teaching sociology seminars through the simpsons: homer under c. wright mills' eye

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Türkay Salim NefesWright Mills' Eye

: Homer under C.The SimpsonsTeaching sociology seminars through

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Teaching sociology seminars through The Simpsons: Homer under C. Wright Mills’ Eye

Türkay Salim NefesUniversity of Oxford

AbstractThe academic literature on the use of television shows in sociology education has successfully highlighted the value of the practice, but has not afforded any examples from seminar teaching. This article contributes to the discussion by demonstrating how The Simpsons, an American animated television sitcom, assists in teaching sociology seminars. The article suggests that using The Simpsons in group-based, participatory teaching and the learning environments of seminars helps students to understand sociological theories and develop their sociological imagination. It shows the application of the cartoon series to seminars of a Sociology of Belonging module and tests the value of the practice by drawing on responses to student satisfaction surveys and in-class observations. The results illustrate that the cartoon helps to highlight sociological theories and improve students’ sociological imagination. The research concludes that the sociology curriculum would benefit from developing particular ways of using The Simpsons according to course content.

Keywordssociology of belonging, teaching sociology seminars, The Simpsons, the sociological imagination

Contemporary higher education institutions emphasize critical thinking as a crucial and desired outcome of education (Glen, 1995; Miller, 1992). In sociology, the aspiration to enhance critical thinking is implicit in Mills’ (1959) concept of the sociological imagina-tion, which invites sociologists to reflect critically on their own experiences to bridge the gaps between sociological theory and reality. The sociological imagination provides us with the capacity to think critically about the influence of social structure on individual

Corresponding author:Türkay Salim Nefes, Camlik cd. Cigdem sk. Mutlu ap. No: 7/5. 34182. Bahcelievler, Istanbul. Turkey.Email: [email protected]

440755 JOS50210.1177/1440783312440755NefesJournal of Sociology2012

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116 Journal of Sociology 50(2)

lives. It allows individuals to locate their personal biographies within the historical and social context in which they live. Indeed, the sociological imagination successfully reflects the rationale behind sociology, as Durkheim (1950) formulated the discipline as a science that investigates the influence of society, attained by constraints, on individu-als. Hence, the sociological imagination seems to be an ideal teaching goal, which could enable students to use the sociological knowledge gleaned in class to reflect on their own experiences. Previous studies proposed various strategies to teach sociological imagina-tion in class (Adams, 1986; Brouillette and Turner, 1992; Haddad and Lieberman, 2002; Jacobs, 1998; Kaufman, 1997; Misra, 2000; O’Flaherty, 1992). For example, Misra (2000) recommends using television shows to discuss sociological concepts, as it encour-ages students to apply sociological insights to everyday life.

This article argues that using The Simpsons, an American animated television sitcom, in teaching sociology seminars helps students’ learning and invigorates their sociological imagination through encouraging them to apply sociological insights to a popular exam-ple of ‘everyday life’. The article also outlines the relevant academic literature and sug-gests an alternative way of using The Simpsons in the sociology classroom, before explaining the practice and evaluating its effect on students’ learning and sociological imagination.

Why films? Why The Simpsons?1

While being informed by the use of other forms of popular culture in sociology educa-tion, such as music (Ahlkvist, 1999, 2001; Albers and Bach, 2003; Elterman, 1983; Martinez, 1994, 1995, 1998), and television shows (Bonomo, 1987; Donaghy, 2000), this paper predominantly refers to the discussion of films, because it is the most relevant and comprehensive literature with conclusions that have implications for considering The Simpsons as a teaching tool. Furthermore, the findings from the literature on films not only coincide with but also expand the main conclusions of the discussion on televi-sion programs.

It is possible to draw five important points from the literature on using films in teach-ing sociology. First, films are helpful in catching students’ attention and holding their interest in sociology (Pescosolido, 1990; Smith, 1982). Pescosolido (1990: 343) claims that films encourage more participation as students come from a visual culture. Second, thinking sociologically through films nourishes students’ sociological imaginations, as it affords examples to which sociological theories and methods can be applied (Deflem, 2007; Diehl et al., 2009; Groce, 1982; Hannon and Marullo, 1988; Hirsch, 1993; Hoffmann, 2006; King, 2000; Koch and Dollarhide, 2000; Leblanc, 1997; Livingston, 2004; Prendergast, 1986; Smith, 1973; Tan and Ko, 2004; Tipton and Tiemann, 1993). Deflem (2007: 1) states that ‘movies present an empirical universe of data that can be illuminated with the aid of the analytical tools of sociological theory in a way that ena-bles better understanding of the role and value of theory’. Third, films give students a particular opportunity to understand the feelings of other groups and therefore direct them to a more empathic perspective (Anwary, 2003; Burton, 1988; Loewen, 1991; Valdez and Halley, 1999). Fourth, the intellectual communication among film viewers is more vibrant than conventional lectures, because films provide common media for



