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Hosted by the University of Colorado’s Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Arts and Sciences Support of Education through Technology’s Innovation Incubator, this Reacting Conference will be held in person from June 13-16, 2022 in the Center for Academic Success and Engagement. Our goal is to provide a conference that will rejuvenate and encourage faculty in their pursuit of active learning through the Reacting to the Past pedagogy.

PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE

EVENT OPTIONS
During this four-day event (see schedule below), you have two options:

  • Two Reacting Game Workshops
    You'll play two Reacting games in succession: one game on Monday-Tuesday, and the other on Wednesday-Thursday
    OR
  • Reacting Game Workshop and Newbie Workshop
    You'll play one Reacting game on Monday-Tuesday, and then partake in a hands-on workshop series designed to walk you through the process of syllabus revision, assessment strategies, and curricular integration, so you'll feel fully confident when implementing Reacting to the Past. This option is recommended for Reacting Newbies, and for cohorts from the same school.  
Regardless of which of the above options you choose, all participants can enjoy Pedagogy Panels with Reacting students and experienced faculty.

GAME WORKSHOPS
 The Reacting pedagogy is best understood by experiencing as students do, albeit in abbreviated versions. A Reacting game workshop offers a condensed gameplay experience, while covering broader context for the simulation and mechanics, and includes post-game guidance on how to use it in your own classroom. 

Participants will be sent a Gamebook outlining the topics and debates of a specific historical moment, as well as a detailed a Role Sheet for their historical actor in those debates. Participants prepare and engage as that historical actor, making arguments and forging alliances to achieve specific Victory Objectives. You need not be a specialist to play, or to run a Reacting game, but you should plan on doing some preparatory reading.


GAME OPTIONS
Games offered on June 13-14:

Games offered on June 15-16:

SCHEDULE
All times in local Mountain Time Zone

Sunday, June 12 

5:00 - 6:30 PM 

RECEPTION FOR REACTING NEWBIES

We invite all participants who are new to the Reacting pedagogy, or attending an official Reacting Consortium event for the first time to join us at Cafe Aion. 

Monday, June 13

8:30 - 9:30 AM

CHECK-IN AND LIGHT BREAKFAST 

9:30  - 10:00 AM

WELCOMING REMARKS AND
INTRODUCTION TO THE REACTING PEDAGOGY

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

FIRST GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 1

Setup, Historical Context, and Faction Meetings 
The game workshop offers a condensed gameplay experience, context for the simulation, and includes post-game guidance on how to use Reacting in your own classes. You'll be sent a Gamebook, as well as a detailed a role sheet. During the game, you participate as your role, making arguments and forging alliances to achieve specific objectives. The first session will cover historical context, game set-up, and faction meetings. Choose from four games: 

Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion. 1676-1677: Race, Class. and Frontier Conflict in Colonial Virginia







French Revolution 
Rousseau, Burke, and Revolution in France, 1791


Indian Independence 1945
Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence, 1945


Trial of Galileo
The Trial of Galileo: Aristotelianism, the "New Cosmology," and the Catholic Church

12:00 - 1:00 PM

LUNCH

1:00 - 2:30 PM

FIRST GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 2

Debate and Discussion
The game begins. During the game, you participate as your role, making arguments and forging alliances to achieve specific objectives. You will participate only in your specific game (either Bacon's Rebellion, French Revolution, Indian Independence 1945, or Trial of Galileo).

2:30 - 2:45 PM

BREAK

2:45 - 3:45 PM

FIRST GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 3

3:45 - 4:45 PM

PEDAGOGY SESSIONS

Tuesday, June 14

8:30 - 9:30 AM

BREAKFAST

FIRST GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 4

9:30 - 11:00 AM 

FIRST GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 5

Debrief and Post-Mortem 
The final session includes time for de-roling (from the role you played), debriefing the game, discussion of 'what actually happened' in history and connections to larger themes or contemporary events. The Post-Mortem is a pedagogical debrief in which you discuss game mechanics and implementation. As always, the GM will leave time for questions.  

12:30 - 1:30 PM

1:30 - 3:00 PM

LUNCH

OPTIONAL PLAYTEST OF THE FALL OF ATHENS

This microgame, meant as an introductory game for students or faculty workshops, will take you through the final months of the Pelopponesian War, as the combined forces of Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth struggle to bring once-mighty Athens under their control. This game, originally conceived as "Athens Beseiged," has been heavily revised clarify the main issues at play on both sides of the Long Walls.

3:30 - 5:00 PM

ALL-CONFERENCE RECEPTION

Wednesday, June 15

8:30 - 9:30 AM

BREAKFAST

9:30 - 12:00 PM

NEWBIE WORKSHOP - SESSION 1

A Hands-On Workshop: Prepare to Teach with Reacting  

-OR-

SECOND GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 1

Setup, Historical Context, and Faction Meetings 
The game workshop offers a condensed gameplay experience, context for the simulation, and includes post-game guidance on how to use Reacting in your own classes. During the game, you participate as your role, making arguments and forging alliances to achieve specific objectives. The first session will cover historical context, game set-up, and faction meetings. Choose from three games: 

Radical Reconstruction
Radical Reconstruction in New Orleans, 1868-76


Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine: Technology, Rebellion, and the Industrial Revolution

Vietnam Memorial 
Monuments and Memory-Making: The Debate over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1981-82

12:00 - 1:00 PM

LUNCH

1:00 - 3:45 PM

NEWBIE WORKSHOP OR GAME WORKSHOP SESSIONS 2-3
With break from 2:30 - 2:45

3:45 - 4:45 PM

PEDAGOGY SESSIONS 

Thursday, June 16

8:30 - 9:30 AM

BREAKFAST

9:30 - 12:30 AM

NEWBIE WORKSHOP   

-OR-

SECOND GAME WORKSHOP - SESSIONS 4-5

Debate and Discussion. Post-Mortem.

PRICING

REGISTRATION RATES 

Includes all conference events and listed meals. Members need to sign into your account in order to register at the member rate. Become a member here. 

  Until March 31 During April May and later
Grad Student/TA  $350 $375   $400
Consortium Member  $400  $425  $450
Non-Member  $450  $475  $500


SUBSIDIZED REGISTRATION FOR BOULDER FACULTY AND STAFF 
A limited number of subsidized places are available to CU Boulder members by using a code (please contact Jacie Moriyama for this info).  If more CU Boulder faculty and staff wish to participate than the number available, they should register at the regular Consortium Member rates listed above.


THE DANA JOHNSON GORLIN FELLOWSHIP FUNDED REGISTRATION 
The Dana Johnson Gorlin Fellowship covers registration, travel, and housing for one instructor to attend the conference. Read more about Dana, the fellowship, previous recipients, and how to apply. Applications and nominations are due April 15. 

FUNDED REGISTRATION FOR DEI ADVANCEMENT
The Reacting Consortium is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging. We have funded registration for instructors who are members of historically underrepresented and marginalized identity groups, and/or for those teaching at minority-serving institutions (HBCUs, Tribal colleges and universities, AAPI and Hispanic-serving institutions). If you are interested in applying for one of these spots, please send an email to reacting@barnard.edu with the subject line “Funded WC Spot” by May 1. Approved applicants will be able to register for free. Please apply and share with colleagues.


LODGING 

There is no lodging included with conference registration. We recommend the nearby Millenium Harvest House Boulder which is offering a courtesy rate of $145/night (before taxes) for a Superior King suite. We also encourage you to check airbnb or other options. 

Also, additional information about the conference accommodations is available here.




FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

HOW DO I GET TO BOULDER FROM THE AIRPORT?

You can take the bus, a van, or taxi to the Boulder campus. Full details are on this website. The Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) building is located at 1725 Euclid Avenue, Boulder CO 80309. If you plan to drive to campus, use the underground garage in CASE as there is limited public parking on campus. Note that the conference will cover your parking fees for this event.


HOW DO I GET AROUND?

Walking to the conference – For those staying at the Millennium, the conference is about a 20-25 minute walk away. It is uphill, so be prepared.

Walking around town – The conference hotel is within 1.25-1.5 miles of pretty much anywhere you would want to go downtown, and the walk is relatively flat because it is along a creek bed. If the weather cooperates, this is the best way to see Boulder!

