{"id":27667,"date":"2026-05-13T14:37:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/?post_type=cu_description&p=27667"},"modified":"2026-05-13T14:37:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:37:50","slug":"playing-history","status":"publish","type":"cu_description","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/description\/playing-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Playing History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Professor Pamela J. Walker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYSM 1405A: Playing History
Fall 2026-Winter 2027<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing History<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you like board games, theatre, video games, improv, historical fiction, costumes,  and having fun? Are you tired of sitting quietly while a teacher talks?
 
Do you want to play historical games, meet other students, ask big historical questions, and figure out university life?
 
This course uses Reacting to the Past <\/em>(RTTP) games to draw students into the past. Students will take on historical roles like a journalist, the King of France or a peasant protesting unjust laws. Games are set in times of historical change and upheaval like the French Revolution or the beginning of World War One. There is no fixed script or outcome. You will be obliged to adhere to the philosophical and intellectual beliefs of the historical figures you play and you must devise your own means of expressing those ideas persuasively, in papers, speeches, or other public presentations.
 
Everyone must figure out how to win the game. That might mean overthrowing the King and establishing a republic or making the King\u2019s hold on power even more secure. Players will collaborate and compete with others. Your character might get killed in the game and you will reenter the game in a new role. You will work to understand historical documents and to develop your ,,response to the central problems of the game. You will debate, deceive your enemies, engage in skullduggery, or plot to sabotage your opponents. After the game, we will look at how the historical events differed from the way the game unfolded and reflect on the big historical questions we asked.
 
As one student said, \u201cBecause of Reacting, I don\u2019t just know the facts, I know the history<\/em>. And that\u2019s pretty epic.\u201d
 
This seminar will introduce you to historical thinking and help you to develop skills in persuasive speech, research, critical analytical thought and academic writing. These key skills are not only fundamental to success in university but are also essential to a successful professional career.
 
Class Format<\/em>:<\/strong> This seminar will be taught in person with a maximum of thirty students.
 
Textbook<\/em><\/strong>: J. Popiel and M. Carnes, Rousseau, Burke, and the Revolution in France, 1791 <\/em>2nd<\/sup>. Edition, (University of North Carolina Press)
 
Assessment<\/em><\/strong>: Students will be graded on their participation in the historical games and class discussions. They will submit frequent short essays that will examine key historical questions. The papers will require independent research using techniques that will be taught in class. Students will also write longer essays on topics of their choice. There is no examination in this course.
 
Read about game-based history classes:
https:\/\/www.universityaffairs.ca\/news\/news-article\/role-playing-games-are-breathing-new-life-into-the-history-classroom\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":520,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_description_type":[],"class_list":["post-27667","cu_description","type-cu_description","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_description\/27667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_description"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_description"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_description\/27667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27668,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_description\/27667\/revisions\/27668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_description_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_description_type?post=27667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}