till engagemang och diskussion. Teman som tas upp i artikeln är symbolism och hur det kan användas för att skapa en djupare mening med gestaltningar, olika metoder som uppmuntrar till kreativt arbete, samt de olika källor som undersökningen har baserats på. Undersökningen fokuserar på miljöförstöring i Östersjön, och hur försurning av havet kan gestaltas. Den resulterande gestaltningen som gjorts i samband med undersökningen är en stop-motion inspirerad animation målad i akvarell. / In this article, the authors explore how playfulness and humour can be used in animation to draw attention to environmental issues, with the aim of encouraging audience engagement and discussion. Themes addressed in the paper include symbolism and how it can be used to create deeper meaning in illustrations, different methods that encourage creative work, and the different sources on which the research was based. The research focuses on environmental degradation in the Baltic Sea, and how the acidification of the sea can be portrayed. The resulting artwork made in connection with the research is a stop-motion inspired animation painted in watercolour.

The increasing and irregular flow of migrants in Europe had lead to an unprecedented crisis which European and International stakeholders have been struggling to manage in a challenging context of financial insecurity, political instability, fragile foreign relations and controversial steps and policies. This current context questions Europe’s image as a powerful global key-player and a civilized privileged space/entity and also shutters migrants’ dreams and illusions of a promise-land. Inevitably, the migrant crisis has emerged as top news in most old and new media around Europe and extensive coverage of the topic has been informing the audience almost on a daily basis. Of course, cartoonists have been affected and inspired by the situation, as well. In a time period of twelve months, from April 2015 to March 2016, in Greek new media alone, three hundred and seven cartoons were published on the topic. This project set out to examine the cartoons published in new media over the allocated time period in order to find out what were the main foci of the artists’ attention in relation to the migration crisis and how they related to domestic and international political affairs and further international interests by major stakeholders. It also explored the way immigrants have been depicted, the way Europe is depicted as a promise-land, how all involved stakeholders have handled the crisis and the artists’ degree of active judgment or influence. A mixed research method, combining content analysis, which falls into the realm of quantitative research methods, with elements of psychoanalysis and social semiotics, which observe matters, analyse the visual and critically interpret it was employed. Results showed that the migrant crisis was a favorable topic for Greek cartoonists publishing in Greek new media. They explored the topic from various aspects, including politics, values, everyday life, religion, war and art, shifting from mockery and heavy criticism to sympathy, guilt and a sense of worry about the fellow human depending on their personal political orientation and the aspect of the topic they were commenting on. Evidently, the migrant crisis is a strong humanitarian crisis placing a bomb to fundamental and consolidated values, policies and relations among all stakeholders.

This paper looks upon monsters as a medium; how concentration of fear can result in the demonisation of individuals. It explores how the use of craft, with a focus on stop motion animation, can be used as a tool to build empathy and help to heal fragmentations of society. Working with contemporary mythologies, crafted techniques are metaphorically related to the fragility of societal structures and collective narratives. Hand crafting references relics of consumer culture and explores variable autonomies over personal narrative, investigating imbalances of power.

<p>This thesis offers a consideration of Ovid’s portrayal of Medea - in <em>Heroides</em> 6 and 12, <em>Metamorphoses</em> 7, and in <em>Tristia</em> 3.9. Although several scholars have examined the myth as Ovid presents it, no one has yet offered a literary appreciation of Ovid’s various accounts of the myth – one that examines his use of characterization, humour, audience response, and one that treats his Medea as a consistent, albeit complex, character.</p> <p>The first chapter focuses on the sources for Ovid’s Medea, the ways he makes changes and, as far as we can tell, innovations to his predecessors. The second begins with a general introduction to the <em>Heroides</em>, followed by a close reading of <em>Heroides</em> 6, showing how this letter is an oblique reference to Medea’s letter and myth, and I point out the links between the two poems, arguing that Hypsipyle’s letter must be read as a foreshadowing of Medea’s. The third chapter examines <em>Heroides </em>12 – Medea’s letter - where I concentrate on Ovid’s characterization of Medea and specifically look at elements of black humour and foreshadowing. The fourth – and longest – chapter deals with the Medea of the <em>Metamorphoses</em>, where I propose that the real metamorphosis of this story is Medea herself, who moves from the state of an innocent young girl to that of a witch, yet noting that all of the changes take place within a work that is marked by its sense of playfulness – its <em>perpetua festivitas</em> – and note Ovid’s use of wit and irony even as his characterization appears to grow dark. The fifth and final chapter deals with the Medea in Ovid’s <em>Tristia</em>, where I place the Medea of this work within the context of Ovid’s exile poetry, while showing that he is working with a complex character and is in no way contradicting himself.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>This dissertation argues that humour not only constitutes a central aesthetic strategy within contemporary mass media, but can also be understood as a form of cultural production that is central to how we understand our world as a site of value and politics. Drawing on an understanding of liberalism as a politics of “reasonable dissent,” I investigate how humour is thought to operate as an exemplary form of this politics through a consideration of popular and scholarly literature. I then complicate this theoretical and lay consensus regarding humour-as-dissent, through a consideration of the ways in which a range of specific filmic and televisual texts – <em>Jackass</em>, <em>The Office</em>, <em>The Sarah Silverman Program</em>, <em>The Chappelle Show</em>, <em>The Simpsons</em>, <em>South Park</em>, <em>Family Guy</em>, <em>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</em>, <em>The Colbert Report </em>and <em>Four Lions</em> – produce an aesthetic of humour through the manipulation and mobilisation of textual strategies and affective registers, such as discomfort, absurdity and provocation. Questioning the easy understanding of humour as a means to challenge existing power structures, I instead argue that the currently dominant forms of media humour are better understood as a political aesthetic that opens up new avenues of understanding and critique even as it shuts down and short circuits previously tenable forms of political interpretation. Through an intertwining of close-reading of popular cultural texts and a critical engagement with wider theoretical models of media production and consumption, I thus propose that the aesthetic aspects of mass media, such as humour, can be understood as cultural precursors that inflect the ways in which we can imagine the problems and possibilities of contemporary politics.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)