The relation of the political and the comedic has always been a complex one. The seminar discusses and analyses strategies of the comic/comedic in the genre of meta-news shows (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report) and investigates their reporting on the 2012 presidential elections in the US. Our analyses make possible an understanding of the function of humor/comedy in American political communication, thus providing a foundation for intercultural comparison. How is it possible that The Daily Show's Jon Stewart - a comedian - has become "America's most trusted Newscaster"? How can we interpret Stewart's/Colbert's critique of political rhetoric and media narratives as part of an ongoing culture war in US-society? Which tools do they use to make work what one might call the rationality of comedy? On the two weekends (one before, one after the elections) we will address these questions systematically, with a more theoretical emphasis on the first weekend (discussion of the genre of meta-news, theories of humor and comedy, comic and tragic framing as opposing strategies of political communication) and a more practical approach on the second weekend, where participants will present their own analyses of the shows' segments. Participation Registration on Blackboard until October 18th. A good knowledge of the shows is obligatory! They are accessible online at http://www.thedailyshow.com/ and http://www.colbertnation.com/home. Introductory Literature Baym, Geoffrey 2009, From Cronkite to Colbert: The Evolution of Broadcast News (Media and Power), Boulder: Paradigm Publishers. Gray, Jonathan, Jones, Jeffrey P. und Ethan Thompson (eds.) 2009, Satire TV. Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era, New York: NYU Press. Goodnow, Trischa (ed.) 2011, The Daily Show and Rhetoric: Arguments, Issues, and Strategies, Plymouth: Lexington Books. close