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1 This article was downloaded by: [Pino, Nathan W.] On: 29 May 2009 Access details: Access Details: [subscription number ] Publisher Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: Registered office: Mortimer House, Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Criminal Justice Education Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: Using Movies to Illustrate Ethical Dilemmas in Undergraduate Criminal Justice Classes Nathan W. Pino; Rod K. Brunson; Eric A. Stewart First Published:July2009 To cite this Article Pino, Nathan W., Brunson, Rod K. and Stewart, Eric A.(2009)'Using Movies to Illustrate Ethical Dilemmas in Undergraduate Criminal Justice Classes',Journal of Criminal Justice Education,20:2, To link to this Article: DOI: / URL: PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

2 JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 (JULY 2009) Using Movies to Illustrate Ethical Dilemmas in Undergraduate Criminal Justice Classes RCJE_A_ sgm / Journal Original Taylor Dr np11@txstate.edu NathanPino and & of Article Francis Criminal (print)/ Justice Education (online) Nathan W. Pino, Rod K. Brunson and Eric A. Stewart Ethics education in criminal justice programs has increased in popularity, but instructors sometimes struggle to teach ethics in such a way that students retain what they have learned and apply ethical principles in the criminal justice field upon graduation. The current research highlights that there are several benefits of presenting ethical dilemmas to students through popular movies such as Mississippi Burning and Road to Perdition. Compared to the control group (Section A) that was taught in a traditional lecture format, students who were required to identify ethical dilemmas in movies (Section B) were more likely to understand the complexities of such situations, to rate unethical behavior properly, and to see how ethical principles could be applied to their everyday lives. Introduction It seems unnecessary to stress the importance of incorporating ethics education in undergraduate and graduate criminal justice curricula. Students in criminal justice programs often become criminal justice professionals, so the need to teach and study ethics, as well as develop skills in ethical decision-making, reasoning, analysis, and communication, should be apparent (Byers and Powers 1997; Pollock 1993, Pollock and Becker 1995). In addition, criminal justice majors should learn to empathize with others on either side of an issue, and to evaluate alternatives to various ethical dilemmas without being expected to rely solely on legal or egotistic criteria (Pollock 1993: 377). Unfortunately, many programs in criminal justice either do not offer an ethics course or make it available only as an elective rather than a required class (Sever, Coram, and Meltzer 2008). Sever et al. (2008) note that graduate criminal justice programs are increasingly adding ethics classes, as well as courses on race and gender. Based on their examination of curricula from 118 graduate programs in the United States, 40 percent of them offer a class on ethics (Sever et al. 2008). Further, of the 40 percent of criminal justice ISSN print/ online/09/ Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences DOI: /

