Studying humor somewhere — anywhere?

[adamVL]

I studied Linguistics and PoliSci at Columbia (class of oh-ten), and I'm seeking advice about the world of graduate study in linguistics/anthro-related field:  how best to study humor, and jokes, as the most profound key to a culture's treasures.  Since graduation, I've been living partly in the Middle East, or else traveling back and forth as a freelance journalist and, just a little, as an actor/comedian.

 

Mostly, I'm so interested in how "funniness" reflects different cognitive set-ups — how cultural gaps can be better understood by analyzing a language's most untranslatable pieces.  

 

I'd love any direction towards relevant studies, and particular programs, if anything stands out, where this kind of study could take wing.  As a student not particularly inclined towards empirical models and the pure science aspects of linguistics, this may be "cultural anthropology", or something else.  Of course, there is a whole lot of fear in the professional marketplace nowadays, and so I'm afraid of just following any relevant specialist to whatever institution (and there aren't many); otherwise, I'd maybe try to find an excellent dept (of whatever) at a fine university.  But which?  And does that make any sense?

 

Please help.  Thank you!

[beyondaboundary]

Simon Cross @ Nottingham Trent in the UK comes easily to mind. I have no US context to offer though...

[rising_star]

Please don't make the same post in multiple places.

[Angua]

I would suggest that you spend a little time on Google Scholar searching for articles that interest you (you may want to head to the nearest public or academic library, who will have better journal access).  Do a little research, and when you find things that seem interesting or relevant, take note of who the authors are and where they are now.  If you find things particularly on point, email the author(s) directly, and ask them what they would recommend to someone with your interests.  If you're still in touch with your linguistics profs, you could also reach out to them with questions -- they may not know the answers, but they'll probably have suggestions for you about where to start looking.  Good luck!

[faculty]

Sam Friedman, a sociologist in London, is another person who comes to mind: http://www.city.ac.uk/arts-social-sciences/academic-staff-profiles/dr-sam-friedman

[sarab]

Hi, sorry this is kind of a late response. 

 

Would something like this interest you? http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1548-1395.2012.01140.x/abstract

 

If so, I recommend taking a look at Georgia State University. The author, my current advisor, does linguistic and cultural anthropology, so I think that's relevant to what you want.