Simple Sunday - Batman in the Classroom

One important fact to know before you read any further: I'm a teacher, and my current gig has me covering classes for other teachers (yes, the infamous "supply teacher"...).

Now then.  When I was asked to cover a Politics class looking at Hobbes and Locke (social contract theory, and the nature and justification for power) last period on a Friday afternoon, I wanted something to help the students review what they already knew while actually keeping their interest.  You all remember being there in the last year of high school, last period, on the last day of the week...was there anything you wanted to do other than get the hell out?

Cue this image on the projection screen as they all walked in.  Excitement began bubbling up despite the cynical attitudes of students about to graduate...was it movie time?

Now, I'm normally the kind of supply teacher that dislikes the "movie time" classes.  Students pick up on the fact that when their teacher is absent, it's easier to avoid work altogether - it's an unpleasant reality, but a reality nonetheless.  Much of the time, movies are just filler to keep the class vaguely on-topic while the teacher is away, and often there might not be any follow-up.

Not so, this time.  I knew that I'd have this class for two days in a row, so I had them "pay admission" for the movie by reviewing what they'd learned about social contract theory and about the nature of power dynamics according to the two philosophers.  All the while, students were looking at the screen, trying to guess - from this single shot - what movie they were going to be watching.  When I was satisfied that they had told me all they knew, I set the movie to play.  The scene, as you might have guessed, was this one:

Thanks to shows like Arrow, the Flash, and even Person of Interest, it's ok for students of all kinds to like superheroes.  Some hadn't seen the film, but interest immediately picked up with the surreal clown masks and back-stabbing bank heist.  Most students didn't even mind when I paused after every major scene to get them to weigh the scales between the philosophers, to see where the film stood on the major issues they'd been examining over the last little while.  Last period on Friday + superhero movie = actual material review...?  What?

I'm a real fan of using media in the classroom, because today's students don't live in the same world (slave over desk, produce only written material) that many teachers grew up in.  I'm especially excited that we can use something like Batman in class and still relate to relevant material that's centuries-old in a way that interests teenagers.  I literally had students arguing over whether Batman was a Lockean or Hobbesian ruler, drawing on evidence from interactions between regular Gotham citizens, masked vigilantes, and institutional procedure.

Plus, The Dark Knight on a Friday afternoon.  Am I right?