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University offers 'Simpsons' as Philosophy Class 235

Posted by CmdrTaco from the stuff-you-just-can't-make-up dept.
joestump98 writes "I ran accross a story at CNN that says a local Michigan college, Siena Heights, is offering a philosophy class on our favorite cartoon - The Simpsons. The Catholic school says the class is about religion and philosphy in popular culture." And I thought Rocks for Jocks was a hilarious concept in wasting a college education. That said, I'd take that class. Have to make sure to watch my homework tonight.
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University offers 'Simpsons' as Philosophy Class More

University offers 'Simpsons' as Philosophy Class

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  • Simpsons as a teaching tool (Score:3, Informative)

    by Krelboyne ( 451082 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:42PM (#2711511) Homepage
    The Simpsons has been used as a teaching tool for years. I took a course in mass media that included analysis of the show. Professor Renee Hobbs (one of the world's leading experts on media literacy) has taught with the Simpsons, and her article on them is widely quoted. [uoregon.edu]


    What's new about this is that an entire course is being dedicated to them.

    • Hopefully this will make more people consider philosophy classes. If everyone had a few philosophy classes under their belt when they finish whatever it is they are studying, there would be a lot less dumb sheep in this world.
      • Off topic? maybe.

        I'm not sure about you, but every philosophy student I know has very little independent thought. They basically just spout quotes of whoever they liked reading. Philosophy classes do not inspire independent thought.
      • No amount of classes in any topic can make a person begin thinking. The person must want (or need) to start. Typical philosophy classes (and I oughta know, having been a phil major) offer neither impetus.
    • I had an economics professor who always mentioned the Simpsons in his lectures and used it to ask questions on his exams. He even held little programs every semester claiming what he learned about economics from the Simpsons. Pretty interesting and funny.
  • this isn't much of a surprise, as an oprah class [dailynorthwestern.com] has been in the works for awhile...

    and they say education in the us isn't going downhill...
  • Worhtless? Many people I know consider the simpsons to be a work of art to be heralded far in the future as one of the greatest classics of our time! This show has merit!
    • I am a Simpsons fan to the point of having most of the 270+ shows memorized verbatim. I also teach philosophy at a US university. Still, I absolutely hate this idea.

      More clearly than anything, it represents a real crisis in North American universities today: people think of them as valuable only insofar as they provide job training and a career boost. Departments like History, English, Religion and Philosophy once used to put undergraduates through serious courses that required them to struggle through real scholarship. They resented it at first, but came away with a substantial understanding of our intellectual roots, and of certain timeless questions, along with history's most elligible answers to those questions.

      Fast forward to now, and you'll see core departments struggling to attract students in universities that are increasingly asking the departments to compete with one another for students and funding. The cheapest way to win that competition is not to hire an outstanding faculty, provide your students with individual attention, and make demanding courses which require lots of writing. The cheapest way is to pack a huge lecture hall using provocative course titles. Unfortunately, the students don't complain when the course itself is a half-baked piece of crap, designed primarily to stroke the ego of an aging professor trying to overcome his insecurity that he might no longer be "with it." They don't complain when the exams are on bubble sheets; "electronic grading" is, according to their insecure professor, the new, hip thing. The reason why they don't complain is because they don't know what they're missing. Once one department at a university resorts to this strategy, the other departments must respond in kind. It doesn't take long for things to get all fucked up. I've seen this first hand.

      Please, students: if you actually want to learn something in college, do your research on a course before enrolling. Sadly, many of your options today are courses that will amuse you, but leave you just as ignorant as you were when the course began. One warning sign that you might be in for mere amusement is: an overly up-to-date or hip course title and topic.

      When I was an undergraduate getting my degree in physics, my most important courses were in philosophy. I had to know Kant and Quine and Nietzche inside out, and there was nothing more intellectually rewarding than that. If you take philosophy classes, take some real ones. Only after that should you consider doing something philosophically frivolous like the Philosophy of the Simpsons.

      But by all means, watch the Simpsons! It's about to start in 15 minutes! Spork

  • I would be able to clep out of every class and buy a degree in no time ...

    Imagine if Nacho Eating was part of the Family Science Degree... i could be yet another degree holding unemployed member of america!!

  • Mmmmmmmm...forbidden doughnut... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hatechall ( 541378 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:46PM (#2711531) Homepage
    For 12 seasons, "The Simpsons" has mined religious subjects for laughs. The staple of the Fox network has sometimes been called sacrilegious
    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....sacrilicious.....

  • save me jebus... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by lyapunov ( 241045 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:46PM (#2711532)
    That episode, in my opinion was one of the best episodes ever. Lots o' religous commentary. I have always been really pleased with their social commentary as well. Little bits like "most people marry out of fear of growing old alone" is a resounding one.

