Under the harsh overheard lights of a small theater stage, the comedian commandeered the microphone and unfurled a short set laced with jokes about poop anxiety and penis size. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy preschool had these communal restrooms \u2014 just five toilets lined up … no barriers, no doors. It was like a Roman bathhouse,\u201d the performer said, drawing a laugh from one woman in the second row.<\/p>\n
She was the comedian\u2019s professor. And he was a USC student.<\/p>\n
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Junior Joshua Ou was performing in a class that may seem unlikely in an era of fraught debate over what can and can\u2019t be said on college campuses: \u201cIntroduction to Stand-Up Comedy<\/a>.\u201d It\u2019s a core offering taken by students minoring in comedy performance.<\/p>\n Wait. You can minor in comedy at USC?<\/p>\n Launched in fall 2015 by the university\u2019s School of Dramatic Arts, the comedy performance minor also includes classes in improvisation and magic, among other subjects. Enrollment is modest: About 15 to 20 undergraduates each academic year. <\/p>\n Some of the students are seeking careers as actors, among other entertainment-related pursuits, making the minor a sensible specialization. But many others are interested in careers in medicine, science and engineering. For them, comedy offers a chance to develop skills that could be useful in their hoped-for professions \u2014 and in their daily lives. <\/p>\n Student Xavier Davis, center, performs in a stand-up comedy class at USC as classmates Joshua Ou, left, and Jacob Courtright watch.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the case for Ou, 20, who is majoring in human development and aging and plans to pursue a career in nursing. <\/p>\n \u201cI find that this class has taught me a lot [about] self-confidence and how I portray myself,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned more than just the performance aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n Associate professor of theater practice Zachary Steel, who also is the director of comedy at the School of Dramatic Arts, said the classes teach students skills that are useful \u201cin any work environment … where you need to take on a leadership role and figure out ways to connect with the people you\u2019re collaborating with.\u201d<\/p>\n 1 <\/p>\n 2 <\/p>\n 3 <\/p>\n 1. Student Jacob Courtright performs in a stand-up comedy class at USC. 2. Student James Kanuch performs in a stand-up comedy class at USC. 3. Students including Jayden Ozoemena watch a performance in a stand-up comedy class at USC. <\/p>\n Beyond intro to stand-up, there are other courses for the minor that stand out. Like the one on medical clowning. <\/a>Taught by Steel, the class helps students learn how to interact with hospital patients with levity and humor. Along the way, they are taught how to juggle and perform magic tricks. Steel said some of his pupils have gone on to graduate from medical school. <\/p>\n \u201cThey have told me how much the medical clowning work has enriched their ability to converse, communicate and connect with patients \u2014 it helps so much with their bedside manner,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say the minor doesn\u2019t prove head-scratching \u2014 especially among parents footing the bill for a USC education. <\/p>\n When senior Malaya Galindez, 21, who aspires to be a physician and is majoring in health and human sciences, told her parents that she intended to minor in comedy, her father was surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first,\u201d Galindez said, \u201cmy dad was like, \u2018Oh no. Why am I paying tuition for this?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Who pursues the minor<\/p>\n USC, which also offers a writing-focused comedy minor in the School of Cinematic Arts<\/a>, claims some famous alums who are comedians or comic actors: Will Ferrell and John Ritter, as well as former \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d cast members Ego Nwodim, Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett. None of them minored in comedy in the School of Dramatic Arts \u2014 the program didn\u2019t exist when they were students.<\/p>\n These days, many of those minoring in comedy don\u2019t aspire for Hollywood limelight. Senior Arjun Bedi, a computer science major, initially took a class about comedy performance to satisfy a general education requirement. <\/p>\n Student Emma Hyland, right, participates in an improv exercise with classmates Camille Henri, center, carried by Xavier Davis, and James Kanuch, left, during a stand-up comedy class.<\/p>\n Before he selected comedy performance as a minor, Bedi, who grew up in New Delhi, felt he had to speak to his parents about it \u2014 considering USC tuition and housing can reach $99,139 a year. <\/p>\n \u201cClasses aren\u2019t free. It had to be worth it,\u201d Bedi said. \u201cMy parents really encouraged me to take it. We thought this minor would provide the best training to be a confident part of a corporate environment. So much of the workforce involves … interpersonal skills, communication, leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n Galindez considered herself a \u201ccasual fan of comedy\u201d and initially took a class about comedy performance taught by Steel. She felt the minor would offer a good change of pace from her other, \u201cintensive\u201d coursework. <\/p>\n As she eyes a career in medicine, Galindez sees the value of using comedy to connect with \u201csomebody who\u2019s in a vulnerable state.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cBoth fields are just so human-centered,\u201d she said of comedy and medicine. \u201cThe basis of both is you\u2019re really just trying to understand another person and, ultimately, brighten up their day.\u201d <\/p>\n Judith Shelton, assistant professor of theater practice in comedy, center, leads an improv exercise with students including, from left, Elias-Michael Geller, Zachary Gray and Camille Henri.<\/p>\n Galindez said her family, hesitant at first, eventually came around. Her dad is a physician, and she said he told her that humor is \u201cone of the best ways to connect with a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey love telling people, \u2018Oh yeah, our daughter is studying comedy,\u2019 \u201d she said. <\/p>\n What\u2019s a stand-up class like?<\/p>\n Satisfying the requirements of the 16-unit comedy performance minor means taking five to seven classes.<\/p>\n Though it is not a requirement, most students pursuing the minor wind up taking the introductory stand-up class with Judith Shelton, who has taught at USC since 2016 and is an assistant professor of theater practice in comedy. She appeared on \u201cSeinfeld\u201d and voiced a character on \u201cThe Great North\u201d on TV for five seasons \u2014 and reminds her students that \u201ccomedy is not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n During a recent class, six of the 11 students were chosen at random to perform short sets. The humor was sometimes sophomoric \u2014 and edgy. Irreverent too. Topics included a \u201chomophobic robot\u201d and being \u201cdiet Black.\u201d <\/p>\n In one extended bit, a student compared part of his anatomy to an edamame and a thumb tack. In another, a student referred to the promiscuity of his teenage sister in vulgar terms.<\/p>\n In that case, the student received gentle but firm criticism from Shelton, who told him, \u201cIt\u2019s not easy for me to laugh at that joke.\u201d <\/p>\n She urged the performer to consider, \u201cWhy am I saying this? Is it just to get revenge?\u201d<\/p>\n Shelton encourages her students to mine their lives for material.<\/p>\n Jayden Ozoemena, a senior studying public relations and advertising at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, described being hit by a car while on a scooter during his in-class routine. He lamented that he was not struck in \u201csexy way.\u201d <\/p>\n Instead, he said, \u201cI had to brace for impact like a damn quarterback. … It\u2019s all good \u2014 because this is going to fund my Beyonce concert money.\u201d <\/p>\n Shelton knows the lives of college students can be messy. At the start of the semester, she explains to the class that she\u2019s a \u201cmandated reporter,\u201d<\/a> which means she is obligated to report information related to suspected child abuse, among other things. <\/p>\n She also offers practical advice: \u201cIf you can\u2019t laugh about it, it\u2019s too soon to bring it onstage.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistant professor Judith Shelton leads students in a stand-up comedy class at USC.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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