Game Speeches and Texts

After the Fall reading week, we will begin a pedagogical game focussed on the Fourth Crusade, which led to the capture of Constantinople. Students will be expected to write and present (as speeches) various texts in support of game play, as well as make notes, and formal written texts.

The pedagogical introduction to Reacting to the Past games (posted on Perusall, but also reproduced here) has plenty of writing advice, which can improve how you approach your formal speeches. I encourage you to reread these suggestions as you working on your first formal presentation.

Over the course of the game, you will need to complete:

• two formal speeches

• informal contributions to each debate (this could be more lenghty discussions of fact and theory or interjections in praise of your side/ jeering opponents)

• prepare notes on one sub-topic for each debate and share them with your faction members before each debate (post them on Teams at least a day in advance)

• collect these notes at the end of term for formal assessment into a single document

• write a chronicle of the events of the game

• after game session 7 (and before game session 8 - i.e. between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1), each committee (membership to be determined after game session 6) must draft up the formal language of their proposal for the future rule of Constantinople

Speeches

The key game mechanic in 1204: The Fourth Crusade game is debate, discussion, persuasion and rhetorical manipulation. Much of this verbal sparring can happen outside of classtime – on Teams or furtive conversations in the hallways of Tory Building – but during classtime we want to have focussed and fun debates. To give structure to our conversations, each student has been assigned two times during the term when they are required to make a 5 minute formal presentation. They present arguments in support of their propositions or attack those of their opponents.

Students have been provisionally assigned speaking times and topics according to their roles, but as a faction, may decide to alter the specific schedule of presenters. The number of formal speeches (2 per player) cannot reduced, but the timing can be changed by students for themselves. The linked schedule can be changed directly on the spreadsheet by students if they wish to switch.

A written version of your speech is due the class you present. Use a Speech Template on GoogleDocs to compose your text. It needs to be fully completed when submitted.

Students can change their own timing, so long as they can get another student in their faction to switch with them. Each faction needs at least one formal presenter each debate (exception: the imperial faction in the first round).

Notes

Students are responsible to doing readings in advance and making written preparations for the debates of the game. To help your faction members, each student will work independently to produce notes for their chosen subtopics under discussion in each debate.

The format for notes is found in the Notes Template which gives your structure for quotations you find for your ideas.

Even within a faction, each character might have slightly different interests they wish to represent. Make sure that when you are reading your fellow faction members' notes to help ground your ideas, that the information supports your specific perspective.

Like other texts in the game, notes can be a way to manipulate or influence others.

Notes must be produced for:

Dates	Topics
November 10	Debate on Attack
November 15	​March Pact- Leadership and Feudalism
November 17	​March Pact- Church and State
November 22	​March Pact- Trade, Rules of War and the Crusade
November 29	Committee Deliberations

Written Texts

1. At the end of term, all of your notes must be submitted in a single document (organized chronologically) together with the text of your formal speeches for formal assessment. This will be due on the final day of classes in Fall term (5pm, Wednesday, December 6th)

2. With the exception of the First Crusade, no military campaign of the entire Middle Ages spawned more histories than the Fourth Crusade. The reason for this is simple, crusaders returning home with relics and treasures from a conquered Christian city needed to explain exactly why they did what they did. This genre is medieval literature is known as the apologia. It is a formal defense of one’s actions and beliefs and should not be confused with the modern use of 'apology' as an expression of regret.

   1. After finishing the game, students should write a 4-5 page (1500 word) written work, telling the history of the crusade (as it played out in class) from their character's perspective, defending the actions of themselves and their faction, and assigning credit and blame for the success, or even failure, for the crusade. There is an explanatory template posted on google.

   2. While the text should be an argument first, and a ‘history’ second, they should try to vindicate their actions and shape the narrative of the crusade to do so.

   3. Students are encouraged to make use of the rhetorical style of medieval Latin, Greek or Arabic historians in the writing of their text.

   4. This last text is due after Winter Break (10am, Wednesday, January 10th)