S08.E02: The Junior Professor Solution

[photo fox]

When Sheldon must teach a class, Howard decides to take it; Amy takes advantage of the tension between Penny and Bernadette.

[Pepper the Cat]

Loved it!

Spit ball to the mouth was the best part!

[CherryAmes]

I loved the way Amy really got into the 'mean girl' aspect of teen friendships!

[Crucial]

Don't know what was better the spit ball or watching Amy have fun with the whole mean girl part of it all.  Love it!!

[Pippin]

I was relieved to see that at the end Penny was studying with Bernadette.  I was afraid that the writers were going to go with lazy, sloppy, stupid Penny who would depend on her looks to make sales.  I hope that this new version of Penny continues.

 

[Obnoxious me]:  One of the more serious side effects of Viagra-like drugs is vision changes and possible blindness.  The drug draws blood from the optic nerve to fuel - er, other parts of the body.  That's why there are warnings to stop taking it if you start seeing everything in blue; it means those nerves are being messed with.  [/Obnoxious me] Although I did like Penny's addendum about how the side effects apply to women, too.

 

And, speaking of obnoxious -- Sheldon still is.  Glad to see Howard stood up to him, but still, essentially, Sheldon behaved badly (again) and suffered no consequences for his behaviour (again).  And it was tiresome and annoying (again).

 

And Amy was kind of obnoxious as well, but I'm willing to give her a pass because she's essentially going through an extremely delayed adolescence.  Her dialogue with the starfish was hilarious - "Say my name!"  Needless to say, I still think she should dump Sheldon and find herself a real boy.

[peeayebee]

My favorite part was the tag. It was so great to see the original four friends playing together, being nerdy, and having a blast.

[cryyhavoc]

Well, Sheldon is still a huge asshole.  I wish that he had choked to death on that spitball.

[Chit Chat]

The drug draws blood from the optic nerve to fuel - er, other parts of the body.

 

 I wondered how that could happen, and now I know!  I can't believe that men would risk blindness for sex, but to each his own.

I loved both episodes.  The look on Sheldon's face when he inhaled the spitball was priceless.  And good for Howard for standing up to his pompous ass!

[AriAu]

Well, Sheldon is still a huge asshole.

 

While Sheldon is STILL an asshole and hasn't changed, Howard has changed a lot....and I don't like it. I miss skeevy Howard. His attempt to be nice, while having a desire to show Sheldon he is just as smart as him, was out of character for the Howard that started out and I think he is less funny. I understand the concept of personal growth, but this is a sitcom and not real life and he just is not as funny. YMMV, obviously

[ari333]

Is Kaley pregnant? I've never seen her wear so many clothes and seem so fuller figured and busty (not FAT!) but curvy in a good way. And she was wearing a long loose blouse when she went to lunch with Amy. That's a first on the wardrobe front - that I can recall. Just an observation. I could be wrong and it's none of my business. [/nosy] 

 

Amy to Bernie regarding Penny: "I'm here.... so we can mutually disparage this unpleasing third party." hee.

Poor Howard. He wanted to take a grad level physics class... taught by Sheldon. Balls. (or asking for a supreme headache.) :)

Edited September 23, 2014 by ari333

[terrymct]

Is Kaley pregnant? I've never seen her wear so many clothes and seem so fuller figured and busty (not FAT!) but curvy in a good way. And she was wearing a long loose blouse when she went to lunch with Amy. That's a first on the wardrobe front - that I can recall. Just an observation. I could be wrong and it's none of my business. [/nosy] 

 

I figured the wardrobe changes were part of the arc of Penny maturing.  She's got a good job, a more grown up hair cut, a steady fella, why not move away from tank tops and yoga pants.  The zingger about the yoga pants kind of sealed that for me.

Edited September 23, 2014 by terrymct

[andromeda331]

I figured the wardrobe changes were part of the arc of Penny maturing.  She's got a good job, a more grown up hair cut, a steady fella, why not move away from tank tops and yoga pants.  The zigger about the yoga pants kind of sealed that for me.