    This sound like it could be a great class and it would be a hoot to sit in on. One can always hope that the one of the questions on the final would be...

    In 500 words or less describe the moral, ethical, and religous foundations in Homer's refrain of "Mmmmmmm donuts."

  • Hmmph.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by PopeAlien ( 164869 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:47PM (#2711533) Homepage Journal
    Worst class ever.

    Won't somebody please think of the children..

    Mmm.. Philosophy..

    • Re:Hmmph.. (Score:3, Funny)

      by superid ( 46543 )
      "philosophy is back....in pog form" - Milhouse
      "philosophiddly-diddly!" - Ned
      "Philosophy? Ha Ha!" -Nelson
      "God is Dead? Eeeeeexcellent..." - Mr. Burns

      SuperID

    • All I can say is that professor better not drop his notes or the class will laugh him right out of the lecture hall.
    • I think its almost on par with a course a friend of mine is doing here in Sydney Aus, titled: "Japanise Culture through Manga." Hah, yeah its basically an Arts course on Anime..

      Sheash, and i sometimes wonder why i have such limited respect for Tertiary Education. :)

  • Simpsons as Literature (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Marillion ( 33728 ) <ericbardes&gmail,com> on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:49PM (#2711538)
    I know a local educator who I hold in very high regard. He is also a director of local theatre and occational on-screen movie critic. A rather senior fellow, he tends have very high standards for excellence. I was sitting in "Green Room" (where actors wait for the show to start) shooting the breeze. For years I dismissed the Simpsons as "pop trash." You could have picked me up off the floor when I heard him declare that the Simpsons was one of the finest works on television.

  • Interesting, they probably are more interested in "debunking" it.

    God is my favorite fictional character! -- Homer Simpson
  • Actually, a lot of the older simpsons episodes DID have some good psycology/sociology insights, around seasons 3-7. Now though its mostly another sitcom. But a damn good one. (On a partially unrelated note, the Simpsons are bringing back their old writer! Hurrah!)
  • The Simpsons have been delivering witty, insightful, accurate and fairly balanced social and political commentry for years, without ever resorting to anything really base or gratuatious. They are consistenly funny and inoffensive. Mind you, if your average (American, but not only American) viewer paid more attention to what they watched they may be made to contemplate now and then, and realise that alot of the barbs snuck in to the families' banter is aimed at them.

    I can't name the number of times I've stopped and said "hey, this is just like the Simpsons when Homer..." about my own behaviour or the bahviour of my friends. D'oh!
    • "They are consistenly funny and inoffensive."

      Funny, yes. Inoffensive is stretching it, although those most offended are probably misinterpreting it in the first place.
    • as the last guy said, inoffensive is stretching it

      the simpsons are full of satire
      basically they are making fun of a lot of things gone wrong with US at one point or other

      take for example mr. burns .. does he not remind you of mr. gates?
    • "without ever resorting to anything...gratuitous"
      Have you even seen the latest season? It is full of things in bad taste. A man commits suicide, marge is portrayed as a total fool, even dumber than homer, and homer finds a rotting and decaying corpse. Need I say more?
    • This summer the lady and I were visiting the aquarium in the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Downstairs is this place where you can pet small sharks and manta rays and such. We were watching them swim around, when suddenly this kid hollers out "HEY LADY! WHY ARE THOSE TWO SHARKS FIGHTING?"

      The woman who worked there then proceed to explain to the youngster all about shark mating behaviour. My lady friend and I hardly made it out of there with breath left in our lungs, we laughed so hard.

      (Anyone who doesn't understand, watch the whole run of the Simpsons until you hear Homer yelling "ZOOKEEPER! ZOOKEEPER! THOSE MONKEYS ARE KILLING EACH OTHER!")

  • that class that the The Art Center, College of Design in Pasadena had offered on the 'Films of Keanu Reeves'. Keep in mind that this gem was offered before The Matrix.

    Check out various offerings from a google search [google.com]. No word on whether the class is still being offered.

  • Who went to college at Mills. And she told me about how she was taking a course on bowling and I was like "Bowling? You're going to college to learn how to bowl? And they're giving you credit for it?" And she didn't really get why I found that so strange, but hey, it just goes to show... uhm... yeah nevermind.

  • Other interesting classes (at UCSC) (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Exantrius ( 43176 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:57PM (#2711566)
    Just so everyone knows why we're the fastest growing University of California:
    Here's a list of some of the interesting classes that are availabe from time to time
    Understanding Drugs (Bioc 80) -- Yes, you talk about doing various drugs...

