relevance of the Simpsons’ TV program and its depiction of society using various general education lenses

relevance of the Simpsons’ TV program and its depiction of society using various general education lenses

Television is an essential part of modern society due to the relevance and needs indicated for the different kinds of information broadcasted through its programs. Consequently, a significant society has become dependent on television channels as an essential source of information about ongoing events, and entertainment, news, to mention a few. Simpsons remains one of the longest-running TV programs in the history of US media. However, many trends are currently redefining consumption of various television programs. One of the primary trends in the current period is a reduction of the traditional media consumption base who prefer to access TV programs through multiple technological platforms established for purposes of providing TV programs at the convenience of consumers. The above trend has been facilitated by technological advancement whose innovation has informed the creation of media options such as provided by Netflix and other premium based media business. The sections that follow discuss Simpsons in light of the different general education lenses. Subsequently, the paper will demonstrate the relevance of the Simpsons’ TV program and its depiction of society using various general education lenses.

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The Four General Education Lenses (200)

The four general education lenses refer to the broad categorization of various disciplinary areas used in the current education syllabus context based on the approach that each discipline employs in the generation and dissemination of scholarly and professional literature. The first general education lens category is the natural sciences. Natural sciences are comprised of disciplinary areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and technology (Southern New Hampshire University, 2020). The creation of literature in disciplines under natural sciences employs scientific inquiry and methodologies.

The second general education lens is the social sciences which are concerned with society and social dynamics within a population (Southern New Hampshire University, 2020). The disciplines under the lens of the social sciences include psychology, sociology, and anthropology, among many others. The approach employed by social sciences in the study of human interactions and overlaps with that of humanities in particular areas since both lenses address different aspects of human existence.

The humanities are another general education lens in the current disciplinary setting and categorization (Southern New Hampshire University, 2020). Disciplines under the humanities categories focus on the study of global cultures, thus fostering understanding about cultural variations, human expression in a various culture, and the respective human experiences of individual community members in different global cultures.

Finally, history is the last category in general education lenses. Disciplines under the history of general education lens focus in the study of past events in human history (Southern New Hampshire University, 2020). Historical information is collected from various resources such as first-hand accounts by persons, documents produced during a particular historical period and context, photographs, and ancient artefacts, to mention a few.

Simpsons and Sociology

Sociology is a study that is concerned with human behavior and relationships in various social contexts. Subsequently, the creation of literature under the discipline involves the creation of concepts, theories, themes, and propositions that are used to explain, understand, and dissect social dynamics (Nefes, 2014). Simpsons has played a critical role in illustrating many sociology themes through the many episodes that have been produced and discussed under the program (Nefes, 2014). Moreover, the satire employed by the Simpsons TV series is essential in encouraging the critical thinking processes of sociology students and the general public as a whole.

Simpsons and Social Psychology

The disciplines under the helm of psychology focus on understanding human behavior and behavioral anomalies within human populations. The Simpsons TV has played a critical role in the study of social psychology for both students and instructors. For instance, since the program has been on the TV for an extended period, there is a high likelihood that most students in the US have at least had the chance to watch and follow the program during one period on the other (Eaton & Uskul, 2014). Moreover, Simpsons demonstrates various social psychology concepts and dynamics through the interactions of its different characters which foster the understanding the disciplinary concepts in the area (Eaton & Uskul, 2014). Besides, the cast in the program provides well-known characters that can be used by psychology students for purposes of psychological profiling.

Simpsons and the Historical Context

In the present period, the long history of traditional media broadcasting is a paramount source of information about many historical events. For instance, it is not uncommon for television programs to broadcast documentaries about different key historical events. The approach used by the Simpsons TV program in the creation of its episodes is comprised of an integration satire, American sitcom, and political cartoon (Delingpole, 2010) (Kurzrock’s, 2016). In the long period that the Simpsons’ TV program has been on the air, the show has captured many key historical events, shifts, and trends in its past episodes. Moreover, the satire used in the depiction of the content of the program is usually misrepresented or deformed deliberately to draw the viewers’ attention to particular past events that the creators considered to be essential to society during their respective periods.

Simpsons and the American Culture

The social dynamics exhibited in the Simpsons TV program primarily depict the US culture through storyline and interactions between various members of the cast. In the program, the patriarchal figure is depicted as weak in character, uneducated, and dumb, an aspect that has warranted harsh criticism from various prominent figures over time (Delingpole, 2010). However, the deliberate flaws in the program’s cast and subject approach are critical in depicting various aspects of the US culture as a whole rather than only shadowing the idealized attributes in society. Moreover, the comical approach used by the program is essential in communicating various negative aspects of society without eliciting emotional reactions that may offend and disengage the viewers from the program.

Simpsons and Politics

The primary creators of the Simpsons TV series are self-confessed members of opposite sides of the US political divide; Matt Groening is a liberal while Swartzwelder is a Republican (Delingpole, 2010). Consequently, the depiction of political themes used in the creation of the program extensively criticizes each side of the political divide. As a result, the political themes addressed by the program do not favor any side of the political divide (The Conversation, 2018). Contrarily, their approach creates a balanced view that is an exaggerated version of the situation in reality from both sides of the divide.

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The above sections have played a vital role in discussing the Simpsons TV series and its relevance for its use in education using the four general education lenses. The four general education lenses refer to the broad categorization of various disciplinary areas used in the current education disciplinary approach. The intersection between political cartoon, satire, and American system has made the program an excellent depiction of concepts in social sciences, humanities, and history. Moreover, the long period the program has been on television make it a crucial source of information about historical events, shifts, and trends as society progresses.