Public transportation – Boulder is well served by a network of local and regional buses. Fares are $3.00 one-way for in-town travel. Or you can purchase a Day Pass for $6.00 for unlimited rides. If you are buying your ticket on the bus, be sure to have exact change!

Buses with names (SKIP, HOP) are local Boulder buses; buses with numbers (209, 204) are regional RTD buses. You can look up the schedules for all buses on RTD’s website (rtd-denver.com).

If you want to get to the conference from your hotel, the best bus to take is the HOP (a cute little shuttle bus painted with the word HOP on it). From the Millennium, you can catch the HOP at the southeast corner of Folsom & Arapahoe. Ask the driver to let you out at Euclid and 17th on campus.

The HOP runs in a circle that connects campus to the Hill, downtown Boulder, and various retail areas in central Boulder. HOPs run frequently in both directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise), every 12-20 minutes 7am-10pm.

Many other buses run later into the evening. If you plan to get back to your hotel by bus, check out the routes online before you leave so you know what options you have.

Short-term Bicycle Rentals – If you are going for a short trip (30 minutes or less), and between locations that have BCycle bike rental stations, this is a great option to get around cheaply and quickly. BCycle (boulder.bcycle.com) charges $15.00 a day for unlimited numbers of rentals (or $5.00/30 minutes) – so long as you get your bike to one of their rental stations within 30 minutes. You can purchase your day pass online or at any of their bike stations.

At the Millennium, you will want to take a short walk to 2789 Taft Drive. Both locations are a short walk from the hotels. From there, you can ride to the conference (there is a BStation at 18th & Euclid, just across the street from CASE, where the conference takes place). Or you can explore downtown and beyond!

Taxis/etc. – Do not expect to be able to hail a taxi on the street in Boulder! ZTrip is a local cab company that offers online pre-booking of taxis, which is recommended especially if you are going outside of the downtown area. They can be reached at 303-699-8747. You can also take your chances and wait for a cab at the cab stand at 11th and Pearl downtown. And of course Über and Lyft also operate in the area.

WHAT ABOUT COVID-19? 

The CU Boulder community is over 97% vaccinated, and masks are currently not required for visitors. That said, we recommend that you carry proof of your vaccination status. Given the ever-changing circumstances and recommendations, please visit CU Boulder’s COVID-19 policy info page before arriving on campus for the most up-to-date information. Should you want or need to test while at the event, Boulder County provides free testing services near campus.

We, of course, recommend that all participants be vaccinated and boosted. Please let us know if you have any other questions. 


CAN I ONLY PARTICIPATE IN ONE GAME?

If you choose to play both Game Workshops, then you'll be able to play two games. If you instead choose to do the Newbie Workshop, you'll only play a game for the first two days.

ARE ALL GAMES APPROPRIATE FOR NEWCOMERS, OR NON-SPECIALISTS?

All of the games for the first two-day workshop are appropriate for newcomers to Reacting, as well as non-specialists in these topics. And in general, newcomers can participate in any of our games. 


WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THE GAME WORKSHOP? 

First of all: fun! In terms of practical details: Participants will be sent a Gamebook (either digitally or a hardcopy in the mail) outlining the topics and debates of a historical moment, as well as a detailed a role sheet for a historical actor in those debates. Participants prepare and engage as that historical actor, making arguments and forging alliances to achieve specific Victory Objectives. You need not be a specialist to play (or run) a Reacting game, but you should plan on doing some preparatory reading. 


I HAVE A CONFLICT FOR PART OF THE GAME WORKSHOP SESSIONS, CAN I STILL ATTEND?

Yes. While it's not ideal, you can absolutely still attend. Please make note of your conflict when you register so we can try to work around it in casting, and we can let your GM know.  


STILL GOT QUESTIONS? 

First, check https://www.colorado.edu/assett/reacting-summer-conferencethe CU-Boulder website for the event; they have lot of local information, maps, and links you're likely to find helpful when planning your trip. You can also email us at reacting@barnard.edu and we'll try to answer them. 

                    REGISTER NOW                            



UPCOMING EVENTS


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