3 USING MOVIES TO ILLUSTRATE ETHICAL DILEMMAS 195 programs that offered such courses, only 19 percent required that ethics be taken as part of the degree curriculum, while 25 percent offered the class as an elective. The small number of papers published in this journal on ethics education in criminal justice is also quite telling. Most of the papers on teaching ethics in social science journals (such as the Journal of Criminal Justice Education and Teaching Sociology) concern research methods rather than professional ethics education for practitioners. Of the articles that have been published on criminal justice ethics, Cederblom and Spohn (1991) offer a model for teaching such courses, while Pollock (1993) discusses ethics as part of a criminal justice curriculum. Pollock and Becker (1995) provide a teaching tool for law enforcement officer ethics, while Byers and Powers (1997) and Lord and Bjerregaard (2003) examine the ethical orientations of criminal justice students. Furthermore, Byers and Powers (1997) found that the ethical orientations of criminal justice students did not differ too much from those of undergraduate students from other majors. With the exception of one, all of the aforementioned papers were published over a decade ago. Since that time there has been an increase in ethics classes in criminal justice programs. Clearly there is a need for more discourse in the literature on the teaching of ethics in criminal justice programs. The current manuscript adds to this discussion by highlighting diverse methods of instruction in the hopes of encouraging students to think critically about ethical situations in and beyond criminal justice settings. In particular, we present evidence of an experimentally based method of instructional delivery across two ethics classes. For one class, the instructor s primary method of delivery was lecture. In the second class, the instructor used an integrative approach of teaching that included lecture, semistructured discussions, and movie-based exams. Cederblom and Spohn (1991) argued that many of those who call for ethics to be taught had not thought about how one should actually deliver the instruction. More recently, however, some researchers have considered this problem. Lord and Bjerregaard (2003) found in their review of the literature that scholars differ on how to offer ethics to criminal justice majors. For instance, some want ethics to be integrated in a variety of classes across the curriculum, while others prefer a single course. Yet, there are persons who would prefer to have two ethics classes as part of the criminal justice curriculum, or one general ethics course along with the integrated approach. We contend that at least one single ethics class should be offered as a requirement for criminal justice majors. The argument for a single course is forwarded by Pollock (1993), who argues that a single class can ground ethical issues in ethical principals, which is not often offered as part of a small unit in a regular course. Furthermore, ethics themes that span areas of criminal justice such as discretion and individual rights can be examined in-depth, and the skills learned in an ethics class can be more easily applied in other classes. Finally, if ethics is but one chapter of another course, it has the potential to diminish the importance of ethics and students may treat the topic as an afterthought as a result (Pollock 1993).

4 196 PINO ET AL. The consensus in the literature across disciplines is that while ethics courses can make students more aware of universal issues (e.g., becoming more concerned for the welfare of others rather than just personal gain), they do not necessarily change behaviors or assist in the development of ethical values (Lord and Bjerregaard 2003). There needs to be more exposure of students to ethical issues. In effect, we should reconsider how we introduce and reinforce material in ethics classes (Lord and Bjerregaard 2003). While it would be best to have all criminal justice programs offer a class (or two) in ethics, a sizeable number already do. If a department or program is offering a course, or thinking of offering one, the challenge is how to best teach ethics in a way that engages students and helps them retain what they have learned after the class has been completed and as they enter their careers. In order to do this effectively, one must offer exciting and challenging assignments and readings while attempting to accommodate different learning styles. The method presented here involves lecture and class discussion, weekly assignments, group work, exams, and the identification of ethical dilemmas through the use of movies, all of which collectively make use of verbal, visual, and written styles of learning. Ethics education must be relevant to the actual experiences criminal justice professionals will face, and this can be done through the introduction of ethical dilemmas in the classroom (Pollock and Becker 1995). The use of ethical dilemmas is known to be an effective tool for teaching ethics, because they help stimulate higher-order thinking and analysis of the issues and concepts taught in ethics classes (Byers and Powers 1997). The use of ethical dilemmas with class discussion can also demonstrate how decisions and actions are influenced by ethical orientations (Pollock and Becker 1995). Ethical dilemmas can be presented in numerous ways, such as newspapers, books, and articles (Pollock and Becker 1995). We also contend that certain movies such as Road to Perdition (2002) and Mississippi Burning (1988) can provide realistic and relevant dilemmas in an exciting and engaging way. Cook and Bacot (1993) note that movies can be used in the classroom to display historical and current attitudes toward crime, criminals, victims, the police, and others in the criminal justice system. Mississippi Burning blatantly highlights racially biased and corrupt criminal justice practices, while Road to Perdition contains subtle ethical dilemmas, does not feature criminal justice personnel as main characters, and depicts the central characters sympathetically, as if their criminal involvement was the result of a complex set of ethical decisions. Group discussion and presentations were used in the second author s classes to help students establish rapport with one another and to feel more comfortable openly sharing their views on ethical dilemmas presented in the movies. Cederblom and Spohn (1991) advocate this interactive model where students discuss ethical issues in class. Group work and discussion force students to face ethical dilemmas they might encounter in the field, and to have an engaging and serious discussion about them. The application of theory no longer becomes a simple academic endeavor where one memorizes various theoretical

