The University of Southern California has a superb College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and that college has something called the Master of Professional Writing Program which outputs some very fine soon-to-be-professional writers. Some of them take this course that the school offers…
Writing Humor: Literary and Dramatic
This course analyzes the specifics of humor — wit, irony, satire, parody, and farce. Work is read in class for discussion. Assignments are a six-page and 8-10 page essay or fictional work, a critique of a sitcom or film comedy, and a humorous radio commercial. The final dramatic comedy assignment is predicated on action/conflict and the probable inevitability of humor.
That sounds exciting until you find out that beginning with the Spring semester, the course will be taught by me. I've guest-lectured at classes like this before but this is the first time I've had a whole batch of wanna-be writers placed in my care. I mention this not to solicit students (the class is already full with a waitlist) but just to let you know what I'm up to. And who knows? Maybe, by the time the class is over and those who take it are prepared to venture out into the world of professional writing, the strike will be over.