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analysis (Prendergast, 1986). Finally, teachers must be very careful about which films to present to students, as they dramatize reality (Champoux, 1999; Demerath, 1981; Dowd, 1999).

The Simpsons provides a perfect example of the advantages described in the literature. First, as the most popular cartoon in the world, it can easily attract student attention. Second, it satirizes various aspects of contemporary society, playfully attacking conven-tional norms and destabilizing what is known as ‘normal’. Studies underline the self-reflexivity and social criticism of the show as potentially progressive (Alberti, 2004; Gray, 2006; Hull, 2000; Rushkoff, 2004; Turner, 2004). The Simpsons can foster stu-dents’ sociological imagination by demonstrating an upside-down view of society, encouraging students to think critically through illustrating modern social experience in unconventional ways. Third, the show depicts a wide range of groups and issues in soci-ety. It contextualizes a variety of experiences and allows for an empathetic perspective on the behaviours of other groups. Fourth, due to its immense popularity and quality, it is a common medium to which everyone can refer. Thus, it can initiate vibrant intellec-tual communication and engage students in the active learning process. Fifth, as a car-toon, The Simpsons does not share the risk posed by feature films of leading viewers to believe in the stories without a critical reflection. Moreover, the cartoon’s use of parody necessitates a level of critical distance, which prohibits anyone from confusing the show with reality and fulfilling an essential characteristic of the sociological imagination.

Compared to films, the use of the cartoon has practical advantages: it is easier to reach through the internet and shorter in duration. Being an animation also allows The Simpsons to comment on a wide range of issues impossible to depict in 22 minutes in films (Mittell, 2001: 23). Furthermore, the show closely follows current events and therefore contains contemporary examples easily understood by students. The content of The Simpsons embeds many sociological concepts, such as consumption, gender inequality, deviance, social movements and class differences. Therefore, its ability to depict a variety of issues and its topical relevance, social criticism, satirical approach to many different issues and groups and success as the most popular cartoon around the world make The Simpsons an ideal format for engaging the sociological imagination of students.

Reflecting on previous uses of The Simpsons in teaching

The show has successfully been used not only in teaching sociology (Hare and Lennartz, 2006; Scanlan and Feinberg, 2000), but also politics (Woodcock, 2006, 2008), econom-ics (Luccasen and Thomas, 2010), mathematics (Greenwald and Nestler, 2004), humani-ties (Fink and Foote, 2007), literature (Hobbs, 1998) and social psychology (Eaton and Uskul, 2004). This article shares the same objective and arguments as Scanlan and Feinberg’s (2000) study, which claimed that the use of the cartoon fosters students’ soci-ological imagination and learning. However, there are a number of differences between this article and the previous study.

First, the current study is conducted in sociology seminars, as these provide an ideal environment for students to engage with the sociological imagination. As group-based, participatory teaching and learning environments, they are designed to facilitate student




discussions on sociological theories. Nevertheless, this does not mean that lectures are unsuitable environments for using the cartoon.

Second, Scanlan and Feinberg (2000) relied on the topical relevance of The Simpsons to sociological concepts, as do Hare and Lennartz (2006). They showed full episodes and directed students to think through the sociological concepts embedded in each one. For example, after watching the episode ‘Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield’,2 Scanlan and Feinberg (2000: 134) guided students to questions such as: ‘How are the different classes presented in course readings illustrated in the show?’ Although this practice seems useful, this study suggests an alternative way of incorporating the cartoon into teaching sociology. Using whole episodes does not necessarily lead students to think through sociological concepts critically, as, given the quality of the cartoon as entertain-ment, students might not focus their energies on its relevance to the matter in hand. Hence, this study uses shorter clips of The Simpsons. In addition, thinking through socio-logical concepts permits the sociological imagination, but it does not necessarily lead to it. As described above, the sociological imagination is a capacity to think critically about the links between individual biographies and society. This could be realized more easily by assessing the value of sociological theories in real life. Therefore, this study attempts to lead students to practise their sociological imaginations through thinking how The Simpsons exemplifies sociological theories rather than concepts. This is parallel to Woodcock’s (2006, 2008) use of the cartoon, in that he taught specific political theories, such as Mill’s concept of Harm Principle and Plato’s Republic, by using examples from The Simpsons.

