Satire is a critical genre that tests the limits of good taste and freedom of speech. The role of public ridicule in society and the rights of satirists have been debated since antiquity, which has generated an extensive theoretical literature around the topic. The course will include a variety of examples of satire from the Enlightenment to modernism and postmodernism. In addition to literary texts, we will also examine contemporary examples of satire from television, film and new media. After the course, students will be familiar with a number of theoretical approaches to satire and have a grasp of the history of the genre. Assessment: class participation, short presentations, essay.