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American Morning

Pop Culture Philosophy: "The Simpsons" Go to College

Aired December 18, 2001 - 08:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: With his trademark "D'oh!", Homer and his family of Simpsons have become part of our popular culture. Need proof? Well, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SIMPSONS")

HOMER SIMPSON: D'oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D'oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D'oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (scream) D'oh!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: D'oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!

Now, two philosophy professors at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, are using "The Simpsons" to put a new spin on an age-old subject. And "The world according to Homer" is quickly becoming one of the most popular courses on campus.

Joining Jack and me now are the two professors behind all of it, Kimberly Blessing, who joins us from Ann Arbor, this morning, and Anthony Sciglitano, who joins us from in Syracuse, New York, this morning.

Good morning, you two.

PROFESSOR KIMBERLY BLESSING, SIENA HEIGHTS UNIV.: Hello!

PROFESSOR ANTHONY SCIGLITANO, SIENA HEIGHTS UNIV.: Good morning.

ZAHN: All right. All right. You got to come clean here this morning. Kimberly, what can you possibly learn from "The Simpsons?" (LAUGHTER)

BLESSING: I don't know. Well, we'll see. Actually, this -- this book that came out by Bill Irwin called "The Philosophy And The Simpsons." I used a couple of articles in my intro class this semester and it seemed to work well. And we had some fun with it. And I thought, hey, why not try a doing whole course on it? And roped Tony into this, and we're going to see what happens, I guess

(LAUGHTER)

SCIGLITANO: I'm happily roped at this point.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Professors -- yes -- it's Jack Cafferty. Do you guys have tenure?

(LAUGHTER)

BLESSING: We don't have tenure at our institution.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Oh, you don't.

BLESSING: No no.

SCIGLITANO: I think she has more or less tenure, but I don't yet. So it's a...

CAFFERTY: Was there -- was there any problem with the higher- ups when you said we want to teach a college class on "The Simpsons"? Did anybody go, "Hey, wait, you can't do that. We'll hear from parents who spend thousands of dollars to send their kids here and they're taking a class on "The Simpsons"?

BLESSING: No. I -- I don't think that they knew what we were doing. And so -- actually, my -- our -- our chair of our division has always been very supportive. And he, you know, was sort of "go for it, if you can get the students, the minimum enrollment in the class, then go ahead with it." And the Adrian Dominican sisters are having a blast with this, so...

SCIGLITANO: I think the reputation, too. Kim's reputation's pretty -- pretty demanding professor. So, nobody's thinking this is going to be some sort of candy-coated class, either.

ZAHN: Yeah, well, let me get this straight, you two. What -- what do you have to do to prepare for class? Do you sit around all day watching "The Simpsons?"

BLESSING: Yeah, well.

ZAHN: Do you tell them to video tape...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: Replay, videotape, replay?

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: Go ahead, Kimberly.

BLESSING: Yeah, I know. Yeah, the homework will be watching a couple of episodes of "The Simpsons" and Tony and I are going to be doing some serious research over the Christmas break to prepare for the class.

SCIGLITANO: We have to catch up, actually.

BLESSING: Yeah, yeah.

SCIGLITANO: That's the issue.

BLESSING: I think the students are going to be the experts here. They 're going to have watched more of this than we will, so...

CAFFERTY: Have you heard, seriously, from -- from either parents or alumni or -- or anyone? Has the local newspaper taken a position on this thing? I've got a kid in college. And when the tuition bills come, suffice it to say, she damn well better not be taking courses in "The Simpsons," based on the size of the check I have write twice a year. Have you -- have you gotten any beefs from anybody?

SCIGLITANO: Okay well...

BLESSING: Go ahead, Tony.

SCIGLITANO: Yeah, I mean, that -- that's interesting. We're trying to get students who might not normally be that interested in studying philosophy to take a course that's not going to satisfy any requirements, but that, nevertheless, will get them into philosophical ideas through a vehicle that they know and love at this point. And I don't see really anything wrong with that.

CAFFERTY: That's fair enough.

ZAHN: But I'm wondering what that philosophy is, Anthony.

CAFFERTY: Yeah.

ZAHN: What is the philosophy of "The Simpsons?"

SCIGLITANO: Well, I don't know if they have one unified philosophy. But, what they do have, or what they do do, is raise an awful lot of the questions. And they show that, with a common, sort of, family of America, these questions actually do arise in every day life. They're not -- they're just not something that, you know, eggheads like us make up in back rooms to torture children with or something like that. So, I think it will be a lot of fun. And I'm looking forward to it. I think the students have a lot of energy for it. And -- and we will too. So -- so, it gets them in and gets them interested, and then we can play off what they know already to teach them something they don't know already. So, I guess that's the idea.

CAFFERTY: You know, that -- that's a series that's been around for -- what? 15 years maybe?

ZAHN: A long time.

CAFFERTY: A very long time. I -- I am proud to say, I've never seen an episode. Despite having...

BLESSING: You don't know what you are missing.

CAFFERTY: Yes, I do. Despite -- despite having worked at Fox at the time that -- is it Groenig, the creator of this?

SCIGLITANO: Yes.

ZAHN: Right.

BLESSING: Right.

CAFFERTY: And I can remember, in the beginning, it was looked on as this kind of primitive, sort of, crudely-constructed poor-man's animation cartoon. And who have thunk it? I mean, it's been on prime-time television for all these years. So there must be something to it. Maybe I have been missing something.

ZAHN: Well, we wish you luck.

SCIGLITANO: Thanks.

BLESSING: Thank you.

ZAHN: Go ahead, Anthony, did you want to say...

SCIGLITANO: Well, watch the Thanksgiving episode. I think you'll get a whole different -- different feel for -- for what they're doing there. And it -- it's wonderful stuff.

ZAHN: That will be my Christmas gift to you this year, Jack Cafferty. I'll get you the Thanksgiving issue of "The Simpsons." Kimberly Blessing, thanks for joining us.

BLESSING: Thank you.

ZAHN: Anthony Sciglitano, thank you for your time as well.

SCIGLITANO: Thank you so much.

ZAHN: So, Jack, why don't we play a little bit of sound from "The Simpsons" right now. I think you guys have it. It's ready to roll. This is one of the common themes -- religion -- in the shows. Do you have it? Let's play it now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SIMPSONS")

BART SIMPSON: It's ZZ Top. You guys rock. HASIDIC JEW: Eh, maybe a little.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: Now, you see the wealth of stuff you can learn by watching "The Simpsons?"

CAFFERTY: It's cute. Very cute. Now, the -- that's the Hasidic community, right?

ZAHN: Right.

CAFFERTY: Headed for 47th Street, here in Manhattan. Kid thinks it's ZZ Top. Well, anybody would know it wasn't ZZ Top.

ZAHN: Let's just see how many parents send letters to Ms. Blessing and Professor Sciglitano, at their school in Michigan.

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