The University of Pennsylvania is bolstering the stature of its faculty with a new addition for next spring - actor Kal Penn, otherwise known as the stoner medical genius Kumar from the movie "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," will teach two classes in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences in spring 2008.
The courses, tentatively entitled "Images of Asian Americans in the Media" and "Contemporary American Teen Films," will be cross-listed in Penn's Asian-American studies and cinema studies departments.
"The Asian American Studies Program is delighted that Kalpen Modi, a.k.a. Kal Penn, chose our program to host his teaching engagement at Penn," said Grace Kao, the program's director, in a press release. "Mr. Modi is one of the leading Asian American actors of his generation and is particularly aware of how his racial and ethnic identification has affected his professional experiences."
Kal Penn, who has a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and is pursuing a graduate certificate in international security at Stanford University, became famous for his role in "Harold and Kumar," though he has also starred in episodes of "24" and the movies "Van Wilder" and "Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj." In 2006, he was a Teen Choice Award nominee.
In response to Penn's recruitment, some students have said the university should be focusing on academic credentials when making hiring decisions.
"I think it's kind of funny because his academic qualifications don't seem comparable to other professors, and I'm kind of surprised this institution would give in to popular culture and hire a professor that's not of the same caliber as the rest of the faculty," Penn sophomore Gokul Dhingra told The Herald.
"I want to assuage some of your doubts about my teaching position at the university next spring semester," Kal Penn wrote in a letter Friday to the Daily Pennsylvanian, which printed an editorial skeptical of his appointment. "I can understand how my 'public persona' may make me a dubious candidate for a traditional teaching position, but it is the amalgamation of my professional experiences as an actor, director, producer and guest lecturer that have given rise to this opportunity at Penn."
"I don't think I'll enroll, but I may sit in on a few classes to see if he can teach," Dhingra said.