Third, Scanlan and Feinberg (2000) mainly drew on the student evaluation forms distributed at the end of term to support the value of the teaching technique. The current study only shows The Simpsons in one of the two terms of a sociology module, allowing a comparison of the student evaluation forms from each term to analyse students’ opin-ions on the use of the cartoon. Furthermore, alongside student evaluation questionnaires, this article uses in-class observations to test the influence of the technique on students’ learning and sociological imaginations.

The Simpsons in the sociology of belonging

The research was conducted in a Sociology of Belonging module of an undergraduate course at the University of Kent at Canterbury. The module aims to develop a sociologi-cal understanding of contemporary culture in western society. It considers the debates about childhood, adulthood, masculinity, the family and relationships, and draws on con-cepts such as ambiguity, flexibility and individualization. The module provides an ideal opportunity to develop the sociological imagination by encouraging students to link their individual experiences to today’s social structure. Moreover, the content coincides with many themes from The Simpsons, as the show is very successful in covering contempo-rary social, political and cultural discussions in its own model society, Springfield. As Scanlan and Feinberg (2000) highlight, over the many years of its existence the cartoon has covered a variety of sociological concepts, such as childhood, adulthood and reli-gious beliefs. Thus, the show addresses themes that are relevant to the content of the Sociology of Belonging module.



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The research was carried out in the academic year 2008–9, during the autumn and spring terms. There were ten lectures in each term, with nine seminars in the first term and ten in the second. The researcher was the only seminar leader of the module, which was attended by second- and third- (final) year students. While the majority of the stu-dents were sociology majors, there were also students from other disciplines, such as psychology, cultural studies and social policy. There were also seven international stu-dents in different seminar groups, who were participating in student exchange programs. Overall, there were 47 students registered, divided into four seminar groups. Each semi-nar group had 10 to 13 students. Seminar attendance was mandatory, and this meant good attendance levels (seven to ten students each week on average). The Simpsons was shown only in the first term to compare the effectiveness of seminars with and without use of the teaching technique. Videos of The Simpsons, of approximately 10 minutes in length, were used in each seminar whenever pertinent to a particular theory.3

The first two seminars primarily introduced the aims and format of the module and discussed the basic concepts. The students began to watch The Simpsons from the third seminar onwards. The main intention of the third seminar, ‘The Individual and Society’, was to establish an understanding of the difference between individuation and individu-alization, and the significance of contemporary individualization. The main readings included Bauman (1996), Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2002) and Elias (1991). While individuation refers to a stage in which people are disengaged from traditional bonds, links and society, individualization is a process in which people are free to choose their identities. In other words, individuation refers to an anomic process, but individualiza-tion implies a stronger subject that can shape his/her own relations/identity. To demon-strate this point, the ‘do as you feel festival’ from The Simpsons was shown (‘Bart’s Inner Child’). Briefly, this is an episode in which a psychologist encourages Bart’s anti-social behaviour by framing it as his ability to communicate with his inner child. Consequently, a ‘do as you feel festival’ is celebrated in Springfield, during which people are encour-aged to do whatever they like. It leads to chaos, and people get caught up in a huge fight. After the video, the students were asked to differentiate between individuation and indi-vidualization through the example given by the cartoon: Was the festival an example of individuation or individualization? What are the potential problems of individuation/individualization?

The fourth seminar, ‘Privacy’, identified the appeal of the private sphere in contem-porary society and explained the public/private sphere distinction. Among the main read-ings for the seminar were Bailey (2000, 2002) and Furedi (2002). The students watched a short video from an episode in which Homer tries to avoid failing as a teacher by dis-closing details of his private life and marriage to his students, as this seems to be the only way for him to keep his students attentive (‘Secrets of a Successful Marriage’, 1F20). It was used to open the discussion and lead the students to think about the sociological theories that underline the appeal of the private life in contemporary society. It was also supported by the seminar leader’s comments on how students had been more attentive when he had talked about himself.

