Film in Public Administration Classrooms: Developing Responsible Administrators in the Information Age

Abstract

Future public administrators are predominantly entering the field as practitioners, and therefore, classroom work should have relevance in the field. Public administration educators need to find engaging ways to connect theory to practice, as well as creating culturally competent, ethical decision-makers, capable of sifting through information to make decisions for the public good. Film – specifically television and movies – as a pedagogical tool, can accomplish these goals. While fiction and storytelling have been common tools in education (literature and fictional case studies), film is increasingly used by educators. There is a multitude of outcomes for using film in the public administrators classroom. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of film as a pedagogical tool, and links outcomes to the development of three types of public administrators: skilled, responsible, and responsible in the information age.