Premium
Making the Most of a Good Story: Effective Use of Film as a Teaching Resource for Ethics
Author(s) -
Marshall Ellen Ott
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9647.00159
Subject(s) - narrative , resource (disambiguation) , resistance (ecology) , field (mathematics) , reflection (computer programming) , sociology , engineering ethics , clips , psychology , aesthetics , computer science , art , literature , engineering , computer network , ecology , mathematics , pure mathematics , biology , programming language , artificial intelligence
Many faculty members reach for powerful clips or entire films to give background information to a topic or to provoke discussion. We do this because we have a sense that such materials engage students in a way that more theoretical texts, speculative discussions, or even case studies do not. In the field of ethics, however, one meets resistance to employing narratives that are too engaging. The wary ethicist doubts that a medium that manipulates the viewer, engages the emotions, and elicits a personal connection to the characters is the best resource for ethical reflection. This paper argues that film, like other narrative forms, is indeed an appropriate medium for teaching ethics and suggests methods for doing so effectively.