5 USING MOVIES TO ILLUSTRATE ETHICAL DILEMMAS 197 arguments (Cederblom and Spohn 1991). Through dialogue, students can be better acquainted with what is right to do, both theoretically and in concrete instances (Cederblom and Spohn 1991: 209). While it is important to try to accommodate different learning styles in any class, research has demonstrated that students in different majors tend to reflect a particular learning style. It appears that criminal justice majors are most likely to demonstrate an assimilative learning approach (Wells and McKinney 1997). Assimilators prefer to learn through abstract conceptualization and reflective observation (Wells and McKinney 1997: 7), asking What? questions and creating theoretical explanations from various observations. Wells and McKinney (1997) suggest that while it is important to try to get criminal justice students to practice learning in different ways, teaching in a manner that reflects the assimilative style can enhance interest in the material being conveyed. Assimilative learners would improve their evaluative skills and synthesis of ideas if they were presented facts, principles, hypotheses, and so on from an instructor or through videos, followed by active and reflective activities such as reaction papers and group discussions (Wells and McKinney 1997). The organization of the new ethics class presented here would help these assimilative learners, since the lectures and video are reflected on by students via written exams, reaction papers, and group discussions. The videos are used to help students identify ethical dilemmas, and the class discussion, reaction papers, and group work are different methods used to help students explore these dilemmas. Methodology Data for this study come from two sections of an undergraduate criminal justice ethics class offered at an urban, mid-size (16,000), public university in the southeast. The course was designed to teach students how to identify, analyze, and resolve ethical dilemmas, primarily in criminal justice settings. The class is part of the criminal justice department s core curriculum, and is geared toward junior and senior criminal justice majors. Since the current study utilizes data from two sections of the ethics class, we distinguish between them by referring to the spring 2007 class as section A and the spring 2008 class as section B. Thirty-five students were enrolled in section A and 44 in section B. Both sections met one day a week for approximately three hours. Students enrolled in each section were required to submit weekly papers in response to scenarios presented in the assigned readings. The scenarios depicted various ethical dilemmas from prosecutorial misconduct to jury tampering (see Pollock 2007). In addition, students in sections A and B were required to make oral group presentations (students were randomly assigned to groups by the instructor) explaining their individual and collective remedies to the situations. The group presentations were used to help students establish rapport with one another and to feel more comfortable

6 198 PINO ET AL. sharing their views openly. Only students written work was evaluated by the instructor. Table 1 shows the assignments and delivery methods for both sections of the ethics class. As shown in the table, there were some shared and different components in each section of the class. All of the coursework for each section required higher-level reasoning and involved in-depth discussions of various ethical systems and their implications for criminal justice processes (see Pollock 1993). The instructor adopted Cederblom and Spohn s (1991) interactive model for both sections of the class in an effort to familiarize students with what is right to do, both theoretically and in concrete instances (p. 209). According to Table 1, with section A, the instructor used a more traditional lecture style, whereas with section B, the instruction consisted of a semistructured discussion between the instructor and students. Further, individuals enrolled in section A were responsible for developing a major research paper concerning an ethical dilemma in criminal justice which they were free to identify. On the other hand, in an effort to enhance students ability to identify ethical concerns beyond those depicted in the text, students in Section B were required to watch movies (which contained a wide range of ethical dilemmas, some apparent and others more subtle) and write essays in which they were responsible for identifying at least two ethical dilemmas. Section B students were required to offer well articulated solutions using the text as a guide. This assignment was required for students in section B for both their midterm and final exams. Both of these assignments were take-home and students typically were given a week to complete and return them. Exams were not given to students enrolled in section A. The instructor gathered data for this study by taking extensive notes after each class and during meetings with students in his office. In addition, he collected data at the beginning and end of the semester to capture baseline and change in beliefs after being exposed to the different methods of instructional techniques across the two classes. 1 In particular, the instructor attempted to Table 1 Assignments and instruction delivery by section Assignment/delivery Section A Section B Group work X X Higher-level reasoning X X Lecture format X Movie-based exams X Reaction essays X X Research paper X Semistructured discussions X 1. Although not a part of our analyses, student evaluations indicate that individuals enrolled in section B were more likely to report that the class was too difficult. These same students, however, offered that they learned a great deal in this class, nonetheless.