 

 

I hope so I always thought she looked more beautiful in grown up clothes then the tank tops and yoga pants. 

[LoneHaranguer]

I really liked to see so much real science get put back into the show. Leonard was right that the eddy current question wasn't very hard; that's undergrad level.

 

I wish I could think of what classic TV character Penny looks like with her new hairdo.

[terrymct]

I wish I could think of what classic TV character Penny looks like with her new hairdo.

 

A very sexy Dennis the Menace?

[ladyrott]

I actually enjoyed watching Howard stand up to Sheldon.  He has come a long way from the skeevy guy who I couldn't stand when the series started.  I especially liked it when he was trying to stump Sheldon and was surprised Sheldon knew the answers ("That WAS a hard one!").

[FineWashables]

Well, here's my 2 cents:  I've really enjoyed this show since it started and I enjoy all the characters, even skeevy Howard and self-absorbed Sheldon.  Now, after 7 years, these characters are developing and taking on somewhat new story arcs.  And I think that's appropriate because these nerds are all aging just like everyone else in the world.  When characters aren't allowed to develop that way they end up morphing into charicatures (Charlie Sheen on 2-1/2 Men -- or John Cryer on 2-1/2 Men, for that matter -- or even Radar O'Reilly from Mash in the final seasons).  Or else they cross the line from quirky and cute to pathetic and cringe-worthy (remember the 14-year-old Cindy Brady singing "Good Ship Lollipop" to become the next Shirley Temple?).  

 

Penny's in her late 20's, and it's appropriate for her to get a job that might allow her to finally shine.  What was ok when she was 22 isn't so fine when you're 28 or so.  And the guys are all clearly in their mid-30s -- except Sheldon and Stuart, who are already well into their 40s -- and having them repeat the same antics from their 20s isn't endearing.  It's like the newly-divorced man in his 40s hanging in a college bar, or your friends who are doing exactly the same stuff now that they did 20 years ago, every night and every weekend.  Everybody's got to move on some time or they go stale.  I think these new directions could be fun.

 

And YAY for anything that gives me a chance to watch Steven Root.

[CherryAmes]

And the guys are all clearly in their mid-30s -- except Sheldon and Stuart, who are already well into their 40s...

 

I agree with your whole post (well said!) but do you mean the actors playing them?  I don't think we are meant to believe that Sheldon is any older than the others.  In the episode where Raj gets the nod from People magazine as a notable who is under 30 (can't remember the exact term) Sheldon acted like he should have gotten than honour.  There are a few other moments in the series where Sheldon mentions dates and his age at the time so if someone was industrious they could figure out what age the show intends him to be.  At this point in the series I'd assume about 35-36 at the most.

[Rhetorica]

I've watched since the first episode. I understand the characters are developing and taking on somewhat new story arcs, but the show is just not as creative and funny as it once was. I like surprises in sitcoms, not just the obvious go to jokes. I miss that about this show. I used to laugh out loud, not because of the youthfulness of the characters, but because it was funny. I keep watching hoping that creativity will come back.

[FineWashables]

Cherry Ames, your point is well taken (and I did love those Cherry Ames books when I was a girl!).  Jim Parsons is in his 40s but he's playing a guy who is -- was? -- under 30 in at least one episode.  Stuart, on the other hand, was explicitly referred to in this episode as older; Raj says, "Dude, I thought he was 45."  I assumed that was a sort of in-joke because the actor playing Stuart is, indeed, 45.

 

You're right, we're supposed to think they're all late 20s or early 30s.  But even so, those 7 or 8 years since the characters first were presented should allow for growth no matter what the starting point.

Edited September 23, 2014 by FineWashables

[CherryAmes]

Absolutely agree,  I remember saying on the old TWOP board that the guys are going to become pathetic if they are pushing 40 and still hanging out at a comic book store, playing games and mostly having imaginary girl friends (even if none of that is really bad you just know that's how the writers would spin it).  I don't like the direction the show has gone in all the time but I do like that there is growth and change.  If I want to watch early BBT I can watch reruns.

