The Beaverton comes to U of T

It’s not often that political science students attend a class led by satirists.

The team behind The Beaverton, the Comedy Network's satirical Canadian news show and website, spoke to undergrads in U of T's first-ever humour and politics course.

The course, created and taught by PhD student Erica Petkov, explores the increasing influence of satirists on political process in countries around the world. During a class last week, a panel of six writers, editors and actors from the show and website talked satire with students. 

Petkov first came in contact with The Beaverton team during the course of her PhD research. The Beaverton was founded by U of T English studies graduate Laurent Noonan, and Petkov felt there was no better way for her students to learn about political satire than directly from the website and show's creators and actors.

Emma Overton, The Beaverton’s Montreal Editor, told students that a course on political satire opens up discussion on issues such as the the difference between satire and fake news. 

“So many people, especially young people, get their news from humorous or satirical news sources these days,” Overton says. “It's important to examine the reasons for this, and the effects it has on society. There are multiple examples of satire throughout history worth studying that have changed the public's relationship to media, art and pop culture. Satire at its best is an incredible device for both igniting curiosity as well as illuminating truth. The more people appreciate that, the better.”

‘For Petkov, the course comes at a relevant time when shows like the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver are gaining in popularity.

“It’s becoming more widely recognized that political satire is not merely entertainment, but that it’s an increasingly common way for people to get their news,” she says. “A large number of millennials say that the only news they get is from shows such as The Daily Show. The realization that political satire does in fact have serious political implications can be seen in many examples over the past several years where it can actually spur people to political action, both here in North America and around the world.”

Jasper Nolos, who describes himself as an “avid consumer of political satire” is taking the class. He wanted to learn how to think more critically about what political satirists are really saying and how it might contribute to political discourse. 

“There seems to be an alarming sense of 'change' in politics, with a lot of criticism that the absurd is becoming the norm,” says Nolos, adding that he's particularly found it interesting that the role of traditional news media has taken a back seat to political satire when it comes to being the “beacons of objective truth.”

Fellow student Keesha Singh says she's glad she's taking the class.

“The course has allowed me to look at politics through a more analytical, critical lens,” she says. 

Post PhD, Petkov is hoping to pursue an academic career and continue teaching the course.

“Most of the research in this area is American so hopefully I can add value by shedding more light on the Canadian context, which is hard to separate from the American one because we are so much in their cultural shadow.”

She hopes the course helps her students gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the world of political comedy, such as what it says about the public's trust in politicians and the media, and whether political satire shows are making people more cynical or more civically engaged.