The animated television series The Simpsons has begun its 26th season. On the surface, the show is about a middle class cartoon American family, but The Simpsons has never shied away from satirizing important social issues like immigration and climate change. Karma Waltonen is a continuing lecturer at UC Davis and co-author of The Simpsons in the Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield. She has taught classes on The Simpsons and incorporated the show into her other teaching for 15 years. She joins us to talk about the cultural impact of the show after 26 years on televisions around the world.  

LINKS:

• Simpsonology 101
• Blog: On The Simpsons The Marathon And The Modern TV Audience
• Blog: Goodbye Mrs. Krabappel
• Blog: It's My Anniversary With My Longest Running Non-Family Relationship
• The Simpsons In The Classroom