Learning Outcomes
What are you going to learn?
We want you to learn how to read, how to write, how to interpret, how to research and most importantly how to think like a historian. With a focus on the Middle Ages, this course will generally answer the questions, "What is History?" and "What is the purpose of History?". To that we add the question, "What is a game" and what do they teach us about how we view the Middle Ages?
As your professor, I want to be clear about what you will learn (or what I want you to learn if all goes well) by the end of the year. I think a lot about what I want my students to learn so that they (i.e. you) can make progress in becoming a historian.
When you're applying to a new university program (e.g. grad school or law school), or trying to get a scholarship, or looking for a job, people will want to know what skills you have and how you can demonstrate them. Being able to refer to concrete examples helps. When you can say, "I can work and collaborate in digital teams" and can also point to your work in this class with enterprise tools (such as Teams or Trello), you can show (not just say) your expertise...
What are the Learning Outcomes for this Class?
Generally...
You will learn about how to navigate Carleton university and its resources
You will learn how to be a university student, including key study skills, etiquette for interacting with your fellow students and the professor ...
In terms of content, you will:
learn how to read and interpret medieval evidence and learn the advantages and difficulties of working with them.
come to understand the limitations of evidence (and thus our knowledge) of the Middle Ages. Being a medieval historian means that you have to come to terms with ambiguity and that you will not always have a clear answer.
uncover fundamental myths and understand key histories of the medieval world, including how it is defined by ideas of geography, politics, religion, gender (etc.) You will learn about about how people in the past and today represent the Middle Ages. A key part of thinking critically about the past (which is what methodologies can help you do) is understanding how modern myths about the time period arose and why they are reproduced uncritically in modern culture.
gain perspectives and understanding about the history of medieval and modern games (both analog and digital)
learn the terminology, types and principles of games through hands-on play, observation and analysis
have an opportunity to explore underlying concepts, technologies, and languages of contemporary games and gain an understanding of available game resources not only from the viewpoint of a game player but also from that of a game maker.
Disciplinary skills:
You will learn how to closely read and analyze sources with different historical methodologies.
You will learn how to take notes (class notes and research notes), synthesize them and use them to develop conclusions.
You will learn study skills and habits to help you achieve academic succes in this class and others.
You will learn digital tools for working on projects that will help you in this and future classes.
You will learn the basics of game design and have an opportunity to create a game by the end of the year.
You will learn how to work independently and as a group, using digital "enterprise" tools to plan and execute written assignments. You will learn ways to manage your time and your work flow.
Digital skills
digital fluency: literacy, learning and collaboration
software use: installing, using and creating with new software
understanding digital systems: making sense of how digital information sharing works
Cognitive Skills
Critical thinking: structured problem solving, logical reasoning, understanding bias, seeking relevant information
Planning and ways of working: time management and prioritization, work-plan development
Communication: storytelling and public speaking, active listening, synthesizing messages
Mental flexibility: creativitiy and imagination, translating knowledge to different contexts, evaluating different perspectives
Interpersonal Skills:
Developing relationships: practicing empathy, trust, humility
Teamwork effectiveness: motivating teammates, resolving conflicts, collaboration, coaching
Self-Leadership: self-awareness and managment, understanding own strengths and weaknesses, self-confidence
Learning outcomes are usually practical things, such as (imagine this said in a grumpy professor voice), "Learning enterprise tools allow you to succeed in the world after graduation". But one of the most important things to do in this class is to get to know your fellow students!
Your classmates are potential essay editors, project brainstormers, emotional supports and –dare I say– possible friends. Try to reach out and befriend at least one other of your classmates, because the odds are, the effort you put into it will be paid back. Even if we're stuck doing this all online, it'll be worth it.
Why Study History?
Everyone has their own reason to study history and if you're in this class, you likely already have a sense of why it appeals to you. The AHA (American Historical Association) will tell you about the good job prospects that await you after graduation (it was written before the pandemic, mind you...). This practical advice supersedes the previous explanations from 1985 and 1998. Read these explanations and you'll see that even the reasons to study history, have a history.
I don't think many people study history because they worry, as George Santayana put it, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". When I've asked students over the years, "why did you take this or that course" they have tended to say they decided to take history (or medieval studies) because of a book, movie or video game that they played – maybe when they were kids, maybe what they were playing at the time. That "something" kindled an interest in the period and a desire to learn more.
That's why I study and teach the Middle Ages. Long long ago (the 1990s) in a land far, far away (i.e. Winnipeg), I fell in love with the period by reading novels about the Middle Ages - especially Arthuriana like T.H. White's Once and Future King or Thomas Berger's Arthur Rex. So I studied history because I fell in love with the subject and then, during university, became passionate about how exciting the world of the past showed people to be. The past was a wonderful refuge for me to explore its complexity and to see a world so different (but related) to our own. It suggested ways in which our world could be different (for better or worse). It revealed how people who say that the world "has always been this way" are usually lying. So I saw the study of history as liberating. And this, I deeply believe, is the value of History. It liberates us by showing us how we (as individuals or as a society) could be different and better.
So, once you're ready, go save the world with History.
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