Can you believe this?

A damn UNIVERSITY is going to give away 3 credit hours for the educational purpose of watching American fucking Idol. I don't know if I should laugh or cry.

Maybe we should offer a class on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles too? I'm sure commiting to memory the fact that Splinter was the talking rat will help just about anybody along that bumpy little path of life.


The class will watch the show twice a week and devise its own system for rating contestants. Students will learn the history of different musical styles used as "Idol" themes, such as Motown and Broadway. The final project will be a paper on who should win and why.

Survivor is a legitimate source of material for any class on strategic behavior and game theory, but an entire class on one show?

actually, they have a simpsons class somewhere, let me try to find it.

i'm pretty sure there's one at Oxford, can't find confirmation though

I think Survivor would pretty much be a waste of valuable time but I'll give for the sake of argument...but c'mon now Wastrel....AMERICAN IDOL?!

Is this not insane?

...And would it be worthwhile to try and get the person who approved this commited to an insane asylum?

How would I go about doing that?

I think Survivor would pretty much be a waste of valuable time[...]

For a class on game theory and strategic interaction? Are you kidding? Mark Burnett was greatly inspired by game theory. The show is practically built around it.

Can we get a link?

http://www.local6.com/education/3872078/detail.html, where i saw it nyway

Can we get a link?

Heh, I thought you were asking Jeter to paste a link for the Simpson's class....

From CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/10/29/american.idol.ap/index.html

"The University of North Carolina at Charlotte"

I had a class on Blade Runner, The Lion King, Austin Powers 2, show at Brandeis. oddly enough, one of the main points was that you could always deny that there was anything "deeper" about them.

Cowabunga! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/3720956.stm

A new course in surf and beach management has been dropped - because no-one would take it seriously.

Swansea Institute's principal David Warner said they had been forced to axe the course as "it was impossible to stop people poking fun at it".

The degree, due to start last month, was at the centre of a big splash in July when it was criticised at a teachers' union conference.

Teacher Peter Morris labelled it a "Mickey Mouse" course.

Mr Morris, from Swansea, said surfing was "a hobby, not a subject" and that the three-year degree was "devaluing academia".

The course was to have featured modules on managing surf expeditions and surf destination planning.

YOwzaaa....

And they say the Canadian University system has some issues....