Reality TV may be insipid, but it says quite about about the human condition. Here are some suggestions for incorporating reality TV shows into the college classroom.
College students love reality TV. And insipid as reality television can be, it does say quite a bit about the human condition. So why not use this popular culture phenomenon as a free teacher resource for your college classroom? With a little creativity, you can use episodes of reality TV as educational resources to illustrate lessons in psychology,sociology, gender studies, media studies, marketing, and more. Because students can relate to reality TV, it can be a useful and fun tool to spark discussions and increase student participation.
Here are some suggestions for how to use reality television shows as an educational resource in college classrooms:
Sociology. If you're looking for examples of social dynamics, reality TV is a perfect place to look. Survivor, Big Brother, and The Real World are especially good for this because they involve the artificial creation of small societies. They provide countless examples of friendships, alliances, power struggles, and other human dynamics at their best and worst. Wife Swap may be useful as an example of what happens when two women switch familes and are expected to live under very different social norms.
Psychology. Some of these reality TV contestants belong in a abnormal psychology textbook, so why not use them as examples in a psychology classroom? Need an example of someone with narcissistic personality disorder? Try New York from Flavor of Love or Jade from America's Next Top Model.
Women's studies/gender roles. Some reality TV portrays women so badly that students might see these shows as morbid comic relief. You don't have to be a feminist to be be disturbed by a woman whose self esteem seems completely dependent on whether The Bachelor gives her a rose, or by a size 6 girl who chastises her body on America's Next Top Model. (Along these lines, you can demonstrate the concept of objectification with an episode of Deal or No Deal, complete with models in identical dresses who are each marked with a number.) For a more nuanced discussion on gender roles, discuss the differences in how women and men are portrayed in competitive games like Survivor and The Apprentice. And don't forget all those domestic bliss decorating shows like Trading Spaces.
Marketing/Business. For starters, of course, there's The Apprentice. Students can be asked to evaluate the performance of the contestants on their marketing tasks, or might be asked to come up with a marketing strategy of their own for one of The Donald's challenges. But The Apprentice isn't the only reality show with a business angle. Reality television has become a cornucopia of product placement. Students can be asked to evaluate these product placement marketing strategies and to think of effective ones of their own.
Philosophy. Reality television brings up questions that can be tackled by an ethics class. Is it ethical to break a meaningful alliance when you're playing a game? Is the whole concept of reality TV ethical? Reality TV can also be used as a contemporary twist to philosophical discussions. Is reality TV any less socially constructed than reality? Does Flavor Flav exist, or is he merely a simulacra? What is the role of the panopticon in Big Brother? Have fun, philosophy geeks.
Literature. As a mainstream genre, reality TV draws upon classic literary themes that will be pleasing to the audience. A literature class can explore these themes. For example, reality television draws upon the theme of the impoverished but kindhearted character who is rewarded at the end through riches and other great prizes. Pimp My Ride is all about this theme. In each episode, a poor young person who devotes time to charity and good deeds is rewarded when their pathetic car is given an extravagant makeover. Another common literary theme is the 'fish out of water" morality tale, as seen on Wife Swap, Paris Hilton's The Simple Life, and Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days.
Media studies. You can teach a whole media studies class on reality television, and some schools have done this. One topic of discussion is how reality television reflects the changing economics of television through low-budget production and product placement. In relation to this, reality TV is full of examples of how popular culture naturalizes consumerism. Reality television also provides examples for discussions about representations of race, gender, class, religion, and sexual orientation. Queer Eye (formerly Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) is one program that can be useful in both demonstrating how television content promotes consumerism and in discussing whether this show portrays gay men positively or negatively.
Music. Ah, American Idol. American Idol may be to serious music students what The Bachelor is to women's studies students: a so-bad-it's-good opportunity for comic relief. However, music instructors still can find ways to incorporate shows like American Idol into their classrooms, like by asking students to evaluate the contestants musically.
Have fun and be creative! Popular culture in the classroom isn't an opportunity for your students to escape. It's an opportunity for teachers to demonstrate how educational concepts apply to every facet of their lives, including their popular culture. If you have other suggestions for how to use reality TV in the classroom, please leave them in the discussion below.
The copyright of the article Reality TV as a Teacher Resource in Campus Life is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish Reality TV as a Teacher Resource in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