The fifth seminar, ‘Changing Identities’, introduced the sociological theories on con-temporary reflexivity. Giddens (1991) and Wrong (2000) were the main readings for the seminar, and the main theme of the discussion was the decreasing level of influence of




social institutions upon individuals. In order to underline this claim, a clip from the epi-sode ‘Homer the Heretic’ was used. Homer rejects attending traditional Sunday church services and decides to establish his own customized religion. In so doing, he exempli-fies contemporary theories on the individual’s agency and reflexivity, as he could alter the traditional practice in an attempt to customize it for his own needs. The students were asked how Homer’s attitude relates to the theories on reflexivity discussed in the semi-nar, which gave them an opportunity to identify the theory in The Simpsons example.

The focus of the sixth seminar, ‘Self-fulfilment: Sociology of Self-identity’, was the way in which self-esteem has become a key concept to explain individual and social problems today. Some of the main theories relevant to the discussion were Furedi (2002) and Nolan (1998). The Simpsons episode ‘Lisa the Beauty Queen’ is about how Homer panics when Lisa loses her self-confidence and his attempts to help her recover her self-esteem. It caricatures the emphasis on self-esteem in contempo-rary society. The video was shown at the beginning of the seminar, and the students were asked to relate it to the lecture content and consider the contemporary social values attached to self-esteem.

The social construction of children as vulnerable beings in contemporary western society was the main topic of the seventh seminar, ‘Who Are Children?’ Some of the main readings were James et al. (1998), Jenks (1996) and Scranton (1997). A short part of the ‘Home Sweet Home-Diddly Dum Doodily’ episode was shown at the beginning of the seminar. In the episode, Homer and Marge face accusations from child welfare offic-ers that they are negligent parents. Their children are given to the Flanders, and they are forced to pass a parenting class to regain custody. The seminar discussion focused on the merits and problems of the contemporary emphasis on the vulnerability of children by drawing on the example from the cartoon.

The contemporary social construction of the adult as an impotent figure with child-like characteristics was the main discussion of the eighth seminar, ‘Who Are Adults?’ Calcutt (1998) and Hockey and James (1999) were the relevant readings, and the students were shown a scene from the episode ‘Homer’s Triple Bypass’, in which Homer is portrayed as an impotent, childlike character, who cannot offer any wise words to his children before undergoing a major surgery. Likewise, Lisa helps Homer’s incompetent surgeon to finish the operation. After showing these images, the seminar leader encouraged the students to comment on the depiction of adults in the episode and asked them to identify how these relate to the infantilized adult figure discussed in the lecture.

The ninth seminar, ‘Men and Women – Ambiguous Roles’, concentrated on the theo-ries of the contemporary crisis of masculinity. Some of the main readings for the week’s discussion were Connell (1995) and MacInnes (1998). In the episode ‘Homer’s Phobia’, Homer fears that Bart might be homosexual, as he gets along well with a gay family friend, John. To counter this, Homer and his friends, Moe and Barney, take Bart on a hunting trip to teach him masculine values. In the end, they are attacked by a herd of reindeer, and John comes to save them. The episode pokes fun at ‘traditional masculine values’ and provides an example of the crisis of masculinity. After watching the video, the students were invited to discuss the gender roles depicted in the episode and how they relate to the theories on the crisis of masculinity.



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Evaluation of the practice

In-class observationsThe researcher observed and took notes on student participation in the seminars through-out the academic year. Special attention was paid to student behaviour and interaction before and after showing the videos. The Simpsons functioned well as a common medium in the discussions. For instance, the researcher noted that the cartoon helped the flow of the seminars by increasing the variety of activities. It broke the routine of talking in the seminars and assisted in keeping the discussions on topic by focusing everyone on the relevance of the sociological theories to the videos.

Moreover, The Simpsons, as a common, popular and stimulating medium, seems to have helped establish a relaxed, friendly and dynamic intellectual communication among the students in the seminars. It broke the ice in the classroom by transforming the stu-dents into an audience that enjoyed the internationally renowned comedy. In most of the seminars in the first term, all of the students actively contributed to the discussions. They were laughing together and using examples from different episodes of the cartoon while discussing the sociological theories. For example, in the fifth seminar about the decreas-ing influence of institutions on individuals, one student reasoned that if social institu-tions cease to have constraints on individuals, it would result in a chaotic situation like that of the ‘do as you feel festival’ in The Simpsons episode shown in the third seminar.

