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University offers 'Simpsons' as Philosophy Class
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.
For 12 seasons, "The Simpsons" has mined religious subjects for laughs. The staple of the Fox network has sometimes been called sacrilegious
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....sacrilicious.....
Worst class ever.
Won't somebody please think of the children..
Mmm.. Philosophy..
air and light and time and space
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
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
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, 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.
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.
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.
Or maybe she's silent because most babies don't talk?
Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.