Edited September 23, 2014 by CherryAmes

[chocolatine]

I don't think Sheldon is older than Leonard, Howard, and Raj, but he's more advanced in his career because he got his PhD at 15. Although it's still ridiculous that  he was promoted to "junior professor" (which AFAIK is not a real title in the US higher education system) just because he threw a hissy fit about no longer wanting to focus on string theory. But not any more ridiculous than Penny getting the pharma job despite tanking the interview and having no relevant education or experience, just because she and the hiring manager bonded over their shared fear of Bernadette, so there's that. Career jumps are awfully easy in TV land.

[CherryAmes]

Although it's still ridiculous that  he was promoted to "junior professor" (which AFAIK is not a real title in the US higher education system)

 

For that matter how often do people who aren't professors get tenure?  If it happens at all I'd suspect it doesn't happen often.  As you say, it's TV , a place where a shoe salesman, and not a particularly successful one can own a home next door to a banker.

[ari333]

For that matter how often do people who aren't professors get tenure?  If it happens at all I'd suspect it doesn't happen often.  As you say, it's TV , a place where a shoe salesman, and not a particularly successful one can own a home next door to a banker.

 

Hee. The Bundys.

 

I didn't know that the real Stuart is 45. Whatever. I enjoy him being/living with DebDeb, and the fact that it irks Howy is a bonus.

 

I thought pharm reps had to have a 4 yr degree. Maybe things have changed. The dude who interviewed Penny was the boss from that radio show? Love him.

[editorgrrl]

Actors' birth dates (from IMDB):

Kevin Sussman - December 4, 1970

Jim Parsons - March 24, 1973

Johnny Galecki - April 30, 1975

Mayim Bialik - December 12, 1975

Melissa Rauch - June 23, 1980

Simon Helberg - December 9, 1980

Kunal Nayyar - April 30, 1981

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting - November 30, 1985

[SmithW6079]

Well, Sheldon is still a huge asshole.  I wish that he had choked to death on that spitball.

 

Sheldon is tolerable for me only in small doses. I hated him the most when he said something about being the baby and the baby always wins.

 

If no one (except Howard) would take Sheldon's class, doesn't that mean the University would have canceled it? (I have a cousin who's a university professor and she's said that she has to have a minimum of five students to teach a class.) If they had to cancel it, wouldn't Sheldon still be out of a job? And are they playing fast and loose with his grant money? It was to study string theory, not dark matter, not teach.

[chocolatine]

For that matter how often do people who aren't professors get tenure?  If it happens at all I'd suspect it doesn't happen often.

 

 

I totally forgot about that - wasn't it just the subject of one episode and then never mentioned again? Or did Kripke get the "tenure"?

[Rhetorica]

I teach at a college and have never heard of a junior professor. It's Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. And classes do get cut, usually, with less than five students. I understand they have science advisers on the show for science stuff. You would think someone would check. . But it's a sitcom...

[CleoCaesar]

Last night I read on Cracked that the scientific formulas on the dry-erase boards are all scientifically sound. That shows an impressive level of attention to detail. That's why stuff like "junior professor" annoys me so much. Would tens of millions of viewers totally misunderstood the entire plot if they had just called it was it was, an assistant professor job? Aaaargh. Same goes for the show's depiction of the tenure process.

[MadyGirl1987]

I liked it. Was looking forward to seeing Sheldon as a teacher, as I have found it funny in the past when he has been in front of a class(The KMN class anyone?). Loved the interaction between him and Howard. After rewatching last seasons episode with them in Texas this week, the scenes between them can be good. The two can play well off each other.

Also; you know you are a germaphobe when the spitball in someone's mouth makes you cringe. I did love Howard's "Oh God! What have I done?' reaction afterwards though.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Mayim Bialik is incredibly funny. I never watched "Blossom." Was she as wonderful on that show?