    Lesbian and Gay World (CMMU 80F) -- I'm still trying to figure out why it's bad to think people have nothing wrong with them until they tell me their gay... Nevermind, can't remember the group that was spouting that off...

    Hope/Crisis Capitalism (Econ 80A) -- I don't know, haven't taken it and don't know anyone who has...

    Technothrillers (Film 80A) -- Watching, you guessed it, technothrillers

    Intro to Horror Films (Lit 80T) -- Horror movies are your friends... From what I hear you watch a couple dozen horror films (as far back as like the 1890s IIRC)

    Beatles Music (MUSC 80V)

    Saturday Night Live (Theater 80O)

    80's: Film And TV (Film 80) -- 80's: The decade that only one good thing came out of: mst3k [mst3k.com]
    Psychophysic Music (Phys 80a) -- I don't know about this one

    Muppet Magic (Thea 80L) -- 10 weeks of Jim Henson's Muppets, and why we should all bow down to him... Or something

    Queer Theater (Thea 80T) -- It just struck me as funny... I guess it shouldn't seeing as how we have a high proportion of homosexuals here...

    Disney (Thea 80N) -- The class I took. The only thing I remember from it is that they used a really neat looking camera setup to do framed shots for their early movies-- Hence why they were better than other stuff from the same era.. Oh, yeah, and my TA (with a speech impediment) saying "nubile" in regards to the Little Mermaid, I think...

    And to think, you have to take 2 topical (80) courses to get out of here...
    Hasta luego,
    ex
    • Indeed!
      There have also been:

      The Films of John Carpenter (A literature class)

      The Gothic Imagination (Gothic literature through the ages)

      TV Culture and Society

      Science Fiction in Multicultural America

      Also the class I taught in Winter 2000:

      Kresge 80: Star Trek and Popular Culture.

      Beyond the interesting classes, students are also given the opportunity to create their own study programs (with help and support of the faculty), and choose equally challanging exit requirements to fill in for a thesis or seminar. I chose to teach a class. UCSC is a great place to go if you realize real life doesn't mean sticking exclusivly to classics and hard sciences.

    • The other UCs also have similar things... the only place that UCSC is different is the focus on Homosexual topics which is still bit taboo for the more conservative religious minded UCs i.e. UCSD.
    • And before everyone gets indignant about this, notice that every one of the classes is numbered in the 80s (e.g. Theater Arts 80N). 80-series classes are optional, only occasionally taught, and generally deal with subject matter that wouldn't be appropriate in a regular class.

  • Modern Classic (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mizhi ( 186984 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @02:59PM (#2711573)
    I know it's a trite and overused term, but you got to concede that the Simpson, aside from being one of the best shows on tv, has influenced almost an entire generation of 20-something adults. I remember when it first came out when I was in 4th grade and people were up in arms about the content of the show. The language was too raw, the themes were risque, etc, etc. My own dad said that he would not let his children watch the show because it was horrible. These days, it's considered family entertainment and even my dad enjoys it. It might not be particularly wholesome, but it offers some real insights into American society. I think the religious theme of the class is interesting though. I had never really considered the importance that religion plays in the series, but thinking back, they have a point.

    Besides that, the simpsons is funny as hell offers quotes for every occasion from "D'oh!" to "Ahhh the Navy, see the world and all the free gay sex you can handle." :-)

    The simpsons first season is now on DVD [amazon.com].. I'm getting them all when they come out.

  • Christmas Film Class (Drexel U)
    Films of Keanu Reeves [slashdot.org]
    Cloudwatching class (really!)
    Sociology

  • Waste of a class? I think not. (Score:5, Informative)

    by thesolo ( 131008 ) <slap@fighttheriaa.org> on Sunday December 16, 2001 @03:00PM (#2711579) Homepage
    The Simpsons, albeit a cartoon show, often offers social commentary and true philosophical views. A book that I recently read is The Simpsons and Philosophy [barnesandnoble.com], which goes into great detail about how different philosophers would interpret the characters of OFF (Our Favorite Family--abbreviation used a lot in alt.tv.simpsons).

    For example, maybe Maggie is just being silent to be silent, or maybe that silence could be interpreted as a social protest. Sartre would certainly think so, anyway.

    My point is simply that this show goes far beyond what it appears to be on the surface. Plain & Simple, anything that stimulates your mind and provokes positive thoughtstreams is not waste; to call it that shows how much you truly still have to learn.
    • Good luck getting a job! You got a good point but you got to be independently wealthy to take this class.
    • For example, maybe Maggie is just being silent to be silent, or maybe that silence could be interpreted as a social protest.

      Or maybe that silence could be interpreted as the desire to avoid drastically changing the formula of one of Fox's cash cows. You think?

