A dog walks into an inn and says ‘I can’t see a thing. I’ll open this one.’ This seems to be the oldest recorded bar joke in history, from a 6000-year-old Sumerian clay tablet. As jokes can be a mystifying part of social interaction, the theme of the first plenary meeting of the academic year ’23 ‘24 will be humour! The meeting will take place on Tuesday September 5th (17:00-19:15) at the Lutheran Church, Hamburgerstraat 9. Attendance is mandatory for all HHP students.

Why is research on humour important? Our speakers Dick Zijp and Lieke Stelling will answer your questions about this subject! Dick Zijp specializes in the political meaning of humour in Dutch carabet and examines the way humour is used to perform social critique. Lieke Stelling looks into the relation between humour and religion in English literature of the 16th and 17th century.

Our brand new Honours Director Frans Willem Lantink will open the evening, and the meeting will conclude with a committee market organised by Eureka. You’ll be able to grab a drink and chat with your fellow HHP students here (including all the fresh faces!), as well as check out Eureka’s many committees and see if you might consider joining one of them!

Kind regards,

The Humanities Honours plenary meeting committee,
Isa, Jarno, Judith, Julianne, Mats, Michelle, Midas

We are looking forward to meeting you all Tuesday 5 September, 17.00 at the Lutheran Church Hamburgerstraat 9. In the unlikely event that you cannot make it to Utrecht in person, please let us know at humanitieshonours@uu.nl

And to all new HHP students: don’t forget to sign up for the Eureka Introduction Camp, 1-3 September. More information can be found in your mail inbox!