Actor Ted Danson Surprises BUSSW Ethics Class with Virtual Visit
Students in a BUSSW Ethics class got a fun surprise when well-known actor Ted Danson Zoomed into their final class to congratulate them on their upcoming graduation. Among his many roles, Danson portrayed Michael on the popular TV show The Good Place which was used throughout the class as a jumping-off point for discussing and understanding ethical theories. Lecturer Kimberly Hokanson, who met Danson through political organizing in 2008, orchestrated the surprise.
During the virtual visit, Danson talked to students about how the show’s writers worked with a team of on-call philosophy professors to bring accuracy and complexity to The Good Place. They also bonded over the “Trolley Cars” problem – one of Danson’s favorites, and the name chosen by one of the student groups in the class.
Kimberly Hokanson, PhD, is a licensed clinical social worker focused on child welfare, the child welfare workforce, foster youth outcomes, and anti-racism in systems and social work education. She has worked as a clinical practitioner for nearly twenty years.