In the second term, the cartoon was not used in teaching. Student attendance levels did not change significantly in this term, but there was a decrease in the number of stu-dents who actively took part in the seminar discussions. In other words, the seminar discussions often involved fewer students in the second term. Furthermore, the participa-tion rates of the international students and the students from other disciplines were visi-bly lower. Although this may have been due to many other factors, it could be speculated that the cartoon functioned as a catalyst for the in-class discussion, and, in the absence of The Simpsons, the students did not find a common, stimulating medium through which they could discuss the sociological theories. For that reason, the students from different disciplines and the international students might have found it harder to connect to the discussions in the second term.

In addition, the researcher observed that using short videos instead of entire episodes helped the students to concentrate on specific examples and use their sociological imagi-nation. The students were quite successful in finding connections between the relevant sociological theory and the show. For instance, in the ninth seminar on masculinity, one student countered the view that sees masculinity in crisis today by using an example from the episode ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (4F11), in which John, the gay character, sarcasti-cally remarks that he won the respect of Homer by saving his life and only if every gay person does the same Homer will be able to overcome his homophobia. The student added that one of the most common derogatory words used during men’s soccer training at the university was ‘gay’. He claimed that this illustrated how a normative masculinity remains persistent in contemporary culture rather than being in crisis. In the eighth semi-nar, on the theories of the social construction of adults as impotent figures, a student argued that only Homer is depicted as an impotent adult in The Simpsons, and this is not representative of the theory. The other students challenged this view by giving examples




of other characters from The Simpsons who are portrayed as impotent adults, for exam-ple, the police chief Clancy Wiggum and Otto Mann, the school bus driver who has no driving licence. This is in line with the view that the show helps the students’ learning processes, develops their sociological imagination skills, facilitates an ideal environment for intellectual communication (Prendergast, 1986) and holds the student interest (Pescosolido, 1990; Smith, 1982). The following section provides more evidence on how The Simpsons helped to teach sociological concepts and enhance the students’ sociologi-cal imagination.

Student evaluations

The Simpsons was shown only in the first term of the academic year, which constituted the first half of the module. At the end of the term, the students were asked to evaluate the usefulness of the technique by completing surveys (Appendix A). In the second term, they were invited to compare the seminars with and without the cartoons through surveys (Appendix B). The results of these two evaluations were analysed to understand the stu-dents’ reflections on the usefulness of the cartoon in teaching sociological theories.

As seen in Table 1, the students gave high ratings to questions about how well The Simpsons was related to the module content, and to what extent it enhanced their learning process and encouraged participation in the first term. They also supported the idea of showing the cartoon in the second term. They had high satisfaction rates from the seminars, the seminar leader and The Simpsons. In the second survey, the student satisfaction ratings for the seminar and the seminar leader were similar to those for the first term. Therefore, these findings illustrate that student satisfaction levels regarding the seminars and the seminar leader without The Simpsons did not significantly change. In addition, Table 2 demonstrates that, despite the students

Table 1. Student satisfaction rates.

Student satisfaction mean rates (1–6) First term Second term

My overall satisfaction with the seminars

5.18 5.03

My overall satisfaction with the seminar leader

5.32 5.38

My overall satisfaction with The Simpsons

4.73 N/A

The seminar sessions connect well with The Simpsons

4.91 N/A

The Simpsons encourage participation 4.55 N/AThe Simpsons enhance my learning process

4.65 N/A

The Simpsons should be shown in the second term

5.26 4.35

Using The Simpsons generates better seminars.

N/A 4.53



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commenting positively on the use of the cartoon in both terms, they were more critical of the teaching technique in the second term. These could suggest that The Simpsons contributed to the seminar satisfaction but was not a determining factor. However, this conclusion should be approached with caution, as the overall findings illustrate a positive student response with regard to the teaching technique in both terms. Moreover, Table 1 shows that, in the second survey, the students also supported claims that the use of The Simpsons generates better seminars and should have been used in the second term. Hence, it seems more plausible to argue that the high satisfaction ratings in the second term could have been triggered by the successful use of the tech-nique in the previous term, which might have first created and then increased student interest in the module and seminars.

