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 | *Formerly known as "Rage Against the Machine"* The Disruption of New Technology “Robots will take our jobs!” So announced a recent news article. Human workers are being replaced by automation. How should we respond? Do we resist or embrace this new technology? Engines of Mischief explores a very similar situation in the past -- in Manchester, England in 1817 and 1818. Players are faced with different choices about how to live and prosper at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. They use new economic theories, parliamentary commissions, and news reports to debate the pros and cons of factories, the role of the government in the economy, taxation, workers’ unions, and the extension of political rights down the social order. But players do not just debate. Characters from various classes of society must take action to improve their lives. Hand weavers and spinsters have to choose between violently resisting the new technology, joining factories, forming unions, or gaining political rights. Middle-class entrepreneurs decide how best to run their businesses to maximize profits and how to treat their workers. Craftsmen/inventors decide what type of new machines to build. Aristocrats must maintain control over government while deciding whether to support the working or middle classes, the old world or the new. Above all players must make ethical decisions about how to balance their individual interests with the good of society as a whole. |
Details
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Using the Game
Class Size Class Time Some game sessions are variable so instructors can choose key topics according to their pedagogical needs.
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GAME MATERIALS
Reacting Consortium members can access all downloadable materials (including expanded and updated materials) below. You will be asked to sign in before downloading. Basic game materials (Gamebook, Role Sheets, Instructor's Guide, and Handouts) are available to any instructor through the publisher.
Gamebook Students need a Gamebook, which includes directions, resources, and historical content. Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-8354-6 Published October 2024 Available wherever books are sold. | Role Sheets and Add'l Materials Students also need a Role Sheet, which contains biographical information, role-specific resources or assignments, and their character's secret victory objectives. .zip file of .pdf files.
.zip file of .pdf, .docx, and .xlsx files.
| Instructor's Manual The Instructor's Manual includes guidance for assigning roles, presenting historical context, assignments, activities and discussion topics, and more. .pdf file. |
Additional Resources
Resources for Introduction and/or Debrief
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Brendan Palla
Dr. Brendan Palla teaches philosophy and interdisciplinary coursework at the University of Providence, Great Falls in tandem with professors from multiple disciplines. He was a teaching fellow at Fordham University prior to moving to Big Sky country in 2014. His scholarship focuses on the Catholic Intellectual tradition, with an emphasis on Aquinas’ robust account of human freedom, alongside Aristotelian concepts of the common good. In his (limited) free time, he enjoys playing board games and exploring the Mountain West with friends and family. |
Louise Williams
Dr. Louise Blakeney Williams teaches courses on the British Empire, modern British and Irish history, European history, and intellectual and cultural history at Central Connecticut State University. |
Dr. Megan Squire is a professor of Computer Science at Elon University. Her main research area is applying data science techniques to understand niche and extremist online communities, particularly radical right-wing groups on social media. Dr. Squire is the author of two books on data cleaning and data mining, and over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including several Best Paper awards. In 2017, she was named the Elon University Distinguished Scholar. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow for data analytics at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and as a Senior Fellow and head of the Technical Research Unit at the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right.
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Members can contact game authors directly.
We invite instructors join our Facebook Faculty Lounge, where you'll find a wonderful community eager to help and answer questions. We also encourage you to submit your question for the forthcoming FAQ, and to check out our upcoming events.
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