[DrSpaceman]

Are these people really supposed to be late 20s/early 30s? I figured early to mid 30s by now. How long does it take to get a PhD? I know Sheldon is a genius, but the other three are just smart and I thought "run of the mill" PhD, doesn't it take a good 8 years or so at least between undergrad and grad school for a PhD? They already had them by the team the show started 8 years ago. I always guessed mid 30s. And yes I know Howard does not have his PhD, but still figured they are all about the same age.

It bugged me Sheldon seemingly returned, was made a professor, his class started and it was already determined no one was registered for his class all in, what, about two or maybe three days based on the other storyline in the same episode. Really, maybe if students had longer than apparentely about a day or so to decide if they wanted to take a graduate level physics class he might have had more students.

Mayim on Blossom was a totally different character. I watched on occasion, she was pretty good, nothing like on this show though.

Hey Jim Parson is almost the exact same age as me.

[CherryAmes]

Are these people really supposed to be late 20s/early 30s? I figured early to mid 30s by now.

 

Assuming the guys are all the same age, give or take a year or two, based on the episode where Howard almost rents the apartment about Sheldon and Leonard, he at least, was 27 in the second year of the show.  So adding 7 years brings us to 34.  At this point in their lives I'm glad that Howard is married and Leonard engaged as it really is more than about time that they move on to the stage beyond living at home or sharing digs with friends - especially when they are professional men earning good money!

Edited September 24, 2014 by CherryAmes

[chocolatine]

Are these people really supposed to be late 20s/early 30s? I figured early to mid 30s by now. How long does it take to get a PhD? I know Sheldon is a genius, but the other three are just smart and I thought "run of the mill" PhD, doesn't it take a good 8 years or so at least between undergrad and grad school for a PhD? They already had them by the team the show started 8 years ago. I always guessed mid 30s. And yes I know Howard does not have his PhD, but still figured they are all about the same age.

 

 

I believe in the first season Howard mentioned several times that he was 27. If the other three guys are the same age, it's not unrealistic for Leonard and Raj to have gotten their PhDs at 24/25, and be working at a university at 27, but they would probably work closely with more senior scientists and/or professors, so the premise would be more believable if we occasionally saw some of that collaboration.

 

If the show's time moved at the same rate as real time, the guys would be 34 now.

 

ETA: CherryAmes beat me to it.

Edited September 24, 2014 by chocolatine

[DrSpaceman]

Yeah 34/35 for them seems about right.

Sheldon is the one I can see being younger on the show, though older in real life.

I remember Gabrielle Carteris on the original 90210 was in her 30s playing a high school student, so Jim Parson at 41 playing some 10 years or more younger is not that crazy. He doesn't look 41

[roamyn]

I remember Gabrielle Carteris on the original 90210 was in her 30s playing a high school student, so Jim Parson at 41 playing some 10 years or more younger is not that crazy. He doesn't look 41

He's starting to.

As is Galeki.

Only Raj & Howard to a lesser extent, looks like he is early 30s (of the guys).

[FadingRose]

The whole junior professor thing bothered me.  As others have mentioned:

• there's no "junior professor" position (just junior faculty, which usually describes assistant or associate professors early in their careers).  
• No way a researcher (regardless of how brilliant) would just get promoted to a professor position. You'd at least have to apply.
• with an enrollment of zero, that class would have been cancelled after the 1st class (if not earlier)
• no way they would allow someone who has absolutely no interest in teaching teach a course - not with the cost of tuition these days.  Unless he is the only person available/willing.  But that's not even a required course (I assume), so why would they ask him to teach it?
• and regarding reporting Howard's spitballs - that would be more of a Dean of Student Affairs issue than an HR issue, since Howard was technically a student.

 

I don't know how it works at private universities like Caltech, but our researchers work on projects where there is funding.  If Sheldon doesn't want to work on string theory, fine, but then he needs to bring in some grants for the new research that he wants to do (or charm some donors into giving him some gift money).  That would be a more realistic storyline, and one that could be funny in its own way.  Or have them ask Sheldon to be a lecturer which essentially the same storyline as the one here - professors aren't the only ones who teach.

