The Simpsons series: using The Simpsons for social justice discussion

Social justice is a common theme in the animated television series The Simpsons. While the show admits a slant towards liberalism and the writers seem to embrace appreciation for progressive ideals, the show makes jokes across the political spectrum. Topics ranging from environmental justice to LGBTQ rights to sexism have been featured on The Simpsons.

This social justice emphasis has not gone unnoticed, with the series and movie winning several social justice awards, such as the Environmental Media Awards, GLAAD Awards, and the Genesis Awards.

These lesson guides uses The Simpsons episodes as the basis for in-depth discussion of a wide variety of social justice topics. The class views the episode (easily found for streaming), then engages in activities designed to encourage a deep contemplation of the issue. The lesson guides provide an outline of each episode followed by discussion questions and activities, requiring minimal additional preparation. Students are quickly, and deeply, engaged in the topic, and become active participants in class discussions.