2023/11/10 by D Cox, Wesley Wehde, Kelli Harris · 2 voices
Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Film in Education and Therapy #Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences #Law in Society and Culture
paper · doi:10.1080/10999922.2023.2278861
openalex publication_date 2023/11/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Our case study of Saw IV examines the possibility of using horror as a genre, a vehicle for teaching ethics, and its use in street-level bureaucrat (SLB) decision-making. Specifically, this film highlights the inherent violence of the police state, which illuminates the limits of ethical decision-making in constrained contexts. We propose using horror as a film genre to teach students about the complexity of personal, interpersonal, and professional ethics, bureaucratic discretion, and the impact of these decisions in real-world situations. We provide a brief analysis of the film through the lens of ethical dilemmas in a violent police state and the impact of this violence on governance. We conclude with recommendations for using Saw IV and horror more broadly as pedagogical tools in public administration and political science education.