    • For example, maybe Maggie is just being silent to be silent, or maybe that silence could be interpreted as a social protest. Sartre would certainly think so, anyway.

      You gonna pass that around or are you just gonna sit there and smoke the whole thing yourself?

    • Poof! (Score:2, Funny)

      by volpe ( 58112 )

      I think not.

      Therefore, you ARE not. Goodbye.

      R. Decartes

    • Re:Waste of a class? I think not. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Shagg ( 99693 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @04:32PM (#2711840)
      For example, maybe Maggie is just being silent to be silent, or maybe that silence could be interpreted as a social protest.


      Or maybe she's silent because most babies don't talk?

      • actually, no. Remember the episode when Lisa is to get married? Even then, when Maggie must be in her late teens, he still doesn't talk. (and yes, they mayke a point of showing that)
        • Actually, IIRC she is known to the family as quite a chatterbox in that ep. She doesn't speak because someone (Marge?) interrupts her, saying that she is always talking. They make a point of NOT showing her talking. I love the idea of her representing some kind of protest, but it seems more likely just a longplaying gag.

          Incidentally, she also talks in the episode where the kids are adopted by the Flanderses, and I _think_ there's a third as well, though I can't put my finger on it at the moment.
          • Incidentally, she also talks in the episode where the kids are adopted by the Flanderses, and I _think_ there's a third as well, though I can't put my finger on it at the moment.


            In the episode where they show Bart and Lisa as babies who always called Homer "Homer", the last scene is Maggie saying "Daddy".

    • so how long have you been teaching the class?

      Sorry, but I get more philosophical insight out of a good episode of spongebob squarepants than a simpsons episode.

      It's entertainment people! entertainment....

      next thing you'll know is people will start worshiping simsontology and hold matt groning as their leader.

      The philolsophically interesting thing I see with all this is the correlation to the failing years of the roman empire when the people started studying silly-ass things and focusing on learning socially useless trades.... The parallels in aincent history with today are quite facinating.
      • Actually spongebob squarepants is an amazing show for children. There are some definite lessons in on how to be a good person. However unlike many cartoons its no so obvious to turn kids off once they figure it out.

        Plus its just so ridiculous sometimes its easy for an adult to watch as well.

        Still what is so wrong with studying the philosphy of current culture?
    • The Simpsons, albeit a cartoon show

      I think that this fragment of a quote pretty much sums up the entire point of the class. There always have been, and still are, some philosophers who write philosophical tomes which are quite clearly philosophy. But philosophy presented in the form of entertainment is no less worthy of consideration.

      Consider, for example, "Candide" [literature.org] (by Voltaire) or "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence". While they both take the form of a story, each is clearly a philosophical text as well. Likewise texts such as "Gulliver's Travels" and "Catch-22", while more focused on story, also contain plenty of social criticism, which is a form of philosophy.

      Considering that "The Simpsons" is far more thoughtful than most of the rest of popular culture, I'm not at all surprised that someone decided to teach a class in it. Whether or not it lasts as part of the philosophical canon after it's off the air remains to be seen. It may not be good enough or philosophical enough to last, but I'm not surprised that it's being recognized in its time.

      On a related note, Alan Moore (of "Watchmen" and "From Hell" fame, among other things) taught a class on comic books as literature at The University of California at Berkeley a few years back, and "Watchmen" is on the reading list for one Film/Rhetoric/English class [berkeley.edu] there. This is another example of a "cartoon" that's being taken seriously. It has been known to happen :)
    • Something like this (social commentary) got done by my local paper (I think). They had an interview (quote?) of a woman asking about the debates between Gore/Bush. She said she had no clue who won, but watched SNL (Saturday Night Live) to figure it out. The candidate that got laughed at more was the loser.

      So yeah, TV can influence real life, and as we all know the material is what you make of it. Reminds me of Finding Forrester when he says something like, "I hate it when critics talk about 'What did he really mean when he wrote this?'" You can read anything you want into the Simpsons. (And you can, you can always say "That reminds me of that Simpsons when...")

  • Wasting a college education? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DefConOne ( 17385 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @03:01PM (#2711582)
    I'm not a philosopher, and I don't play one on TV, but my recollection is that many of the Greek philosophers used works of poetry as the starting point for their philosophical discussions. Since the poetry of that day was primarily entertainment, there is significant precendent for using something like The Simpsons as the basis for educational purposes.
  • Have to make sure to watch my homework tonight.


    Bleh, there's nothing philosophical about this season's (or the past two or three's) Simpsons episodes. They're just pointless. There's no plot, no jokes, nothing. I keep watching, in the vain hope that they'll improve, but they probably won't. That episode last week really was the Worst Episode Ever, totally dull and pointless. Whatever, rant over.
    • Homer (as Mr. Burns' Secretary)--
      "Here are your messages:
      `You have 30 minutes to move your car;'
      `You have 10 minutes to move your car;'
      `Your car has been impounded;'
      `Your car has been crushed into a cube;'
      `You have 30 minutes to move your cube.'"

