Four-thirty on a Friday afternoon might not seem an ideal time for an American Studies symposium. But if you build an intellectual discussion around a wacky, highly successful television show, the students — as well as a few faculty and staff — will come. The title of the Nov. 12 event was “Boy-Men at The Office — The Petty Comedy of the Dysfunctional Workplace.” It was moderated by American studies Professor SHELLEY FISHER FISHKIN and featured GREG DANIELS, executive producer and developer of the American version of the NBC series The Office, and PAUL LIEBERSTEIN, executive producer as well as a writer and an actor on the show. Students particularly connected with CARRIE KEMPER, who graduated from Stanford in 2006 with a degree in American studies. She was a writer for the Chaparral, Stanford’s humor magazine. Kemper joined The Office about six months ago, and her first episode will air Jan. 6. Another interesting fact about Kemper is that her sister, ELLIE KEMPER, is an actress on the show. Carrie and Ellie are writing a novel, tentatively titled Monday Sessions, about a fictitious Manhattan psychiatrist.
