Ethics is the study of moral principles and values. It is all about learning what is right and what is wrong, good or bad, or what is considered fair. These principles can include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring. Once you’re aware of these principles, it can affect your decisions on how you treat people and the world around you. Instructors teaching with film can use an index of movies to explain to their students the principles of ethics for better understanding.
When choosing films to show your class, make sure that the films are age appropriate. For example, middle school and high school should watch movies in the classroom with a rating no higher than PG-13. But, high school seniors and college students can watch R-rated movies as long as they are appropriate for school. Think hard about films that present the principles of ethics that will really grab your students’ attention. The movie you pick does not need to be a strictly educational film, but informative in the sense that students will achieve a better understanding of the ethics lessons you are teaching as part of the curriculum.
Each film you pick is a starting point for discussions. Their critical thinking will be enhanced and they’ll provide context for the ethical issues portrayed in the film. You can use Teach With Movies as a guide to get you started on what movies to pick. For the principle of “trustworthiness,” Dear Frankie depicts a mother who hires a stranger to pretend to be her son’s father who he’s never met before. Frankie’s mother had to put trust in The Stranger that he would play the part of a father well and be loving to him.
An example of teaching “respect” with a movie would be The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy treats everyone around her with respect. She puts respect in the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion despite them not being human or always knowing the right forms of behavior. She even showed respect towards The Wicked Witch when she felt bad for unintentionally killing her with the bucket of water. The Wizard lied to Dorothy about his identity, but still spoke to him respectfully based on the knowledge he had about helping her and her friends achieve their goals.
“Responsibility” is in The Miracle Worker when the character of Anne Sullivan teaches Helen Keller how to communicate. To Kill a Mockingbird has Atticus Finch present “fairness” to the court by defending a black man accused of rape despite the odds held against him. And Fly Away Home shows “caring” when Amy shelters a flock of geese she finds alone and leads them to the south for their own protection against poachers.
Educators can present these films in a public or classroom screening and encourage a discussion amongst their students. Ask each student which ethical principles the educational films. Let your students know it is okay for there to be diverse opinions on what they saw. Then, ask them if any of the films inspired them to apply ethics lessons to their own lives. Screening films in the classroom as an educational resource will open your eyes and the eyes of students to how many principles they can find and what they could take away from the films.
Ethics are the principles that all students need ingrained in their brains in order to make smart decisions. They’ll be able to carry these lessons into everything they do. If students already feel entertained watching a movie, there’s no harm in them learning something. By taking advantage of educational film resources, you will inspire your students on how ethics exist in several movies that they’ve probably already seen or one that’s already on their watchlist.