      (phone rings, Homer answers)

      Homer: "Yello, Mr. Burns' office!"

      Burns: "Is this about my cube?"
    • You must have missed last year's Simpsons Safari if you think the previous Simpsons was lame. I thought it started kinda promising.

  • Yer forced to admit... (Score:3, Troll)

    by FFFish ( 7567 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @03:05PM (#2711594) Homepage
    ...that the education system is in complete shambles, when it becomes necessary to introduce courses like this.

    In all likelyhood, they're the equivalent of the underwater soap-carving courses that engineering students take to "satisfy" the arts requirement component of their curriculum.

    In the story, who's speaking up about the course? A biology major -- a geek who is apparently too dim to recognize that a broad education is valuable, and has chosen to take a flakey course to satisfy a requisite with minimum effort.

    Why on earth are the universities catering to this sort of limited, lazy thinking?

    The job of the university should be to create a graduation class of people who are going to lead the advancement of the arts and sciences. To do so, these people are going to require a broad education, one that has challenged them on all fronts and forced them to think creatively and thoughtfully. They need to be people who are eternally curious, doggedly determined, and, above all, brilliant.

    Serving up Simpsons swill as some sort of philosophy substitute is not doing anyone a favour.

    Perhaps the standards have dropped too low. Maybe you don't have to be particularly smart to enter university any more: you just have to have money. Perhaps there's too much emphasis in the job market on post-secondary degrees. And the past three decade's emphasis on sciences as the be-all and end-all goal of education is certainly at fault: we need more technically-trained people (ie. college-level job training) than we need science/structure-trained people.

    "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer," indeed. Next up: "An Overview of Political Philosophies: The Travels of Xena, Warrior Princess."

    Bah.

    • Re:Yer forced to admit... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by The Good Reverend ( 84440 ) <michael@michris. c o m> on Sunday December 16, 2001 @03:25PM (#2711663) Journal
      I was going to just mod you down as troll. Then I read your sig. While I still think this is a troll, I'll bite:

      In all likelyhood, they're the equivalent of the underwater soap-carving courses that engineering students take to "satisfy" the arts requirement component of their curriculum.

      I'm assuming you haven't taken this class, and you likely don't know the class' content other than seeing "The Simpsons" in the title. After 4 years at a university, I can tell you that you never know what a class is going to be like until you take it.

      In the story, who's speaking up about the course? A biology major -- a geek who is apparently too dim to recognize that a broad education is valuable, and has chosen to take a flakey course to satisfy a requisite with minimum effort.

      Again, you have no idea if the course is "flakey", or the intentions of the student. And isn't taking a philosophy class broadening his education?

      Why on earth are the universities catering to this sort of limited, lazy thinking?

      If you think all education that incorperates aspects of popular culture (especially intelligent, witty aspects) are "limited" and "lazy", I hope you enjoy living in your ivory tower, cut off from the rest of the world.

      The job of the university should be to create a graduation class of people who are going to lead the advancement of the arts and sciences. To do so, these people are going to require a broad education, one that has challenged them on all fronts and forced them to think creatively and thoughtfully. They need to be people who are eternally curious, doggedly determined, and, above all, brilliant.

      Actually, my point in going to college was to learn new things. I got a broad education, and learned a lot. I think I'm a better person for having gone to college, though I don't think I was necessarly meant to "lead the advancement of the arts and sciences". Regardless, a class on The Simpsons and Philosophy hardly brings down the system.

      Serving up Simpsons swill as some sort of philosophy substitute is not doing anyone a favour.

      It's not meant as a substitute; the university education is varied when you look deeply at a specific major course of study and the classes involved. Just because the simpsons is newer than some of your classical philosophers doesn't mean it doesn't belong as part of a wider course. I doubt this class is replacing one on something more "important".

      Perhaps the standards have dropped too low. Maybe you don't have to be particularly smart to enter university any more: you just have to have money.

      Anymore? You never needed to be particularly smart at many schools (including some ivy league schools). Money could, and still does, buy your way in. Don't fool yourself into thinking this is something new.

      Perhaps there's too much emphasis in the job market on post-secondary degrees.

      True.

      And the past three decade's emphasis on sciences as the be-all and end-all goal of education is certainly at fault: we need more technically-trained people (ie. college-level job training) than we need science/structure-trained people.

      Now you're just making things up. The liberal arts education has gotten more flack in the last 30 years than anything else on the university level. A science education is still largely seen as a "true" education.

