Abstract
The creators of The Simpsons have constructed a model of society, one which due to the show's longevity and popularity can be used by the teacher of politics to illustrate key points of the curriculum. This article suggests three such uses of The Simpsons, namely the depiction of gender in society, the nature of politicians, and what can and cannot be banned with regard to public health.
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Notes
All episode details from seasons 1–14 from either, Richmond and Coffman (1997), Gimple (1999), McCann (2002) or McCann (2005); thereafter from http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/index.htm. Episodes will be referred to by their title and production code throughout (e.g. The Twisted World of Marge Simpson 4F08).
Marge does go to work in the nuclear power plant in Marge Gets a Job (9F05) where she is sexually harassed by Mr Burns, becomes a police officer in The Springfield Connection (2F21) and an estate agent in Realty Bites (5F06). She also sets up her own pretzel business in The Twisted World of Marge Simpson (4F08), acts as a substitute teacher in The PTA Disbands (2F19) and volunteers as a counsellor at the local church in, In Marge We Trust (4F18). Marge is, however, always back home or unemployed by the end of the episode (Snow and Snow, 2001: 134).
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Woodcock, P. Gender, Politicians and Public Health: Using The Simpsons to Teach Politics. Eur Polit Sci 7, 153–164 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2008.5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2008.5