The student comments provide a much clearer perspective on the usefulness of the technique. As Table 3 demonstrates, in the first term the only negative comment criticized the practice for being unnecessary, but it did not claim that it was not use-ful. The neutral responses, the ones that were neither positive nor negative, sup-ported the teaching method, but questioned The Simpsons’ ability to represent real life. Regardless, the majority of the students commented positively on the use of this teaching aid. They said that it helped them understand and remember the mod-ule content, and made the seminars more interesting and the discussions livelier. In the second term, the students with negative views emphasized that The Simpsons was not very helpful, and they preferred discussions without it. The students with neutral views on the practice indicated that The Simpsons did not make a big differ-ence in the quality of the seminars. The positive evaluations, like those provided in

Table 2. Student comments on the use of The Simpsons.

Number of student comments on The Simpsons (N = 34)

First term Second term

No comments 0 3Negative comments 1 5Neutral comments 7 9Positive comments 26 17

Table 3. Sample student comments.

The tone First term Second term

Negative comments

The Simpsons was not that helpful, [because] the concepts aren’t difficult enough to need visual representation

I preferred the seminars without The Simpsons, as I felt it kept the seminars more focused

Neutral comments

The Simpsons is good and made points clear, but maybe should be a bit more about real life

Ideas are still clear without visual material

Positive comments

It is a great way of learning and understanding the most abstract concepts

The Simpsons generated more discussion and gave a common ground to relate to




the first term, noted that the cartoon helped students to understand the sociological theories and created a good ambience for discussion. Overall, the students were supportive of using The Simpsons in the seminars, as they believed that it consti-tuted a good learning aid.

Table 4 below shows that the majority of the positive responses to the open-ended question in the first term remarked that The Simpsons was a relevant aid to understanding. The other frequent comments claimed that the practice was helpful in clarifying points and made the seminars interesting. In the second term, the stu-dents with a positive attitude towards the practice also underlined that The Simpsons was a relevant aid to their understanding and provided a good environment for discussion. The majority of the students found the cartoon a relevant aid to under-stand the sociological theories taught in the module, because they were able to link the content of the module to the cartoon. For example, one of the students com-mented that ‘the visual material makes concepts relevant to real-life situations – even if it is The Simpsons’. Another student stated: ‘The Simpsons is useful to relate to modern/contemporary/everyday cultural material, and it makes it easier to understand abstract theoretical concepts.’ In this regard, the positive comments were in line with the in-class observations above, which suggested that The Simpsons contributed to the flow of the seminars, facilitated a friendly and dynamic intellectual communication, and helped the students to understand and discuss the sociological theories.

Although the student satisfaction ratings for the seminar and the seminar leader were similar in both terms and the negative student responses about the teaching technique increased in the second term, the overall data still show a positive student response towards the practice. Besides, the content of the student evaluations in both terms also supported the premise that the cartoon helps the students to under-stand sociological theories by leading them to link the theories to ‘real-life’ exam-ples, that is to practise using their sociological imagination. Lastly, the responses confirmed three points from the literature: films attract student attention (Pescosolido, 1990; Smith, 1982); films aid in improving students’ sociological imagination through providing examples (Deflem, 2007; Misra, 2000; Scanlan and Feinberg, 2000); and films help to create an ideal environment for intellectual com-munication (Prendergast, 1986).

Table 4. Content of the positive comments.

First term Sewcond term

Comment Frequency Comment Frequency

Relevant aid to understanding

15 Relevant aid to understanding 10

Provides talking points and provokes discussion

3 Everyone is more open to participate

4

Makes the seminars interesting

3 The Simpsons should have been shown in the second term

4



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Conclusion

This study provides an alternative use of The Simpsons by drawing on the analogies between the sociological theories and the cartoon series to teach the Sociology of Belonging module content and ignite students’ sociological imagination. The findings from the seminar discussions and student evaluations support the main hypothesis that showing The Simpsons in the seminars would help students understand the content of the module and improve their sociological imagination skills. In the seminars, the stu-dents were clearly interested in understanding the relevance of the show to the socio-logical theories, which encouraged them to use their sociological imagination. This seems to have helped their understanding of the module content. The students men-tioned in the evaluations that they better understand the sociological theories through linking them to the examples from the videos. However, it should be acknowledged that the positive response in the evaluations could possibly be exaggerated due to social desirability bias, that is, responding to the questions in a way that will be viewed positively by others.

