Originally published on May 20, 2015 (Episode 16)
Introduction
Games are everywhere—hugely profitable, pervasive, and influential. But can they also be useful in teaching history? Mark Carnes thinks so.
Carnes is the originator of Reacting to the Past, a pedagogy that immerses students in role-playing historical scenarios. In this conversation, we discuss the gap between how professors imagine college and how students actually experience it, and how immersive games can bridge that gap.
About the Guest
Mark Carnes is Professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University, and author of Minds on Fire: How Immersive Games Transform College.
For Further Investigation
Mark Carnes, Minds on Fire: How Role Immersion Games Transform College (Harvard, 2014)
—, Secret Ritual and Manhood in Victorian America (Yale, 1991)
💬 Listen & Discuss
Can immersive role-play teach history more effectively than lectures or textbooks? What happens when students step into the shoes of historical actors? Share your reflections below, and pass this episode along to an educator curious about new methods.
