Lisa Gets an “A”, a 1998 episode of the long-running cartoon sitcom, forms part of a course on “morality and ethics” which suspended students have been told they must complete to avoid expulsion.

In the episode, Lisa Simpson cheats on a test and receives a top grade, but is riddled with guilt and ultimately admits to cheating — though school authorities ultimately suppress her confession.

NYU law professor Liam Murphy, in an open letter signed by hundreds of fellow faculty members, has criticised the punishment as contrary to “NYU’s ethical and intellectual standards”.

He wrote: “These exercises are an insult to the intelligence of our students. Extracting coerced confessions is morally odious and completely out of place in a liberal democracy.”