The study also demonstrates that the students’ positive reactions to the practice could decrease slightly over time, which may cast doubts on studies that rely on surveys at the end of a term to verify student satisfaction. Future research could look into reasons of this type of changes in student response in time. The study also shows that the student responses to the open-ended survey questions provided more direct evidence about the influence of the teaching technique on student performance. Thus, the research suggests that for future studies, open-ended survey questions and in-depth interviews with stu-dents could be more valuable methods for verifying the influence of a similar teaching technique. It seems to be harder to assess the factors that affect students’ evaluations in Likert-scale surveys.

Finally, the study recommends an increased use of The Simpsons in the sociology curriculum. While the ongoing international popularity of the show improves the chances of attracting student attention, it also tackles a wide range of sociological issues in a satirical way that is akin to the sociological imagination. Therefore, future research should focus more on how to relate the cartoon to teaching specific sociological theories and modules. Sociology would benefit from using The Simpsons to encourage students to bridge the gaps between ‘everyday life’ and sociological theories.

Appendix A

I am in seminar group (circle the right one):

01 Mon 9–10 02 Mon 13–14 03 Mon 14–15 04 Mon 17–18

The seminar sessions connect well with The Simpsons

Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly Agree

The Simpsons encourage participation





The Simpsons enhance my learning process


The Simpsons should be shown in the second term



Very Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 Very High





What I think about the seminars is:What I think about the use of The Simpsons is:What I wish would be different about the seminars is:Any other comments:

Appendix B

I am in seminar group (circle the right one):

01 Mon 9–10 02 Mon 13–14 03 Mon 14–15 04 Mon 17–18

Using The Simpsons generates better seminars:


The Simpsons should have been shown in the second term






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What I think about the seminars is:What I think about the difference between the seminars in two terms in terms of The Simpsons use (we did not see any of episodes of The Simpsons in the second term) is:What I wish would be different about the seminars is:Any other comments:

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their insightful readings and constructive suggestions. I also owe thanks to Feng-shuo Chang, Ruben Flores and Alexandra Iborra Maza, whose comments helped to improve the earlier versions of this article.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes

1. I would like to thank one of the anonymous reviewers for suggesting this heading.2. Details of The Simpsons episodes cited in the article are in a subsection of the References.3. There are various references that can help instructors familiarize themselves with The

Simpsons. The Simpsons Official Website (http://thesimpsons.com), The Simpsons Archive (http://www.snpp.com) and the Wikipedia page about The Simpsons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons) provide detailed information and a synopsis of each episode. The Simpsons Archive has interesting sections, such as articles, interviews and academic papers on The Simpsons, which could be an asset for researchers. All seasons of The Simpsons are available to purchase or rent. They could also be recorded from television, as the show is broadcast in many parts of the world (Hare and Lennartz, 2006). Some university libraries, like the University of Kent, have the show in their DVD archives, so it can be found in a library catalogue.

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Episodes from The Simpsons

‘Bart’s Inner Child’, The Simpsons (1F05) Produced by Jace Richdale, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Bob Anderson. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 11 November 1993.

‘Home Sweet Home-Diddly Dum Doodily’, The Simpsons (3F01) Produced by Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Susie Dietter. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 1 October 1995.

‘Homer’s Phobia’, The Simpsons (4F11) Produced by Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Mike B. Anderson. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 16 February 1997.

‘Homer’s Triple Bypass’, The Simpsons (9F09) Produced by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by David Silverman. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 17 December 1992.

‘Homer the Heretic’, The Simpsons (9F01) Produced by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Jim Reardon. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 8 October 1992.

‘Lisa the Beauty Queen’, The Simpsons (9F02). Produced by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Mark Kirkland. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 15 October 1992.



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‘Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield’, The Simpsons (3F11) Produced by David Mirkin, James Brooks, Matt Groening, Jennifer Chittenden and Sam Simon. Directed by Susie Dietter. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 4 February 1996.

‘Secrets of a Successful Marriage’, The Simpsons (1F20) Produced by David Mirkin, James Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Directed by Carlos Baeza. Fox Broadcasting. Originally aired 19 May 1994.

Author biography

Dr Türkay Salim Nefes completed a PhD at the Sociology Department at the University of Kent in 2010. He was a part-time lecturer at the same institution between 2006 and 2011. Subsequently, he worked as an international research fellow at the Sociology Institute of the University of Freiburg. Currently, he is a research fellow in the Sociology Department at the University of Oxford and St. Antony College.



teaching sociology seminars through the simpsons: homer under c. wright mills' eye

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