As a genre of art often responding to socio-cultural norms, it is no surprise that comedy is frequently positioned as a battleground for free speech, politeness, diversity and political discourse. Whether through dismissals of comic controversy as “just a joke”, or of a joke as “not funny” or “punching down”, responses to comic controversy from comedians, audiences and commentators often invoke a shorthand which implies or even advocates for taking a moral position. Analysing comedy and what it does — whether performed or mediated, stand-up or sketch, live or pre-recorded — involves a multifaceted approach that considers an array of factors such as industrial context, identity, audience, and the broader social discourses the comedy engages with.

This workshop brings together three senior scholars, Professor Nick Marx (Colorado State University), Professor Mark Gibson (RMIT) and Dr Sarah Balkin (University of Melbourne), to discuss how they examine comedy and its social, political, and industrial dimensions. Covering methodologies and methods from media studies, cultural studies, television studies, and theatre and performance studies, this free, practical workshop is aimed at early-career scholars and postgraduate students who wish to strengthen their understanding of approaches to comedy scholarship across disciplines.

Spaces are extremely limited. To attend, please register an expression of interest by clicking the "Register" button and filling out a short questionnaire.

This event is presented by the Australian Comedy Studies Collective and supported by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney.