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Set in Japan during the early years of World War II, this game helps students understand the political and strategic reasons behind Japan's decision to enter the war. Taking on the roles of leading figures in Tokyoarmy or navy officers, bureaucrats, and members of the Imperial Courtstudents are thrust into the middle of Japan's strategic dilemma. Drawing on important works from Japan's past, players must advise the emperor on how to proceed. Will they call for a "e;strike south"e; to seize the natural resources of Southeast Asiaeven at the risk of war with Great Britain and the United States? Or will they seek an understanding with those nationseven if it means giving up the ideal of a Pan-Asian partnership?

In the early seventeenth century, Virginia's Chesapeake region saw the emergence of a multiracial society centered around the profitable tobacco industry. While Native Americans, free and enslaved Africans, and Europeans coexisted and interacted, a hierarchical order formed with a small elite planting class, led by Governor William Berkeley, wielding power over land, labor, and governance. Seeking to form a coalition of dissatisfied elites and marginalized individuals, Nathaniel Bacon, a newcomer to the Virginia colony, led a rebellion against Berkeley and his supporters.In this game, students assume the roles of the elite loyalists to Governor Berkeley and the rebellious supporters of Nathaniel Bacon. Engaging in debates, conspiracies, and simulated acts of resistance, students will strive to shape the future governance of the Virginia colony, determining which group emerges as the ruling class and which group will be relegated to the lower rungs of colonial society.

From 2001 to 2007, the world-renowned Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, underwent an ambitious expansion project that reorganized the spatial design of the museum and allowed for additional exhibition space. Coinciding with the completion of this large construction project were a series of celebrations surrounding the 2010 bicentenary of South American independence movements, a clear reminder of the complicated relationship between Spain and its former colonies in Latin America. Inspired by this significant historical moment and with an eye to diversifying its predominantly Spanish-centered permanent collection, the Prado Museum decides to host a competition for a new gallery of Latin American art. The game begins in 2010 as students, assuming the roles of curators, art patrons, living artists, and art dealers, set into motion a series of negotiation sessions that will help the museum decide which artworks to choose for the new gallery. Students will analyze a broad range of artistic movements and styles related to Latin American art from the twentieth to the twenty-first centuries, in an effort to support the acquisition of paintings that best represent the diverse artistic legacies and historical heritage of the region.

The Crisis of Catiline situates students in Rome in 63 BCE during a time of urban and rural tumult, economic instability, sensational trials, and electoral misconduct. Lucius Sergius Catilina (or "Catiline"), a charismatic and scandal-plagued noble, has proposed radical reforms that are favored by the urban and rural poor. But he is despised and feared by the senatorial elites who have placed their hopes in the hands of an immigrant to Rome, the brilliant orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.Assuming the roles of Roman senators who are either for, against, or undecided about Catiline's and Cicero's viewpoints, students must confront the social and political crises of the day by choosing the fates of Rome and its historical characters. Can they lead Rome out of crisis? Or will the political and economic climate lead to Rome's collapse?

Red Clay, 1835 envelops students in the treaty negotiations between the Cherokee National Council and representatives of the United States at Red Clay, Tennessee. As pressure mounts on the Cherokee to accept treaty terms, students must confront issues such as nationhood, westward expansion, and culture change. This game book includes vital materials on the game's historical background, rules, procedures, and assignments, as well as core texts by figures such as Andrew Jackson, John Ross, and Elias Boudinot.

The year is 1921, and Francisco Madero is president of Mexico. Just last year he and his top general ousted the long-standing president (some say dictator), Porfirio Diaz, who is now in exile. But the country is far from stable. A basic cultural rift between the elite and the poor portends unrest and a sequence of revolts. Students are assigned to play characters that are charged with stabilizing their country and preventing further civil war. The goal is to reform Mexico and make it a better nation for all of its inhabitantsbut Mexicans and foreigners worry that without a firm hand, Mexico's governance might spiral out of control. At what cost will progress come?

Greenwich Village, 1913 immerses students in the radical possibilities unlocked by the modern age. Exposed to ideas like women's suffrage, socialism, birth control, and anarchism, students experiment with forms of political participation and bohemian self-discovery.

Kentucky, 1861 pulls students into the secession crisis following Lincoln's 1860 election. During a special session of the Kentucky legislature, set against the looming threat of violence, students grapple with questions about the future of slavery and the constitutionality of secession.

Forest Diplomacy draws students into the colonial frontier, where Pennsylvania settlers and the Delaware Indians, or Lenape, are engaged in a vicious and destructive war. Using sourcesincluding previous treaties, firsthand accounts of the war, Quaker epistles advocating pacifism, and various Iroquois and Lenape cultural textsstudents engage in a treaty council to bring peace back to the frontier.

In August 1968, Democrats gather at their National Convention in Chicago to debate a platform for a deeply divided party. Factions are split over issues such as civil rights, infrastructure, and the war on povertynot to mention the war in Vietnam. Meanwhile, crowds of protesters descend upon the city. Impassioned antiwar demonstrators plan sit-ins and marches, while the absurdist Yippies, determined to make a mockery of the convention, intend to nominate a pig for president. Journalists flood the area to cover the stories of the delegates and protesters. Over the course of this game, players will develop a better understanding of the complexities of the social and cultural tumult that has come to be known as "e;the Sixties."e;

Rousseau, Burke, and Revolution in France, 1791 plunges students into the intellectual and political currents that surged through revolutionary Paris in the summer of 1791. As members of the National Assembly gather to craft a constitution for a new France, students wrestle with the threat of foreign invasion, political and religious power struggles, and questions of liberty and citizenship.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution in New York City, 17751776 draws students into the chaos of a revolutionary New York City, where Patriot and Loyalist forces fight for advantage among a divided populace. Confronted with issues like bribery, the loss of privacy, and collapsing economic opportunity, along with ideological concerns like natural rights, the philosophical foundations of government, and differing definitions of tyranny, students witness how discontent can lead to outright revolt.

Environmental Science and International Politics features two reacting games in one volume, immersing students in the complex process of negotiating international treaties to control environmental pollution. The issues are similar in all the modules; environmental justice, national sovereignty, and the inherent uncertainty of the costs and benefits of pollution control. Students also must understand the basic science of each problem and possible solutions. Acid Rain in Europe, 19779-1989 covers the negotiation of the Long Range Transport Pollution treaty. This was the first ever international pollution control treaty and remains at the forefront of addressing European pollution. This game can be used in a variety of ways and to examine either sulfur dioxide pollution, nitrogen oxide pollution, or both. This game includes summaries of a number of relevant technical articles to support student arguments. Students must deal with the limitations of national resources as they decide how much of their limited money to spend.Climate Change in Copenhagen, 2009 covers the negotiations at the Conference of Parties 15 meeting that was attended by a large number of national leaders. The game also includes representatives of non-government organizations and the press. Students wrestle with the need to work within conflicting limits set by their governments.

Changing the Game is set at a fictional university in the mid-1990s. A debate over the role of athletics quickly expands to encompass demands that women's sports and athletes receive more resources and opportunities. The result is a firestorm of controversy on and off campus. Drawing on congressional testimonies from the Title IX hearings, players advance their views in student government meetings, talk radio shows, town meetings, and impromptu rallies. As students wrestle with questions of gender parity and the place of athletics in higher education, they learn about the implementationand implicationsof legal change in the United States.

Confucianism and the Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor, 1587 is set in the Hanlin Academy in Ming dynasty China. Most students are members of the Grand Secretariat of the Hanlin Academy, the body of top-ranking graduates of the civil service examination who serve as advisers to the Wanli emperor. Some Grand Secretaries are Confucian "e;purists,"e; who hold that tradition obliges the emperor to name his first-born son as successor; others, in support of the most senior of the Grand Secretaries, maintain that it is within the emperor's right to choose his successor; and still others, as they decide this matter among many issues confronting the empire, continue to scrutinize the teachings of Confucianism for guidance. The game unfolds amid the secrecy and intrigue within the walls of the Forbidden City as scholars struggle to apply Confucian precepts to a dynasty in peril.

Defining a Nation is set at Simla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the British viceroy has invited leaders of various religious and political constituencies to work out the future of Britain's largest colony. Will the British transfer power to the Indian National Congress, which claims to speak for all Indians? Or will a separate Muslim statePakistanbe carved out of India to be ruled by Muslims, as the Muslim League proposes? And what will happen to the vulnerable minoritiessuch as the Sikhs and untouchablesor the hundreds of princely states? As British authority wanes, tensions among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs smolder and increasingly flare into violent riots that threaten to ignite all India. Towering above it all is the frail but formidable figure of Gandhi, whom some revere as an apostle of nonviolence and others regard as a conniving Hindu politician. Students struggle to reconcile religious identity with nation buildingperhaps the most intractable and important issue of the modern world. Texts include the literature of Hindu revival (Chatterjee, Tagore, and Tilak); the Koran and the literature of Islamic nationalism (Iqbal); and the writings of Ambedkar, Nehru, Jinnah, and Gandhi.

Democracy in Crisis explores one of the world's greatest failures of democracy in Germany during the so-called Weimar Republic, 191933a failure that led to the Third Reich. For more than a decade after World War I, liberalism, nationalism, conservatism, social democracy, Christian democracy, communism, fascism, and every variant of these movements struggled for power. Although Germany's constitutional framework boldly enshrined liberal democratic values, the political spectrum was so broad and fully represented that a stable parliamentary majority required constant negotiations. The compromises that were made subsequently alienated citizens, who were embittered by national humiliation in the war and the ensuing treaty and struggling to survive economic turmoil and rapidly changing cultural norms. As positions hardened, the door was opened to radical alternatives. In this game, students, as delegates of the Reichstag (parliament), must contend with intense parliamentary wrangling, uncontrollable world events, street fights, assassinations, and insurrections. The game begins in late 1929, just after the U.S. stock market crash, as the Reichstag deliberates the Young Plan (a revision to the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I). Students belonging to various political parties must debate these matters and more as the combination of economic stress, political gridlock, and foreign pressure turn Germany into a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The devastation of the Second World War is coming to an end. As victory for the Grand Alliance draws close, the leaders of Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States gather at Yalta, a resort town on the Black Sea, for the most important summit meeting of the war. Can the great powers finalize their plans for a new world order, or will their often antagonistic ideologies prevent them from forging a lasting peace? Restoring the World immerses students in the Yalta Conference as they take on the roles of Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, as well as the members of their military and diplomatic delegations. They all want peace, but what kind of peace will they create?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 by a Serbian nationalist has set off a crisis in Europe. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, peace had largely prevailed among the Great Powers, preserved through international conferences and a delicate balance of power. Now, however, interlocking alliances are threatening to plunge Europe into war, as Austria-Hungry is threatening war against Serbia. Germany is allied with Austria-Hungary, while Russia views itself as the protector of Serbia. Britain is torn between fear of a German victory and a Russian one. France supports Russia but also needs Britain on its side. Can war be avoided one more time? Europe on the Brink plunges students into the July Crisis as representatives of the European powers. What choices will they make?

The Remaking of the Medieval World, 1204 allows students to understand and experience one of the greatest medieval atrocities, the sack of the Constantinople by a crusader army, and the subsequent reshaping of the Byzantine Empire. The game includes debates on issues such as "e;just war"e; and the nature of crusading, feudalism, trade rights, and the relationship between secular and religious authority. It likewise explores the theological issues at the heart of the East-West Schism and the development of constitutional states in the era of Magna Carta. The game also includes a model siege and sack of Constantinople where individual students' actions shape the fate of the crusade for everyone.

Building the Italian Renaissance focuses on the competition to select a team to execute the final architectural challenge of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore--the erection of its dome. Although the model for the dome was widely known, the question of how this was to be accomplished was the great challenge of the age. This dome would be the largest ever built. This is foremost a technical challenge but it is also a philosophical one. The project takes place at an important time for Florence. The city is transitioning from a High Medieval world view into the new dynamics and ideas and will lead to the full flowering of what we know as the Renaissance. Thus the competition at the heart of this game plays out against the background of new ideas about citizenship, aesthetics, history (and its application to the present), and new technology. The central challenge is to expose players to complex and multifaceted situations and to individuals that animated life in Florence in the early 1400s. Humanism as a guiding philosophy is taking root and scholars are looking for ways to link the mercantile city to the glories of Rome and to the wisdom of the ancients across many fields. The aesthetics of the classical world (buildings, plastic arts and intellectual pursuits) inspired wonder, perhaps even envy, but the new approaches to the past by scholars such as Petrarch suggested that perhaps the creative classes are not simply crafts people, but men of ideas.Three teams compete for the honor to construct the dome, a project overseen by the Arte Della Lana (wool workers guild) and judged by them and a group of Florentine citizens who are merchants, aristocrats, learned men, and laborers. Their goal is to make the case for the building to live up to the ideals of Florence. The game gives students a chance to enter into the world of Florence in the early 1400s to develop an understanding of the challenges and complexity of such a major artistic and technical undertaking while providing an opportunity to grasp the interdisciplinary nature of major public works.

Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliament transforms students into English lords and commoners during the tumultuous years of 1529 to 1536. Cardinal Wolsey has just been dismissed as lord chancellor for failing to obtain an annulment of King Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Thomas More, the humanist author of Utopia, is named as Wolsey's replacement. More presides over Parliament, which the king has summoned in the hope that it somehow will find the means to invalidate his marriage, thus freeing him to marry his new love, Lady Anne Boleyn. Matters of state also apply, because Henry has no male heir to carry on the Tudor line, and Queen Catherine has passed her childbearing years. But will Parliament be content with solving the king's marital and dynastic problems? For there are some in Parliament who wish to use the royal divorce to disempower the English church, to sever its ties to papal Rome, and to change it doctrinally from Catholicism to Lutheranism. Others, however, oppose the divorce, oppose secular supremacy and independence from Rome, and oppose this heretical creed filtering in from the continent. More is their leader, for as long as he can survive. Thomas Cromwell, reputed a Machiavellian, leads the king's party. The king himself is ambivalent about the reformation unleashed by his "e;great matter,"e; as the divorce campaign is called, and so the conservatives are loosed to prosecute reformers as heretics, while the reformers are loosed to prosecute conservatives as traitors. Meanwhile, outside England sits the greatest power in all of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire under King Charles V of Spain--who happens to be the nephew of Catherine! How will the emperor respond to this effort to put aside his aunt?At issue in the game is the clash of four contending ideas: traditionalist Christianity, reformist Protestantism, Renaissance humanism, and Machiavellian statecraft. Depending on the outcome of this contest, the modern nation-state will, or will not, be born.