Katie Corner, Staff Writer–
Last spring, as Denison students browsed the course catalog for the upcoming fall semester, they may have spotted a class titled, “Seinfeld: Show About Everything.”
For fans of the television sitcom, the chance to take a seminar dedicated to the teachings of “Seinfeld,” and check-off a Social Science GE while they’re at it, probably seemed too good to be true. For those who didn’t land one of 16 seats in the Denison Seminar, here’s a glimpse into the class that breaks departmental boundaries to explore the human condition.
Dr. Andrew Katz, Professor and Chair of Politics and Public Affairs at Denison, has been a fan of “Seinfeld” since it first aired in 1989. Originally from Queens, New York, where characters Jerry and George go to college, Katz resonated with the show from its outset and found himself making references to it in his classes. Now, he keeps a printed list of every single episode on-hand to make sure his references are perfect.
“There are plotlines in the show that I could have written from my own experience,” Katz said.
Though “Seinfeld” is the self-proclaimed “show about nothing,” Katz argues it’s really a show about everything, hence the inspiration for his seminar course and its title.
“They touch on all of these subjects that you could explore from any interdisciplinary perspective,” Katz said.
His inspiration for the course goes beyond his affinity for “Seinfeld.” Back when Denison had an honors program, Katz enjoyed courses that were different from his typical departmental curriculum. When the program was discontinued in 2009, Katz and other professors were still searching for an outlet for these specialized courses that drew together students from all majors. So, Katz helped create the “Task Force on Extradisciplanry Seminars,” and thus, Denison Seminars were born.
Despite his involvement in the creation of Denison Seminars, Katz had not taught one of his own until now. It was on his professorial bucket list to teach one before he plans to retire at the end of this academic year.
In preparation for the seminar, Katz sent an email to his 16 soon-to-be students suggesting they familiarize themselves with “Seinfeld” if they hadn’t already. There was no “super-fan” prerequisite to sign up for the course, but some general knowledge of the plot, characters, and infamous jokes couldn’t hurt.
“I had wrongly assumed that everyone who would take the class would already be familiar with ‘Seinfeld,’” Katz said. To his surprise, most hadn’t seen the show, or only knew of it through their parents.
For Caroline Cavalier, a junior PPA major, it was Katz, not “Seinfeld,” that compelled her to take the course.
“I wanted to take one more class with Dr. Katz before he retired, but I had never actually seen the show before,” Cavalier said. “I have started to watch it now and I really enjoy it, and I’ve learned how to take something seemingly mundane and analyze it to gain a new perspective.”
Though the course revolves around “Seinfeld,” students don’t spend class time watching reruns. Instead, they search for what Katz calls “artifacts,” snippets, themes, or topics from the show, and apply interdisciplinary lenses to discuss their greater meaning. Katz invites colleagues from each domain of the liberal arts to visit class and talk about how these “artifacts” apply to their field of study. The class has moved through the perspective of the Social Sciences and the Fine Arts, and is now on the Humanities, before finishing the semester with the Natural Sciences.
“This is why I love Denison – you couldn’t find a class like this anywhere else!” Cavalier said.
On the horizon for Katz’s “Seinfeld” students is a final research paper on an artifact of their choosing, analyzed through the lens of the Social Sciences, Humanities, Fine Arts, or Sciences. In addition, each student has to complete a “Tight 5,” a stand-up comedy term for a five-minute set of one’s best material and a nod to Jerry Seinfeld’s career as a comedian.
Though Katz’s course on “Seinfeld” was a one-time offer, unique Denison Seminars pop up every semester for a select group of sophomores and juniors, some of them even including travel components. You never know: the next time you need a GE or elective credit, your favorite show might just be in the course catalog.
Photo: Dr. Andrew Katz of the PPA department.