Provides examples of featurettes--very short feature articles--and offers suggestions for writing them. (GT)

In a lighthearted yet serious look at academic deanship, stories are recounted regarding the dean's role in such matters as tenure decisions, budgeting, affirmative action, and coping with demands of faculty, department chairs, vice-presidents, parents, and students. Current practices in academic administration are described in a humorous manner.…

Ten elements and techniques which can be used very effectively in a college level political science course are animation and enthusiasm; costumes; skits; motion; humor; perks; personality and mood changes; voices, puppets, and imitations; the personalization of material; and state of mind. (RM)

Personality in planning, promoting, and executing a special event may be as important as the event itself. Events should be planned that deserve media coverage, and then skills should be used to obtain coverage. (MSE)

This book presents a series of personal essays in which the author analyzes and dramatizes the significance of subordination in academic life. Academic life is examined in terms of issues (such as sexual harassment) and structures (such as the figure of the dissertation director) but especially in terms of texts. The book looks at the stream of…

The theory and practice of analyzing jokes, with implications for class discussions. (RL)

A professor explains how he uses cartoons in teaching science. (PR)

Perhaps because of their familiarity with joke telling, students often do their best writing when using humor. In both telling jokes and creating humorous works, students need to develop a strong sense of audience, an awareness of the importance of vivid description, a strong sense of purpose, and the ability to use punctuation for effect. The…

Studied the use of humorous cartoons to reduce the anxiety levels of students in statistics classes. Used the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) to measure the level of student anxiety before and after a statistics course. Found that there was a significant reduction in levels of mathematics anxiety after the course. (SLM)

Describes how sociology teachers can use Western Apaches' joking about the characterizations of Anglo-Americans as learning experiences. Suggests that Keith Basso's ethnographic research on the Apache Indians is a good resource for this material. Gives examples of jokes and follow-up discussions. Lists five ways in which this material is…

Encouraging students' use of satire, irony, and parody in college writing assignments is recommended to help students voice their concerns, think critically, and discover how a form of discourse contributes to both form and substance of the writing. Samples of student work illustrating the effectiveness of this approach are offered. (MSE)

Advice is offered for making college alumni reunions fun and memorable, illustrated with anecdotes from various institutions. Suggestions include exciting opening activities, focusing on the particular habits or characteristics of a class, appealing to a variety of tastes, emphasizing class identity, savoring favorite campus traditions, and…

Three professors at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, reflected about a course they taught together on the use of metaphor in language, art and literature. In examining a wide range of art works with their students, including prose by E. A. Poe, Nancy Mairs, Henry James, and Woody Allen and movies such as "Dr.…

This essay looks at ways in which humor can be used to teach library skills in academic libraries. It discusses both the motivational and pedagogical value of humor as it is discussed in educational literature. Many examples are used to illustrate ways in which these principles can be applied in the library setting, and suggestions for effective…

Describes a demonstration in which the pattern on a rotating turntable can be affected by humming and adjusting the pitch of the hum. At some frequency, if conditions are right, the pattern can be stopped, or "strobed." Also describes a way to introduce humor into physics instruction. (JN)