History Repeats Itself: Too Big to Fail as a Pedagogical Tool

Abstract

The HBO movie Too Big to Fail, based on the book by Andrew Ross Sorkin, represents a video case study of the 2008 financial crisis. The passage of time allows instructors a unique opportunity to engage students in a significant historical event that they lived through and where the impact can still be felt on the economy. It also allows us to debate policy responses to the 2020 global pandemic that may be attributed to lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis. We also provide suggestions on using the video in the classroom and a unique approach for maintaining student engagement while viewing the video.