 

Also, I don't think it's possible for Howard to just enroll in some courses to get his doctorate.  It almost sounded like he was in a doctoral program but just didn't finish - if that's the case, I assume it's the research/dissertation part that he didn't finish.  You usually get the few courses you need to take out of the way right off the bat.  Besides, what does Howard need a doctorate for?  He has a job (presumably good enough) and he's gone to space!

[chocolatine]

Also, I don't think it's possible for Howard to just enroll in some courses to get his doctorate.  It almost sounded like he was in a doctoral program but just didn't finish - if that's the case, I assume it's the research/dissertation part that he didn't finish.  You usually get the few courses you need to take out of the way right off the bat.  Besides, what does Howard need a doctorate for?  He has a job (presumably good enough) and he's gone to space!

 

 

I think if Howard had been ABD we would never hear the end of it from Sheldon. He wouldn't just be "not smart", he'd also be a quitter.

[riverheightsnancy]

If no one (except Howard) would take Sheldon's class, doesn't that mean the University would have canceled it? (I have a cousin who's a university professor and she's said that she has to have a minimum of five students to teach a class.) If they had to cancel it, wouldn't Sheldon still be out of a job? And are they playing fast and loose with his grant money? It was to study string theory, not dark matter, not teach.

 

I teach and have taught at colleges/universities for the last 12 years. It really depends on the school regarding cancellation, and the union contract or instructor contract that you have signed. Some of my schools may run a class with 5, others need 8-12 to make bank (cover their overhead).  Same deal for online classes, unless you get paid by the head, in those cases they always run unless you have zero students (I teach for one school that pays by the head). 

 

However, for grad school, upper level courses, and classes required for majors, there may be different limits. If a specific course is required for a major to graduate and a student is the only one signed up, then they may be forced to run it. This is especially true if the student needs it to graduate and graduation is imminent, or if the course is not offered very often (say every other year). The school may have to run it and lose money. (depending on one's contract, sometimes the course will be changed to a directed/guided study and it meets at a designated time for the student/prof, often for less pay, unless you are tenured, which may not change anything-it is ALL about your contract). I think this is why many of the tenured profs will teach upper level courses and grad courses, there are often less students and those courses will run regardless of class number, because they MUST offer it for the majors. It is less work, higher level students, more relaxed.

 

On the other hand, those low level intro courses often have hundreds of students with a newer/younger (in terms of where you are career wise-not necessarily age) instructor and they make their nut on those courses. You would think that schools would want their most experienced instructors teaching those large intro courses (I know that there are exceptions to this), however, often they are the newbies, to learn and "cut their teeth", so to speak. At one school I know of, a high-level, tenured, very experienced instructor teaches 1 class a semester. It is a 250-300 student intro class in my discipline. He makes his entire salary on that ONE course a semester. It is a lot of work and he has 2 TAs. From what I have heard about the course, it is great. Innovative (with technology), forward thinking, engaged. That is hard to do with that many students, but is possible. With all that said, Sheldon would suck as an instructor. He has no training in new educational/engagement techniques. No real desire to teach (it can be really thankless). Education is changing, my friends. It is no longer just lecture and rote memorization anymore. 

[poppy-]

All I know is, thank goodness they dropped all "Sheldon makes naively racist comments to the HR lady" bit.

 

Mayim Bialik is incredibly funny. I never watched "Blossom." Was she as wonderful on that show?

 

She was really likable and she danced a whole lot. Totally different than cartoonish, zombie-walking Amy.  Pretty good show.

[henrysmom]

That introduction to Blossom is adorable.  You'd never know that was the future Amy Farrah Fowler.  

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I teach at a college and have never heard of a junior professor. It's Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. And classes do get cut, usually, with less than five students.

