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2023 REACTING WINTER CONFERENCE"From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs" January 13-15, 2023 | Virtual |
OVERVIEW The University of Georgia is hosting the 7th Annual Reacting to the Past Winter Conference on January 13th–15th, 2023. This year’s Conference Workshop will focus on how we can overcome the challenges that come with implementing Reacting in the classroom. We will address problems that face both our students and ourselves, problems that arise both when we first consider using Reacting to the Past as an active learning approach and when we have been using it for years. Join us as we draw on the collective wisdom of the Reacting community—a group of faculty that have demonstrated their adeptness at adaptation—to identify strategies that can help us succeed at bringing Reacting into our classrooms and departments. Whether you are just starting out with Reacting to the Past or are a veteran at using active learning strategies, we hope to provide you with new tools that enable you to break through whatever bottlenecks you might face. In order to continue the greater range of participation we have experienced in the last two years, the University of Georgia will once again host the Winter Conference in a virtual format. We hope that this makes the conference and its content more accessible to the Reacting community. This year we will be hosting four games, which are either new, recently revised, or out of rotation for the past few years. In addition to the games and workshop, we will have three conference events—an address by Nick Proctor, the new director of the Reacting Consortium, and an informal discussion for veteran and new Reactors alike to share ideas and suggestions. We are also including expanded breaks and a new social block to allow you to get to know your fellow game players outside of the context of your game roles. Join us for all of this and more at the Winter Conference! |
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6:00 - 7 PM
| OPTIONAL ORIENTATION SESSION If you're new to RTTP or online workshops, or just wondering about one little thing before we begin, please join us for this casual chat and Q&A session with a pair of your conference hosts. |
7:30 - 9 PM | COURSE DESIGN WORKSHOP Join us for an in-depth discussion Friday evening on overcoming challenges to implementing Reacting to the Past. Whether you are just starting out with or are a veteran, we hope to provide you with new tools and resources that enable you to break through whatever bottlenecks you might face in your classroom. |
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 |
11 AM - 12:30 PM
| GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 1 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. At some game-friendly point during this 90 minute session, GMs will call for a 10 minute break Choose from four games: Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1861-1864 The Crisis of Catiline: Rome 63 BCE The Prado Museum's Expansion: The Diverse Art of Latin America |
12:30 - 2:00 PM
2 - 3:30 PM | BREAK Virtual conferences are their own kind of tiring, so we're offing a 90-minute midday break. There will be no activities offered for an hour, and the half-hour from 1:30-2 PM is an optional opportunity for participants to engage in casual chat with others , whether in- or out-of-game. GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 2 Gameplay begins in earnest. You can expect to get through about one-third to one-half of your game during this time. As before, GMs will include a 10 minute break at some point. |
3:30 - 4:00 PM | KEYNOTE PLENARY "Building Brave Spaces for Reacting" For this year’s Winter Conference, we've invited our new Executive Director Nicolas Proctor to describe how he works with players to construct spaces that allow them to engage controversial ideas as well as one another. He will draw on his experiences running and playing RTTP as well as recreational role-playing games. |
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16 |
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM | GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 3 Gameplay continues. You can expect to get almost to teh end of you game in this session. . As before, GMs will include a 10 minute break at some point. |
12:30 - 2:00 PM | BREAK Virtual conferences are their own kind of tiring, so we're offing a 75-minute midday break. There will be no activities offered for an hour, and the half-hour from 1:30-1:45 PM is an optional opportunity for participants to engage in casual chat with others , whether in- or out-of-game. |
2:00 - 3:30 PM
| GAME WORKSHOP - SESSION 4 The final session includes time for debriefing the game, discussion of mechanics and implementation, and questions. |
3:30 - 4:00 PM | CLOSING PLENARY Closing remarks and discussion. |
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Includes all conference events. Members need to sign into your account in order to register at the member rate. Become a member here.
| Early Bird through October 31 |
Regular November 1-30 |
Late December 1-January 10 |
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| Consortium Member | $150 | $175 |
$200 |
| Non-Member | $200 | $225 | $250 |
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 November 1. Approved applicants will be able to register for free. Please apply and share with colleagues.
WORKSHOP-ONLY REGISTRATION
Instructors wishing to attend only the "From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs" workshop on Friday can register for it for a cost of $75. These registrants cannot observe or participate in the game workshop.
FAQ
CAN I ONLY PARTICIPATE IN ONE GAME?
Yes. You play through one game for the full weekend.
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?
Email reacting@barnard.edu and we'll try to answer them.
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