7 USING MOVIES TO ILLUSTRATE ETHICAL DILEMMAS 199 assess students attitudes concerning ethics by asking them to rate the actions of key criminal justice personnel using scenarios, one involving police officers use of excessive force and the other prosecutorial misconduct during a criminal trial. Measures of student performance provided supplemental data. As we report in the next section, our analyses of the various data sources reveal clear differences in student performance and their levels of engagement across sections A and B. Study Findings There was a qualitative difference in the performance levels of students in section A and section B. In particular, students in section A (i.e., those who did not watch the video exercises) were less proficient at identifying ethical dilemmas both inside and outside of a criminal justice framework and seemingly experienced considerable difficulty comprehending the tenets of the subject matter. For example, several of the section A students remarked that they did not understand how becoming familiar with different ethical systems could help them perform their duties within the criminal justice system. Their views were even more negative regarding whether studying ethics could help them navigate their personal lives. For instance, Jovan noted, I don t see how studying ethics is going to help me be a better cop or person. 2 Students in section A also displayed fewer critical thinking skills and exhibited lower levels of student engagement, via lower levels of class participation and infrequent office hour visits when compared to students in Section B. On the other hand, students in section B were more likely to view ethical dilemmas with complexity and to see persons depicted in hypothetical situations highlighted in the text as multidimensional. For instance, Carla stated, The entire layout of the class enabled me to better understand the information. Had the class been a constant lecture, I would not have had the opportunity to dissect chapters and apply the information. Similarly, Lamar wrote, Just because we study ethical and moral dilemmas in the criminal justice field doesn t mean that we could not use the same ideas and apply them to [a variety of situations]. Finally, Amy observed, I find myself analyzing almost every situation that I may encounter which makes me able to make better and wiser choices... As with Carla, Lamar, and Amy, students in section B were more likely to understand the difficult nature of ethical issues rather than sorting individuals into dichotomous categories (i.e., ethical versus unethical). As mentioned above, students were asked to rate the actions of key criminal justice personnel using various scenarios. In a scenario involving police excessive use of force, section B rated the police actions as highly ethical in the baseline assessment with an average of 9 (where 0=not ethical through 10=very 2. Pseudonyms are used throughout the paper for students. Students verbal quotes are derived from the second author s handwritten notes.

8 200 PINO ET AL. ethical). After the students were exposed to various teaching methods, however, the class average regarding an identical situation was a 2. This lower score indicated that the class believed the use of excessive force was closer to unethical. In the second scenario involving a vigilante prosecutor, using the same rating scale as before, the class rated the attorney s actions as ethical at the baseline with an average of 8.7. However, during the end of class follow-up, the class rated the same conduct as unethical with a mean value of 2. Although we cannot rule out threats to external validity, there seemed to be significant changes in students evaluations of identical unethical actions depicted across scenarios, both between the baseline (at the beginning of the semester) and the follow up at the end. It should be noted that in Section A, such changes were not observed, and, in each scenario, the class maintained that officers and the prosecutor s behaviors were highly ethical with average values around 9 at both assessment points. In addition, the interactive model used in section B seemed to contribute to the students superior performance. For example, Claire commented, The assigned writings involved in this course, particularly with regard to the analysis and identification of the ethical dilemmas in [the movies] have made me more aware of the principles and beliefs of various ethical systems and how they apply to life in general. In agreement, Emanuel noted, Requiring us to watch [movies] and pick out the ethical dilemmas ourselves was a very helpful technique to our understanding of the topics. It forced us to actually think about real life situations as they were being acted out And Latrice remarked, The ethical dilemmas presented in the book are [some] that one might never experience However, by watching the movies one is able to identify ethical dilemmas and [determine whether] such behaviors or actions are unethical. Lastly, Kyle noted, The assignment itself is very effective in aiding understanding. Too often college courses rely purely on textbook and lecture. This can leave students stunted when it comes to their ability to apply what they have learned to diverse situations that exist in the real world This assignment did wonders for my understanding of how ethical thinking should be entrenched in every aspect of our lives. Discussion and Conclusion As the popularity of ethics classes increases in undergraduate and graduate criminal justice programs, it is important to determine the most effective methods for teaching ethics so that students retain and apply what they have learned after they enter the criminal justice profession. The methods highlighted in this paper made use of previous research and theorizing on the subject, and proved to be an effective way to help students maintain interest in the material, thereby helping them retain what they had been taught. The ethics class discussed in this paper had previously been taught in a traditional manner (section A). However, the more effective revised class (section B)

