SPOKANE, Wash. — All the guts and glory of some big Hollywood productions are coming to a Washington State University Spokane classroom.
WSU Spokane Assistant Professor David Brody is utilizing six big-name films to help teach his students about politics, law and the criminal justice system. “While the analysis of each movie is an important component to this course, students will delve deeper into discussions about the film along with other media’s impact on the public’s perception of our justice system,” says Brody.
The professor has selected some crime-saturated films such as “Traffic” and “Heat” to assist in showcasing how politics, law and criminal justice in Hollywood shape real life crime and punishment. Along with the movies, students are also required to read an extensive selection of texts exploring the justice system.
“The goal of this class is to provide the graduate student with food for thought about some of the policies and actions that help make up the criminal justice system,” says Brody.
Since dialogue is a vital concept in this course, Brody is inviting any interested members of the public to join in the movie reviews. He believes that by encouraging interested parties from outside of the academic classroom to participate, this class will gain valuable insights into public perception.
WSU Spokane offers a master’s degree in criminal justice with graduate courses in criminal justice, public administration and policy analysis.
Summer classes begin June 17 and there are still spots available in the course, “Politics, Law and Criminal Justice in Film.” The movies will be shown every Monday night starting June 24 at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Brody at (509) 358-7952 or by e-mail at brody@wsu.edu, or visit the criminal justice program Web site at www.crimj.spokane.wsu.edu.
