How Homer Simpson can enrich philosophy class

Hunter had a similar experience while teaching a freshman class at Mississippi State University. The philosophy lecturer noticed that when he mentioned "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," it inspired thoughtful discussion. Why not design an entire class based on this material, if it's going to help students learn abstract concepts? He stumbled upon "Philosophy and Popular Culture," a series of books that cover "The Matrix," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "The Simpsons" among others. He plans to use these books in the spring.

"These are legitimate, philosophical essays, written by philosophers, designed to introduce people to philosophy by appealing to the content of these shows," says Hunter.

For instance, the chapter on "Thus Spake Bart: On Nietzsche & The Virtues of Being Bad" discusses Nietzsche and his idea of the "overman" and "the transvaluation of values."

An analysis of Bart Simpson supplies an excellent avenue into a discussion of Nietzsche's philosophy - although whether Bart exemplifies aspects of Nietzsche's thought remains to be seen, says Hunter. "Most of the pop-culture material I'm using doesn't provide perfect or ideal examples - it's just that the relationships are close enough to serve as a springboard into meaningful philosophical discussion."

While many professors are phasing pop culture into their courses, it's not a novel idea, says Tim Massie, who teaches "Varieties of Religious Experience: The Church in Rome" at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "Look at Cecil B. DeMille's version of 'The Ten Commandments' with Charlton Heston. How many families had their kids sit around the TV, to watch not just the movie, but perhaps learn more about their faith?"

The approach goes back to the 1960s, says Paul Giurlanda, chair of religious studies at St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. "Except then it was Simon and Garfunkel," he says. "The drawback? It's easy to get youth culture wrong. I can remember several student retreats where 'hip' high school teachers at Catholic schools were playing 'Sounds of Silence' and not realizing that the students were so past that song. If you're going to ride this wave, you'd better be on top of it, and not a little bit behind it."

That's why Schwartz uses only episodes from "The Next Generation." "There are a couple of episodes in the '60s that are quite interesting," she says. "The problem is that my students are laughing too hard because the production value is so low, the acting is regrettable, and the plots are overly simplistic."

Although the course was a bit of a tough sell to faculty in the beginning, Schwartz says it has proved its worth over the past six years. "One of the things that some faculty were afraid of at first: 'What are graduate schools going to think when they look at a transcript?' Interestingly, what has come back to me from students is that interviewers are looking for something that stands out that's interesting to talk about and they very often ask, 'What's this about?' "

Eddy says he will never see "Star Trek" the same way again. Schwartz's class even inspired him to enroll in the psychology of religion this semester. "I am a more understanding, compassionate, and reflective person than I was this time last year."

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