UPCOMING EVENTS

Switch to Calendar View

• Reacting at Grand Valley State University: Thresholds of Democracy

  • Start
    November 07, 2024
  •  
    8:00 AM
  • End
    November 09, 2024
  •  
    7:30 PM
  • Location
    Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI

  
  

  Grand Valley State University has been a stalwart of Reacting for many years and has done much to spread the pedagogy in the Upper Midwest. Now, this Founding Institutional Member of the Consortium is hosting a three-day “sampler event” for high school and college faculty looking to reinvigorate their classrooms.
  

  
  PROGRAMMING
  The theme for this event is “Thresholds of Democracy,” echoing the flagship Reacting game set in 403 BCE Athens, the momentous 2024 election, and the ever-precarious, ever-hopeful, ever-changing state of democracy. This theme also honors the work of our special guest, Nadine Strossen. Strossen, former ACLU President (1991-2008), professor of law emerita at NYU, and author of, among other titles, Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford UP, 2018) will deliver a closing plenary on Saturday, November 7, generously sponsored by Voices for Liberty at George Mason University.

  GAME WORKSHOPS

  Reacting is an active-learning method, and so all of our events involve experiencing our games as students do: as a historical actor! Unlike many of our regional events or our Annual Institute, where you would play through the entirety of one or two games, this conference offers the chance to sample as many as six different games (of 14 options) in a compressed format that will lay out the parameters and structures of the game before participants will play through a single debate from the game in character.

  Participants will be sent a digital gamebook for each game, outlining the topics and debates of a historical moment, as well as a detailed role sheet for a historical actor in those debates.  You need not be a specialist to play (or run) a Reacting game, but you should plan on doing some preparatory reading. You can expect to dedicate approximately two hours of prep time to each game workshop you choose.

  We are pleased to offer introductions to 14 different games this year:

  • The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 B.C.E.
  • The Crisis of Catiline: Rome, 63 BCE
  • Confucianism and the Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor, 1587
    
  • Stages of Power: Marlowe and Shakespeare, 1592
    
  • The Trial of Galileo: Aristotelianism, the "New Cosmology," and the Catholic Church, 1616-1633
    
  • Korea at the Crossroads of Civilizations: Confucianism, Westernization, and the 1894 Kabo Reforms
    
  • Modernism Vs. Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889
    
  • Mexico in Revolution, 1912-1920
  • Hands off Africa!: Pan-Africanism, Decolonization, and The All African People‘s Conference, 1958
  • A Different Kind of War: The United States, the Cold War, and Vietnam, 1963-65
  • Chicago, 1968: Policy and Protest at the Democratic National Convention
  • Changing the Game: Title IX, Gender, and College Athletics
  • The Prado Museum's Expansion: The Diverse Art of Latin America
  • Climate Change in Copenhagen, 2009

  While Reacting to the Past was created for higher education classrooms, high school faculty have been gravitating towards the pedagogy for its mix of rigor and playfulness. Both tertiary and secondary educators are welcome at this conference, though we’ve built a high-school-specific programming option into Saturday’s schedule.  Saturday afternoon will also feature a session targeting Reacting for world language classrooms, as well as one game option for those looking to experience as many games as possible.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS

  If you'd like more practical guidance, we’re also offering several 90-minute sessions where you can learn the nuts and bolts of running a game in your class from experienced Reacting faculty.

  In “Reacting 101: Preparing to Play,” we’ll discuss what you should do before a game, including how to navigate the Reacting website and its many resources, how to adapt your syllabus, and how to assign roles.

  In “Reacting 201: Get in the Game,” we’ll cover things you’ll need to know while and after you play, including safety mechanisms and tips for managing student anxiety, what to do when things go wrong, as well as advice on assessing your students’ work in this new pedagogical context, and how to include post-game activities that will help cement what they've learned.

  In the Student Panel–always one of the best-attended sessions at our conferences–you’ll hear from a variety of undergraduate students about their experiences playing Reacting games, and have the chance to ask all your burning questions.

  We’re also offering sessions to introduce you to two microgames that work great to get your students engaged and participating in their own learning–a great prequel for a full-length game. You can try Athens Besieged, which asks students to decide the fate of Athens and its antagonists at the end of the Peloponnesian War, or Monumental Consequence, which places them in a small village threatened by outsiders and asks them to decide: is art is ever worth dying for? Microgames require NO preparation by players.

  
  PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE 
  Although it’s not possible to take part in everything, participants are free to build their own conference itinerary by opting into whichever game workshops, concurrent sessions, and meals work for them and reserving their slots at the point of registration. All times below are Eastern, and subject to change.