      "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer," indeed. Next up: "An Overview of Political Philosophies: The Travels of Xena, Warrior Princess."

      When I was in college, I created and taught a class on "Star Trek and Popular Culuture" as my exit requirement. You know what? The educational foundation of the school didn't crumble. There's room for the inclusion of pop culture in a university education.
    • A large part of the problem is caused by the 'beautiful snowflake' mentality. Students have twisted the "You can do anything" mentality to "You can do anything, like attend college, even if you've been smoking piles of pot every day for the past 4 years." Over 80% of my graduating class is predicted to go to college. As I know my school, 80% of the students here do not deserve to go to college. Hell, I don't think 30% of the students here deserve to go to college.

      Keep in mind that the educational institutions that accept this batch of unprepared students are also businesses. They have to cater to the needs of the students and thus offer inane courses that let them cast off the responsibility of attending college. Enter "Philosophy of the Simpsons"
    • *sigh* Can't resist this one...


      ...that the education system is in complete shambles, when it becomes necessary to introduce courses like this.


      Courses like what? Ones that are based on contemporary media? This isn't Simpsons 101, a guide to Bart...it uses a modern satire to discuss religious & philosophical issues in a contemporary setting.

      In all likelyhood, they're the equivalent of the underwater soap-carving courses that engineering students take to "satisfy" the arts requirement component of their curriculum.

      Maybe, maybe not...you certainly have no real basis to assume that. Course titles are often deceiving.

      In the story, who's speaking up about the course? A biology major -- a geek who is apparently too dim to recognize that a broad education is valuable, and has chosen to take a flakey course to satisfy a requisite with minimum effort

      Hey, why don't you jump to a few *more* conclusions based oon a single sentence. I bet this geek is ugly too, and has bad hygiene, and only cares about biology. Good god man, i am amazed by your powers of perception through a few quoted syllables.

      Why on earth are the universities catering to this sort of limited, lazy thinking?

      Well, I would think to hopefully eliminate your sort of limited, lazy thinking. Satire, especially well-done, interesting satire is perhaps *the* hardest style of writing to pull off on a continual basis. Just as something being really old does not mean it is classic, being really new does not make it useless, limited, or lazy. *That* kind of thinking is what i'd hope college eliminates.

      The job of the university should be to create a graduation class of people who are going to lead the advancement of the arts and sciences

      Perhaps, or perhaps just to produce productive citizens capable of reasonable thought on their own.

      To do so, these people are going to require a broad education, one that has challenged them on all fronts and forced them to think creatively and thoughtfully. They need to be people who are eternally curious, doggedly determined, and, above all, brilliant.

      A broad education is certainly a good thing, though you seem to want it broad only in certain areas...nothing contemporary apparently. As for your list of traits, i would submit none of those are learned in college, they are either in a person before, or will not be. Education can encourage curiosity & feed it, focus determination, and allow brilliance to shine through, but it will not instill any of these if they aren't there to begin with.

      Serving up Simpsons swill as some sort of philosophy substitute is not doing anyone a favour.

      Right, and serving up that swill of the masses that shakespeare wrote (and that *is* what it was at the time) won't help anyone. Or that wanker alexander pope, or voltaire, or... I would suggest the majority of 'classical' education contains the swill of any age along with its loftier cream.

      Again, this is not saying 'be like bart,' it is using a particularly entertaining subject to illustrate the same kind of philosophical questions that have ben asked throughout history. (And therein lies the beauty of the Simpsons...)


      -Ted

      • I took an english class....however It was "A Modest Proposal" that we read......it just happened to be old text version of satir on the current government......nto a cartoon...see that makes all the difference in the world. Personaly, I think Southpark would be a much better class tho
    • In all likelyhood, they're the equivalent of the underwater soap-carving courses that engineering students take to "satisfy" the arts requirement component of their curriculum.

      Oh, come on. I don't know about what it is/was like at your school, but I barely had time for any electives while pursuing my EE Bachelor's. My parents gave me the best possible graduation gift - I didn't have to graduate. I got to take an extra term of whatever I wanted.

      I took things that were mostly as far as possible from Engineering. Oh, sure, I took the 1/2 credit Holograms class, and I took the Fantasy as Literature class 'cause the Science Fiction one wasn't offered that term. But I also took Intro to Anthropology, Intro to Women's Studies (boy, that was fun, me being a white male middle-class heterosexual engineer), and Intro to Modern Dance (where I proved that I am an educatable dyslexic in the language of dance, but I showed up every day which was more than some dance enthusiasts did).

      Perhaps these were fluff courses. Women's Studies was certainly low on intellectual rigor. But even if that were true (a) they certainly weren't required for an Engineering degree, and (b) they were no more fluff than the joke math and science courses the jocks and humanities types could get away with.

