History Through Games
Room:
226Description:
Some of my earliest memories of history come from playing games: whether scrambling to connect San Francisco to Omaha in ‘Ticket to Ride’, or training Cataphracts to beat up my brother’s Huskarls in ‘Age of Empires’, or constructing the Notre Dame in Sid Meier’s Civilization series. ‘Gamification’ — learning by playing — is an exceptionally effective way to inspire interest in a subject. This class will use classic board games and computer games to lay the foundations for a lifetime of learning history and geography. Students will also gain experience with public speaking, discuss the principles of game design, and attempt to create a historical game of their own. The class itself is organized as a year-long game, with points earned and prizes awarded rather than grades.
Prerequisites:
Students should be able to read and write at a middle school level (e.g., understand a rule book, write a 100-word paragraph).Cost:
$312 tuition per year, paid in six $52 payments. $40 supply fee per year, paid in one $40 payment.Textbook:
Each family must purchase the 2007 computer game “Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: The Complete Edition”. (I recommend the one sold on GOG, which is DRM-free and can often be found on sale for less than $8). The game must be installed on a PC, not a Mac.