Institute for Travesty,
Comedy, and Humor Studies
A Place for Serious Lovers of Comedy and Humor
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ITCHS Mission, Scope, and Academic Freedom Statement
MISSION: ITCHS was established for the research and study of comedy as a dramatic form and of humor, the spice of comedy. ITCHS uses a variety of research methodologies from multiple disciplines, notably including literary criticism, rhetoric, and the empirical sciences. It combines traditional literary critical approaches with empirical humor testing. ITCHS is the home of the Humor Quotient Newsletter and the designer and administrator of the Humor Quotient Test and the Langerian/Bergsonian Vitalist Humor Test. See Development of Empirical Humor Testing Integrated with Traditional Critical Analysis.
SCOPE: Comedy and humor both cover a lot of territory. ITCHS focuses on but does not limit itself to formal dramatic comedy (stage and film), in light of comedy’s 2200-year history—and on humor forms that enhance drama and literature generally. It recognizes many forms of humor, with emphasis on Humor of the Mind, Humor of the Spirit (Vitalist humor), and to a lesser degree Humor of the Body.
ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM: In 2014, the University of Chicago recognized its “overarching commitment to free, robust, and uninhibited debate and deliberation among all members of the University’s community.” The report of its Committee on Freedom of Expression went on to add “the University greatly values civility,” and “all members of the University community share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate of mutual respect.” But “mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of the community.”
The balance between academic respect and civility on the one hand and freedom of academic discussion on the other must be precisely maintained if academe is to have any hope of pursuing that difficult thing called Truth rather than the easy thing called propaganda. We at ITCHS stand with the University of Chicago in seeking that proper and necessary balance.
CONTACT: Queries and comments should be directed to Paul Grawe, Project Director, ITCHS@hbci.com.