For Penn State professor Jadrian Wooten, the popular TV show âParks and Recreationâ is more than a funny show â itâs a tool he uses to educate students.
Wooten, an associate teaching professor of economics, uses popular culture and TV references in his classes to teach his students, which has in turn inspired some to pursue economics.
He said âParks and Recreation,â his favorite TV show, was ending while he began teaching, but he started to pull clips from the show and include them in his lessons, which are included in his new book.
Wootenâs book, âParks and Recreation and Economics,â is a part of a series of books from the Routledge Economics and Popular Culture Series. The series is aimed at educating readers on economics through popular culture references. Other books in the series relate to popular culture topics such as Broadway, superheroes, âSeinfeldâ and war movies.