Mixing celebrities and academia is always a risky enterprise - one need only look back at the debate last year over Penn's naming of Jodie Foster as Commencement speaker.
However, the announcement that actor Kal Penn will teach two courses next fall, cross-listed in the Asian American and Cinema Studies programs, has far more serious ramifications.
In yesterday's DP, administrators and students were quoted saying that Penn's appointment was positive because his celebrity status would bring students into the disciplines.
This logic is troubling. Penn's presence will undoubtedly attract students to the Asian American Studies program, but this is not a reason to invite someone to teach. Bringing in a celebrity to boost numbers risks a race to the bottom for small departments struggling to fill seats. Having a well-known name isn't a reason to not invite someone to teach, but it shouldn't be a primary one either.
The University brings in guest professors who are qualified to teach students because of extensive experience in a field. Pennsylvania governor, former mayor of Philadelphia and career politician Ed Rendell teaches a course on elections, for instance. Kal Penn simply does not have those kind of credentials when it comes to film and the field of Asian American studies.
But even if Penn's personal experience was extensive enough to merit a full class, the use of his celebrity status delegitimizes the importance of the field. Bringing in a popular actor as a means of promoting Asian American Studies undermines the academic value that should attract students to the field in the first place.
College and program administrators deserve praise for thinking outside of the box, and it is too early to tell if students will decide whether Penn's class is worth taking. However, focusing on student turnout misses a larger, more important point.
Standards should be set high for anyone who teaches at Penn. To set a lower bar for guest professors sends the wrong message to graduate students and professors, as well as to students, about what the University values as academically credible.
