Sandi Nenga, associate professor of sociology at Southwestern, has long been interested in the way children’s television shows critique contemporary society. Her idea for the “Doctor Who as Social Commentary” First Year Seminar stemmed from this fascination, and a quick poll of former students confirmed that the idea was worth exploring.

This year’s 22 First Year Seminar courses are intended to introduce new Southwestern students the curriculum that arcs their entire academic experience and to help them learn to navigate college life. Adina Friedman, a computer science and philosophy double major from Austin, says it is “a valuable chance to mess up” and that she appreciates having a faculty member ready to assist in her acclimation to campus.

In addition to watching countless hours of the Doctor’s adventures, students are encouraged to critically analyze the television show’s social and political commentary on war, race relations, the media, gender roles and violence. Heather Turley, an animal behavior major from Tulsa, Okla. says she doesn’t usually enjoy social commentary in television shows, but the class has piqued her interest in watching something for fun while also analyzing it.

Several students in the class have been pleasantly surprised to discover another layer to a show that they already enjoy. Laura Prier, a physics/computer science major from Katy, TX, says she has been a fan of “Doctor Who” for a while, but has come to appreciate that her FYS allows her to strike up conversation with new friends in other classes, finding connections to several topics.

Nenga opens the course with the topic of “othering,” the process of focusing on differences between two groups, and the ways in which it leads to divisive outcomes like war or slavery. She says, “’Doctor Who’ tries to undo those dichotomies by muddling the lines between human and alien.”  

Othering sets up the class’ next topic well: discussing different kinds of monsters and the ways in which they are portrayed. Esther Ramos, a biology major/religion minor from Dallas, enjoys watching the show through a new lens, and says, “Kids can watch the show and see the monsters as just scary monsters, but to adults, the scary monsters are more like global warming, the economy or politicians.”

To close the course, students are assigned a final paper in which they analyze the social commentary in one episode of “Doctor Who.” Past topics have ranged from cosmetic surgery to traffic congestion to drug abuse to cybersecurity. Friedman, a self-proclaimed science fiction and history lover, already has her topic picked out: she plans to focus on British imperialism.

Seeing students remember something from her class and bring it into another is a moment of pride for Nenga. “I work with students to go beyond the surface and engage in critical analysis.  When they can critically engage with the social commentary in ‘Doctor Who,’ they realize that the show is, indeed, bigger on the inside.”

In case you’re wondering, Nenga’s favorite doctor is the ninth, Christopher Eccleston. She particularly loves that he introduced a working-class interpretation of the Doctor to viewers.

First Year Seminars conclude in mid-October and culminate with First Symposium, a unique opportunity for students to publicly present their work, something many undergraduates at larger schools are not able to do.