Through The Wire: Training Culturally Competent Leaders for a New Era

This paper investigated how the use of The Wire, a fictional television drama that first aired in 2002, is used in public administration/affairs related courses. Using Carrizales’ (2010) framework for culturally competent curricula, the author evaluated how the show is applied to impart skills and knowledge based within the framework’s four components. This study examined select course syllabi that make primary use of The Wire. Findings demonstrate the usability and effectiveness of The Wire as a tool to develop a culturally competent curriculum and the importance and necessity of supplementing traditional instructional methods with innovative practices of the 21st century. Central to this study is the argument that using the show expands the teaching of traditional theoretical models and instruction methods to include a wide range of views and perspectives.