  • This isn't that amazing, really; Simpsons philosophy classes have been out there forever. I think I recall hearing about one at Stanford a few years back (and on here, no less!). I'm surprised that this made Slashdot, and even more susprised at some of the reactions that people are having. The Simpsons are an excellent way to teach philosophy; in fact, in my class this semester, quite a few people actually used the Simpsons as topics for the 15-page term paper at the end of the year (things like analysis of the Bart Loses His Soul episode, which really do get philosophical if you bring in some outside sources and philosophers).
    If anyone's interested, there's even a book, called The Simpsons and Philosophy - the D'oh! of Homer [amazon.com].
  • This sounds like the sort of course that would be offered to people who are just there for the sports.
  • I'm currently taking a course called Religions of Star Trek- beat that :) A teaspoon of sugar makes the medicine go down. It's offered at Muhlenberg College [muhlenberg.edu]. The course description:

    Description: [muhlenberg.edu]

    REL 111 Topics in Religion: Religions of Star Trek
    This course explores major themes in the study of religion using Star Trek as a primary source, along with more traditional, written texts. Selected excerpts from the original series, the Next Generation series, Deep Space Nine and Voyager will be viewed and discussed. Star Trek will be presented as a media forum for public debate on changing attitudes towards the role of religion in our culture over the past thirty years. It has presented constructions of meaning and value across cultures, highlighting themes fundamental to our understanding of religions. These themes include: the nature of the divine, the role of myth and ritual, evolution in both the spiritual and biological sense, the role of technology in our understanding of religious systems, attitudes toward "other" religions, and the transformative power of religious experience.
    Meets general academic requirement R.

  • history (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Fillup ( 121335 )
    I don't know what to think of these more "unconventional" classes. I took a "history" class in college on the Beatles. A whole semester!!!

    We read books, studied the music, and looked at their impact on popular culture and the path of music development.

    I even wrote a term paper on George Harrison's exposure and conversion to eastern philosophy and religion.

    I guess the fundamental question on these kinds of classes is: are they just puff puff classes for an "easy A"? Or are they an interesting way to get young people to think about larger philosophical and societal question through subject matter they can really relate to?

    I would be interested to see the philosophical context into which the professor inserts the simpsons. what would the reading list be like for this class?

  • not the first time (Score:2, Informative)

    by jmallett ( 189882 )
    one of the universities of california (possibly bezerkeley) offered one of these before. and it's really a serious class, about the social implications/messages/etc. of the simpsons. I mean so much of it _is_ soecial commentary. I remember the UC class had students write their own episodes with a particular political theme in mind. very good stuff.
  • ...I can't wait for them to teach that!

  • Innovation in education (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This actually has a great deal of merit.

    Think about it. The Simpsons is arguably one of the most popular shows of all time. Not only is it one of the longest-running shows currently on television, its been one of the most consistently popular shows of all time, across ethnic lines. All during a period of great competition from other networks: other cartoon series have tried and failed to duplicate The Simpson's popularity (King of the Hill and The Family Guy readily spring to mind as competition on the same network.)

    Now, remember how the Simpsons developed? They were originally an animated short on The Tracey Ullman Show, produced by a small group of people, not the standard fare of corporate media development. So not only do we have this incredible, remarkable program, but the program developed from a different structure then typical programming.

    Now, all of these traits are remarkable individually, but when combined, the show is truly unique and remarkable.

    There might be a meaning hidden in those facts that would be worth study from a marketing, sociological, and philosophical point of view.

  • Same topic, different source. (Score:3, Informative)

    by Misch ( 158807 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @03:52PM (#2711748) Homepage
    Here's another story [go.com] on it from ABCNews.com [abcnews.com]
  • UC Berkeley offers classes called "DeCals [decal.org]" where students teach a class with a faculty advisor. Last Spring, and many earlier semesters, a Simpsons class [decal.org] has been available, called THE SIMPSONS: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SATIRE.

    Also available is SOUTH PARK: A SATIRE OF SOCIETY and SEINFELD AND OTHER COMEDIC EXPRESSIONS.

  • we now call eurypedes and sophocles GREAT poetry and deep, etc. but it was for entertainment purposes ONLY! although many of the other posts diss the simpsons and philosphy as just being crap and a waste of an education...it is one of the better ways to study pop cultural philosophy as it pertains to us...just as the greeks used their playwrites...how is this any different?

    QED

  • Other such similar classes (Score:3, Funny)

    by SpaFF ( 18764 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @04:30PM (#2711835) Homepage
    At the University of Alabama we have both a Star Wars class and a Dukes of Hazard Class. I wouldn't be suprised if we get a Simpsons class added to the catalogue soon.

