Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Ill., had a goal: get 300 likes on its Facebook page. As encouragement for its fans, it promised a free course if it reached the goal.

This campaign led to the creation of ‘From Humor to Health: Comedy and Healthy Living,’ a noncredit course.

Scott Cashman, continuing education manager for personal and culture enrichment at Harper, came up with the idea for the course. Cashman said the course had to have broad appeal and use the instructional resources the college already had at its disposal. Because the course is not for credit, it was easier and less time-consuming to put into action than a for-credit course, he said.

The class is taught by Dobie Maxwell, a nationally recognized stand-up comic, and Cheryl O’Donoghue, who teaches a class at Harper about the health benefits of laughter.

‘We put two strong instructors together in a way that they can compliment each other,’ Cashman said. ‘They’ve really taken it to heart and play off each other’s material. It’s really become one class taught by two people.’

The class is divided into three parts, Cashman said. The class meets for two sessions. The first session is 90 minutes and the second one is an hour.

The first part is a performance by four comedians, including Maxwell. This first workshop is primarily about entertainment, Cashman said.

‘We want them to start thinking about what humor is, what makes people laugh,’ Cashman said.

The second part of the course directly follows the performance. It is a comedy workshop with Maxwell in which participants explore their personal sense of humor.

For the third part, O’Donoghue joins the class and discusses the health benefits of humor and laughter.

‘(She) gets people to practice laughing skills and really experience the health benefits,’ Cashman said. ‘It sounds funny, but you can see the changes while it’s happening.’

Improved creativity, memory, problem-solving skills, along with reduced stress, depression and pain are all qualities associated with humor, according to an article published in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sept. 10.

For Maxwell, humor is not something that can be taught, only enhanced, he said.

‘The first thing I tell people is that I can’t make anyone funny,’ Maxwell said. ‘What I do is take people with a sense of humor and point them in a direction.’

Outside of Harper College, Maxwell teaches comedy professionally at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago. Maxwell said teaching this class differs from other comedy classes he has taught because of the relaxed feel.

‘I feel like a little league coach,’ Maxwell said. ‘When that light goes on in someone’s eyes when they write or tell a joke, that sense of joy and accomplishment, it is like watching a kid hit a home run at a little league game.’

Harper has received great feedback for the course, Cashman said. About 40 students registered, which is maximum capacity. For the comedy performance in the first workshop, people who were not registered for the class were also allowed to attend.

Due to the overwhelming interest in the class, Harper will most likely offer it again in the future, Cashman said. The class will no longer be offered for free, and the scheduling will be infrequent, Cashman said. Harper plans on offering the class about once a year.

Cashman said he believes humor is an important part of life.

‘(Humor) has a lot to do with stress management and interpersonal relationships,’ Cashman said. ‘We all just want to get to the point where we can laugh with each other.’

dspearl@syr.edu

Published on October 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Diana: dspearl@syr.edu | @dianapearl_