  Thursday, November 7

  8:00-9:00 AM	BREAKFAST  & WELCOME
  9:00 AM-12:00 PM	MORNING SESSION (choose one): Game: Title IX Game: Vietnam Escalation Microgame: Monumental Consequences
  12:00-2:00 PM	LUNCH & REMARKS
  2:00-5:00 PM	AFTERNOON SESSION (choose one): Game: Climate Change in Copenhagen Game: Crisis of Catiline Sessions: Reacting 101 & Student Panel
  	DINNER ON YOUR OWN

  Friday, November 8

  8:00-9:00 AM	BREAKFAST  & NOTES
  9:00 AM-12:00 PM	MORNING SESSION (choose one): Game: Confucianism Succession Game: Trial of Galileo Sessions: Reacting 101 & Student Panel
  12:00-2:00 PM	LUNCH & REMARKS
  2:00-5:00 PM	AFTERNOON SESSION (choose one): Game: Korean Kabo Reforms Game: Shakespeare & Marlowe Sessions: Reacting 102 & Microgame: Athens Besieged
  6:00-9:00 PM	DINNER BUFFET AND GAME NIGHT

  SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9

  8:00-9:00 AM	BREAKFAST & NOTES
  9:00 AM-12:00 PM	MORNING SESSION (choose one): Game: Hands off Africa Game: Art in Paris Game: The Prado Museum Game: Athens 403 BCE Game: Mexican Revolution
  12:00-2:00 PM	LUNCH & REMARKS
  2:00-5:00 PM	AFTERNOON SESSION (choose one): Session: RTTP in High Schools Session: RTTP for World Languages Game: Chicago 1968
  5:00-6:00 PM	KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Nadine Strossen
  6:30-8:00 PM	DINNER BUFFET

  
  PRICING
  Regardless of how many (or few) elements one chooses, the registration rates are as follows:

  	Early (thru 9/30)	Reg (thru 10/19)	Late (thru 11/4)
  Member, High School/ Part Time	$25	$50	$75
  Non-Member, High School/ Part Time	$75	$100	$125
  Member, Higher Ed	$50	$75	$100
  Non-Member, Higher Ed	$100	$125	$150

  Become a member to save money on your registration! Individual memberships start at just $25. 

  GVSU faculty with active RC accounts can register at no charge! Start by creating an account, give us few hour to review and approve it, then activate your account, set up your password, and you'll be ready to register!

  
  LODGING AND FOOD
  A block of hotel rooms have been reserved at the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown (310 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504) just a few minutes walk away from the conference venue. To reserve a room at the group rate of $139 per night, please call the hotel directly at 616-235-7611 by October 22, and indicate that you’re part of the Reacting to the Past Conference at the GVSU Pew Center.

  Daily breakfast will be provided at the conference venue, buffet lunches at Pide & Stick, less than half a mile (or an 8-minute walk) from the conference venue, and Friday and Saturday dinner will be at House Rules Board Game Lounge, about 1.2 miles away (a 25-minute walk, or a  5-minute car trip).  If you have concerns about accessibility accommodations, please let us know when you register.

         REGISTER      

  Show details
• 2025 Winter Conference

  • Start
    January 17, 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM
  • End
    January 19, 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  2025 WINTER CONFERENCE

  One More Thing to Master?

  Turning a Master Teacher into a Game Master

   The University of Georgia is once again hosting a virtual Reacting Winter Conference on January 17^th–19^th, 2025!

  This year’s workshop will focus on the challenges that accompany transforming yourself from a Master Teacher to a Game Master. As faculty you are asked to wear more and more hats—instructor, informal counselor, grader, committee member, mental health watchdog, mentor on student success, researcher, and more. All the other hats you have to wear may hold you back from even attempting to master a new role as a Game Master. You may feel daunted when contemplating how Reacting requires not only an entirely different kind of learning for your students but also a different kind of teaching from you. Although Reacting asks you to wear one more hat as you move between your more familiar role as a Master Teacher and your new role as a Game Master, the benefits of this pedagogy are so significant that it is more than worthwhile.

  Join us virtually this year for a collegial conversation on mastering the art of game mastering. Whether you are new to Reacting and worried about wearing one more hat or you have been game mastering for years and want both to learn new strategies and to share your own practices with others, this workshop is for you!

  PROGRAM SCHEDULE
  (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
  
  FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

  6:00 - 7:00 PM	OPTIONAL  BEGINNER'S FAQ New to Reacting? This is an optional session for anyone who is new to Reacting to the Past or to the Zoom platform—join us to ask questions about what you should do to prepare for gameplay and how to use Zoom to fully engage with the conference events!
  7:30 - 9:00 PM	WINTER CONFERENCE WORKSHOP: ONE MORE THING TO MASTER? Join us for an in-depth discussion on integrating Reacting to the Past into an already full workload. Whether you are just starting out or are a veteran, we hope to provide a stimulating conversation on how to add the title of GM to the many hats you wear as an instructor.

  SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

  11:00 AM-12:30 PM	GAME WORKSHOP SESSION 1  The best way to learn about the Reacting pedagogy is to experience it. Choose one: The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 B.C.E. Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1861-1864 (Second Edition) Modernism vs. Traditionalism: Art in Paris 1888-1889 Egypt 1920s: Feminism, Nationalism, and Islam Ending the Troubles: Religion, Nationalism, and the Search for Peace and Democracy in Northern Ireland, 1997-98  The first session covers game set-up, historical context, faction meetings, and includes a 10 minute break.
  12:30-1:30 PM	LUNCH BREAK Get away from your screen, get some food, and decompress!
  1 :30-2:00 PM	SOCIAL BREAK Game rooms will be open for attendees to drop in and chat with their fellow game players outside of the context of their roles.
  2:00-3:30 PM	GAME WORKSHOP SESSION 2 Continue playing your chosen Reacting game. Session includes a 10 minute break.
  3:30-4:15 PM	KEYNOTE ADDRESS Watch this space for more details!

  SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

  11:00 AM-12:30 PM	GAME SESSION 3 Get to know your Game Master and continue playing your chosen game. Session includes a 10 minute break.
  12:30 - 1:30 PM	LUNCH BREAK Get away from your screen, get some food, and decompress!
  1:30 - 2:00 PM	SOCIAL BREAK Game rooms will be open for attendees to drop in and chat with their fellow game players outside of the context of their roles.
  2:00 - 3:30 PM	GAME SESSION 4 Debriefing, and post-mortem discussion.
  3:30-4:15 PM	CLOSING COLLOQUY Watch this space for more details!

  
  PRICING
  CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

  	Early Bird   Oct 29-Nov 3	Regular   Dec 1-20	Late Dec 21-Jan 10
  Member	$150	$175	$200
  Non-Member	$225	$250	$275

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Become a Reacting Consortium member to save on your registration. Memberships start at just $25. 

  FUNDED REGISTRATION FOR DEI ADVANCEMENT
  We offer free and subsidized registration for instructors of historically underrepresented and marginalized identity groups, and/or for those teaching at minority-serving institutions (HBCUs, Tribal colleges, AAPI- and Hispanic-serving institutions). Email reacting@barnard.edu with the subject line “Funded WC Spot” by November 22, 2024 for more information and to apply. 

  
  

  WORKSHOP-ONLY REGISTRATION
  Instructors wishing to attend only the Friday night workshop may do so for $75. These registrants cannot observe or participate in the game workshop sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

  
  

  Refer to the conference page for full details. 

  
  

  REGISTER NOW
  
  

  NOTE: The Reacting Consortium Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, reserves the right to bar any person from the Reacting Faculty Lounge on Facebook and from participation in any Reacting Consortium event. Please also be advised that some or all of the online workshops may be recorded.

  Show details
• Save the Date! 2025 Winter Conference

  • Start
    January 17, 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • End
    January 19, 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Online

  
  

  Save the date for the 2025 Reacting Winter Conference hosted online by the University of Georgia January 17 -19, 2025. While we're still finalizing details, we encourage you to go ahead and hold these dates to plan accordingly so you can be sure to join this exciting professional development opportunity to learn more about Reacting games and engaged teaching and learning.

  See our 2024 Winter Conference event page for previous programming and pricing details. 

  Though unlikely, these dates may still be subject to change. 

  Show details
• Save the Date! 2025 Spring Online Game Workshop

  • Start
    March 21, 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • End
    March 22, 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Online

  
  
  Save the date for the 2025 Reacting Spring Online Game Workshop, which will take place March 21-22, 2025. While we're still finalizing details, we encourage you to go ahead and hold these dates to plan accordingly so you can be sure to join this exciting professional development opportunity to learn more about Reacting games and engaged teaching and learning, and to play a Reacting game online! 

  See our 2024 Fall Online Game Workshop event page for previous programming and pricing details. 

  Though unlikely, these dates may still be subject to change. 

  Show details
• Save the Date! 2025 Annual Institute

  • Start
    June 04, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • End
    June 08, 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Barnard College

  
  

  Save the date for the 2025 Reacting Annual Institute at Barnard College in New York City June 5-8, 2025, with optional programming and check-starting on June 4th! While we're still finalizing details, we encourage you to go ahead and hold these dates to plan accordingly for the best professional development conference for game-based learning.

  See our 2023 and 2024 annual institute event pages for previous programming and pricing details. 

  Though unlikely, these dates are subject to change. 

  Show details
• Save the Date! 2025 Game Development Conference

  • Start
    July 10, 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • End
    July 12, 2025
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan

  
  

  Save the date for the 2025 Game Development Conference hosted by Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan July 10-12, 2025. While we're still finalizing details, we encourage you to hold these dates to plan accordingly so you can be sure to join these exciting game development opportunities. Start working on your new game pitches now!

  See our 2024 Conference event page for previous programming and pricing details. 

  Though unlikely, these dates may still be subject to change. 

  Show details