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Abstract
The authors make a case for using The West Wing, a political drama that aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006, as an instructional tool in high school civics and government classes. The show offers a realistic portrayal of life in the White House through the eyes of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet and his senior staff that can further students’ understanding of the traditional curriculum and aid teachers in broaching controversial political issues in their classes. Using two representative episodes from the first season, the authors describe how high school civics and government teachers can use The West Wing to achieve their instructional goals. The authors conclude by offering general suggestions to teachers wishing to use the series as part of their instruction.
Notes
1. Short plot synopses of the rest of the episodes from the first season as well as subsequent seasons can be found at http://www.westwingepguide.com.
2. The authors would like to thank Alan Marcus and Jeremy Stoddard for their thoughtful suggestions on this aspect of our research.
3. Transcripts of all episodes from seasons 1 through 4 can be found at http://www.westwingtranscripts.com/. The authors would like to thank Jean Rosales for alerting us to that Web site.