Professors are from Mars Students are from Snickers by Ronald A. Berk
Book Review by Jay Griesser

Ron Berk, the author of Professors are from Mars Students are from Snickers, is a Professor of Biostatistics and Measurement and Assistant Dean for Teaching in the School of Nursing at The Johns Hopkins University.

The book helps professors connect with their students and other audiences. Dr. Berk uses humor to break down the barriers between professors and students. The material is designed to meet the needs of the humor challenged by giving tips on how to incorporate humor into the classroom.

In the second chapter Berk reviews the anatomy of humor including ideas on the situation, build-up of tension, unexpected twists and the variations. He quotes the Allen brothers (Steve and Woody) to support his anatomy views. If you like the tongue in cheek humor I just used you will like Berk’s humor illustrations. Many of Berk's humor examples are self debasing and well used.

Dr. Berk provides the reader with sources of humorous material. References are provided for one-liners, Top 10 Lists, Anecdotes, Humor Journals and Humorous Textbooks. The sources are very extensive and provide the reader with good source material. I found this section to be beneficial for the novice professor trying to add humor to lectures and class discussions.

The humor in the classroom chapter suggests that professors should include humorous material on the syllabus in addition to their titles, course prerequisites, professional credentials and office hours. Berk used the following prerequisites on his introductory statistics course: "One semester of Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, Barney, or the equivalent." His professor's credentials are PhD, CNN, ESPN, CSPAN, and "All-Around Fun Guy" (p. 88-89). His opening jokes section gives ideas that will reduce the stress and anxiety of the first class. He suggests that starting each class with a joke will improve the mood of the class.

The main theme of the book is that humor relieves stress, tension, anxiety and negative thoughts thus freeing the student to be a better participant and learner. "Humor is used to break down barriers to communication so that professors can better connect and deliver their messages to students and other audiences" (2). This is a worthy goal and should be another arrow in our sling of teaching methods. Remember he who laughs last laughs best.

Title: Professors are from Mars, Students are from Snickers
Author: Ronald A. Berk
Publish date: 1998
Publisher: Stylus Publishing. LLC
Pages: 185 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1-57922-070-3
List Price: $24.95