  • The Simpsons as college material (Score:3, Funny)

    by Nikkos ( 544004 ) on Sunday December 16, 2001 @04:36PM (#2711848)
    In the final for my Western Humanities class the professor used an example from The Simpson to show the role of the family in society...

    Homer: Sometimes I think we're the worst family in town
    Marge: Maybe we should move to a larger town?
    --The Simpsons "Theres no disgrace like home"

    Nikkos
  • The past few months have been so bizarre on a National level, that they could have come right out of a Simpson's episode. And I love the Simpsons deconstruction of TV news. I remember seeing one day the Simpsons watching TV news and the headline was "wild packs of dogs terrorizing neighborhood." Sure enough, we've had several "real" news stories here about the same exact thing. I live in Portland, OR, where the Simpson characters are named after streets in the NW neighborhood. Too surreal sometimes! Rob.
  • was when Homer was recalling some earlier event, which started out in Moe's Tavern, and Barney, Lenny, and the rest of the Duff gang "discussing Wittgenstein..."

    Anyone remember what episode that was? I don't think Wittgenstein's ever been mentioned on American television aside from that one gag.
  • Droz: Yes! That's the beauty of college these days, Tommy! You can major in GameBoy if you know how to bullshit!

  • Saint Flanders (Score:2, Informative)

    by Bender Unit 22 ( 216955 )
    Many people do a lot of writing [christianitytoday.com] about the simps, so why not.
    Also, check out
    From Davey & Goliath to Homer and Ned [christianitytoday.com]. I'll but you didn't expect to find it there.
  • This is not that unusual of a thing really ... Professors need to engage students. Having a class about a subject they are interested in is ceartinily a way to do this ...

    At my university, (UC Riverside) there is a course on Star Trek! I think it focuses on ethinc issues or something.
  • In high school, we studied the Simpsons as an example of satire as a political commentary method in both 10th Grade English and 12th grade Advanced Placement English Lit.
  • Hey, this is neat: the article says they'll be using "The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the Most Animated Family" as one of the books in the class. I'm a senior in high school and I had a sub in one of my classes who was actually the editor of this book. I saw parts of this book before it was released, and we answered trivia questions from this book about the Simpsons' link to religion. Heh.
  • "Getting gay with kids is not dumb, mmmkay?. It just so happens I'm on the board of directors."

    Or listen to it [moviewavs.com]

  • "Animated Philosophy and Religion," taught by Kimberly Blessing...

    Seriously though?
  • I see a lot of discussion about what value a philosophy class about the Simpsons would have. People seem to forget that a liberal arts degree isn't only about what will be useful--that's what trade schools are for. Liberal arts are supposed to, well, liberate your mind, for the purpose of making your life more rewarding. They have no innate value in and of themselves, they're all about getting more value out of the rest of your life.

    Literature, philosophy, blah blah blah aren't civics lessons, and they don't put food on the table. They're there to help you appreciate the so-called finer things in life, and, honestly, well-concieved and -executed humor is one of the finer things. So what if there isn't some tangible value? There isn't supposed to be one.

  • Link for further research (Score:2, Informative)

    by hyyx ( 447405 )
    This site, snpp.com [snpp.com], is a Simpsons archive full of guides, papers, and all kinds of resources for research if anyone really wants to look into studying this further. The quality and content are solid. I highly recommend it.
  • The Simpsons quite often has a "moral" as blatant as Aesop, but sneaks it in using a cynical tone. Homer and Bart's misdeeds are punished in some hilariously twisted way. Good deeds don't often go unpunished either, but that's pretty well acknowledged in the Judeo-Christian tradition, e.g. Job. It does get lots of laughs from organized churches and from Ned Flanders' excessive zeal, but Flanders is prosperous and far happier than anyone living next door to the Simpsons ought to be. And balancing the mockery are some _really_ religious messages, for instance when Bart sells his soul...

    On the other hand, considering that the Rev. Lovejoy and Flanders seem to be Protestants, maybe this Catholic college just thinks the mockery is appropriate...
  • My wife immigrated to this country about 6 years ago, having studied "school" English (ie she knew only the basics). So, like lots of people, she watched popular TV to learn American English as well as the local culture. The two shows she watched?

    I Love Lucy and The Simpsons.

    Oh, what a wonderfully warped wife I have now... ;) In any case, I think they were particularly good choices given the immense influence they've had on our society as well as the reflection of the society itself.

  • ...in my middle school Social Studies class. We studied The Simpsons as an example of a "fad", ie something that would vanish very quickly. Heh. The other pop phenomenon we studied at the same time was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". One outta two ain't bad, I guess? :)

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