Teaching Media and Politics in Civics with Wag the Dog

This article offers a pedagogical suggestion in using the Barry Levinson’s film Wag the Dog (1997) to teach about media and politics in civic education. It is appropriate for high school and university students. Movies can help make abstract political concepts more concrete; they raise a number of applicable themes that teachers can explore. When used carefully and properly, they can be effective and useful tools. In this day and age, students have become accustomed to attaining knowledge through mediums such as television and movies. Though books and text are still essential in learning, teachers should take notice of the new visual motivation. Movies are familiar in the everyday lives of students. Will the movie replace the textbook? Never. But the use of film can enhance the learning environment by placing the student in an acquainted ground, the movie theater.