Explore A Century Of Slapstick Gags With A MOOC From Turner Classic Movies
A new MOOC focused on slapstick comedy in movies is coming to a screen near you at the end of August ’16.
A new MOOC for movie lovers will explore the history of slapstick comedy in film over the past century. The MOOC, titled “Painfully Funny: Exploring Slapstick in the Movies,” is a collaboration between Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Canvas Network from Instructure, and Ball State University.
Previously, Instructure has also partnered with AMC to create a free online science course inspired by The Walking Dead. They’ve also partnered with FX on a parasite biology course centered on the latter’s vampire series, The Strain.
Beginning with the silent film era in 1914 and continuing into modern movies, the new course will run alongside TCM movies featuring comedy icons like Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball, and Will Ferrell.
Students enrolled in the course will watch, analyze, and discuss time-honored gags including physical comedy, broad humor, and outrageous circumstances.
The course is six weeks long and starts on August 28. It will run concurrently with Turner Classic Movies’ programming event, “OUCH! A Salute to Slapstick,” which will air every Tuesday and Wednesday in September 2016.
You can signup for the MOOC here.