FX on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs”: Putting Criminological Theory in Action

Abstract

“Reservation Dogs” is a 2021 comedy series on Hulu (created by FX) featuring four indigenous teenagers trying to make it out of their rural town on a reservation in Oklahoma. In their efforts to make it to California, the teenagers—Elora, Bear, Cheese and Willie Jack—engage in delinquent behavior to earn money for their trip. The series explores the...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Criminology/Delinquency, Deviant Behavior/Social Disorganization

Resource Type(s):

Assignment, Essay

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Identify criminological theories in “Reservation Dogs.”
2. Apply how these criminological theories operate on the microlevel using examples from “Reservation Dogs.”
3. Analyze how inequalities (i.e., racial, gendered, classed, ability, political, etc.) shape the characters’ motivations toward deviance.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Assessing Goal 1: Questions 2 and 3 ask students to recall theories throughout the semester and recount one of the theory’s main tenets in relation to the episode.
2. Assessing Goal 2: By answering questions 4 and 5, students explain how certain plot points and scenarios in the episode tie to a theory of their choosing.
3. Assessing Goal 3: Questions 6, 7 and 8 ask students to analyze the inequalities present in the episode and how these inequalities ultimately influence their delinquent actions.