Leadership Skills

Ethics in Film

Agood way to discuss ethics is through film. Many films capture people's interests while at the same time tell a story with ethical dilemmas. Nearly any good film could be used for discussion, and a Google search will provide you with many lists. IMDb has several lists, and one that includes movies that have ethical dilemmas.

Here are a few examples of ethics in film:

• Hotel Rwanda: During genocide, one man saves over 1,200 people. Ethical issues that could be discussed include obligations to family vs. strangers, racism, international responsibility, and military actions.
• An Inconvenient Truth: Awareness about global warming. Ethical issues could include reliability of data, nature of a moral imperative, global responsibility, and population growth.
• Avatar: Using a different lifeform to mine on a poisonous moon. Ethical issues might include technology vs. tradition, obligation to duty, and colonialism.

These are merely examples, and there are many different issues that can be addressed within film. Have fun! .