I think the most fitting title for Sheldon in this position would be Adjunct Professor, but that wouldn't have made him a full-fledged member of the faculty, so the university may have created a position to fit his needs, and been willing to look the other way when the only student was his friend not already on a track that needed the course.

[Tamariskie]

I was getting annoyed at Sheldon's behavior about his class. He is such a paradox of smart and clueless all at once. He, as the teacher, is supposed to be smarter (or at least know more) than his students. That's the whole point of a class! He's supposed to teach something that the students don't already know! And what did he think would happen next if he drove all his students away? He's the one who doesn't want to do string theory anymore, and he was sabotaging his only way to be let out of it.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

She  (Mayim Bialik) was really likable and she danced a whole lot. Totally different than cartoonish, zombie-walking Amy.  Pretty good show.

If you really want dancing Mayim Bialik, watch the movie Beaches where she plays a tap-dancing young Bette Midler. So flippin cute.

 

I was thinking the only reason they made Sheldon "junior professor" (haha sounds like Junior Birdman) was to keep him on staff. They obviously know he's both brilliant and fickle so perhaps giving him that position would make him stay on staff until he changed his mind. That would explain why they held the class without student originally (or with Howard as one student). 

 

I did like Howard in the class and trying to prove himself. That's been an ongoing joke since the show started. 

[TV Diva Queen]

If you really want dancing Mayim Bialik, watch the movie Beaches where she plays a tap-dancing young Bette Midler. So flippin cute.

 

 

I wanted to share that tidbit....no fair  ;)

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I was thinking the only reason they made Sheldon "junior professor" (haha sounds like Junior Birdman) was to keep him on staff.

Sheldon must have been desperate to be willing to accept a title with "junior" in it.

 

 

He, as the teacher, is supposed to be smarter (or at least know more) than his students.

At that level, a teacher is more of a guide to learning, and need not know the subject. Even on the undergraduate level, you can have courses that are essentially self-study. Having said that, Sheldon is the type of egotist that would make sure he's ahead of his students and would shoot down any questions that stray from his lesson plan.

[Beach Party]

Penny's pharmaceutical sales job interest confuses me.   What happened to Penny pursuing acting full time?  Was that resolved last season? 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

What happened to Penny pursuing acting full time?  Was that resolved last season?

No. I presume they were keeping their options open, but I think there was enough time between seasons from the characters' POV, that it's safe to conclude that she was looking into the sales job because she was unsuccessful getting another job acting.

[Beach Party]

There was tension between Penny and Leonard over her quitting The Cheesecake Factory.  She got that big role along with Wil Wheaton.  I kind of recall something went bad, but Penny was making progress a least.  Then Leonard and Penny got engaged, and TPTB drop Penny's dream?!    At least they mentioned that Raj and Emily were still together, so we know the writers didn't change their minds about that plot line.

[FadingRose]

I think the most fitting title for Sheldon in this position would be Adjunct Professor, but that wouldn't have made him a full-fledged member of the faculty, so the university may have created a position to fit his needs, and been willing to look the other way when the only student was his friend not already on a track that needed the course.

I don't know if this is universal, but at our university, Adjunct Profs don't teach and they don't get paid (it's more like a courtesy title).  Unless the person is asked to teach a course, in which that person would also have the title of Lecturer.  

 

I'm not sure why the university would want to keep Sheldon so much.  Yes, he's a genius and I assume he's made some breakthroughs in his field (I vaguely remember him winning an award in an earlier season?) - but he's a bit of a jerk and he doesn't seem to be this superstar scientist that he thinks he is.  I get the feeling that he needs to stay at the university more than they need to keep him (can you imagine him at a job interview?).

 

I liked how both Penny and the interviewer were both terrified of Bernadette :)

[Rhetorica]

I guess it's not universal, or multiversal if we keep the Big Bang Theory. Our part time teachers are called adjuncts and given the title of Lecturers. Non-paid guests are Guest Lecturers. Much of Sheldon's work has been shown as incorrect, by Leonard, Bawry Kwipkie, and Stephen Hawkings, to name a few.