9 USING MOVIES TO ILLUSTRATE ETHICAL DILEMMAS 201 included a variety of teaching tools that tapped into different styles of learning, particularly the assimilative style that is preferred by the majority of criminal justice majors (Wells and McKinney 1997). Section B utilized movie-based exams and semistructured discussions instead of a traditional lecture style, and students from that section were more likely to feel that they understood the material. Moreover, students in section B were also more likely to analyze and dissect ethical dilemmas that they encountered outside of class, allowing them to apply ethical principals to their everyday lives, improve their higher order thinking skills, and increase the chances that they would utilize their ethics education as professionals in the field (Byers and Powers 1997; Pollock and Becker 1995). The teaching methods utilized in section B could be applied to ethics courses in other professions, including the legal profession, education, and medicine. An interactive model that sparks serious discussion through popular media such as movies helps students become more acquainted with what appropriate behaviors would be in different situations (Cederblom and Spohn 1991). Ethical communication, reasoning, analytical, and communication skills are all enhanced (Pollock 1993), and these methods might even be able to help us achieve the difficult goals of helping our students develop ethical values and change their behaviors to conform to ethical standards in their professions (Lord and Bjerregaard 2003). If ethics class instructors decide to utilize the teaching tools presented here, it would be beneficial to also replicate the evaluation methods used to assess their efficacy. If students provide formative feedback throughout the class, rather than the usual end-of-semester (summative) evaluation, it can help instructors revise class discussions and other methods of delivery while the class is still in session, and when the class is offered again the instructor will be that much more prepared. Lastly, ethics education is too important in criminal justice and other professions to be an afterthought or considered as a hurdle for students pursuing criminal justice degrees. By approaching the course seriously and utilizing methods that promote active discussion, students will appreciate the class and the material presented in it more. Acknowledgement The authors would like to thank Delores Jones-Brown for suggesting Mississippi Burning as a suitable video for this study. References Byers, B., and W. G. Powers Ethical orientations and criminal justice: the effects of academic major and gender. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 8: Cederblom, J., and C. Spohn A model for teaching criminal justice ethics. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 2:

10 202 PINO ET AL. Cook, K. L., and H. Bacot Movies in the classroom: popular images of criminal justice, criminology, and the law. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 4: Lord, V. B., and B. E. Bjerregaard Ethics courses: their impact on the values and ethical decisions of criminal justice students. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 14: Pollock, J. M Ethics and the criminal justice curriculum. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 4: Pollock, J. M Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice (5th ed.). Thomson Higher Education, Belmont: CA Pollock, J. M., and R. F. Becker Law enforcement ethics: using officers dilemmas as a teaching tool. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 6: Sever, B., G. Coram, and G. Meltzer Criminal justice graduate programs at the beginning of the twenty-first century: a curriculum analysis. Criminal Justice Review 33: Wells, J. B., and M. K. McKinney Assessing criminal justice student learning styles for multimedia instruction. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 8: 1 18.