For a complete list of presentation references, check out: http://sites.stedwards.edu/syriasimulation/project-references/ This presentation focused on a pilot-test of a simulation that we are running at St. Edward's University to help students learn about the conflict in Syria. I've been working history faculty members Mity Myhr, Selin Guner, Christopher Mickelwait and Christie Wilson to pull together an experiential workshop for students in Cultural Foundations courses around the topic of the Syria conflict. Our goal for this is to provide an experiential space in which students can learn about the complexities of this conflict by role-playing actors and agencies involved in the conflict. These represent entities such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in addition to countries like Turkey in addition to Iran, Russia and the Western Powers. On April 22, 2013, student groups will role-play these actors and non-actors in a game-like fashion in which they will be given choices of actions to play across a period of 6 game rounds. Each round will be prefaced by a description of one or more critical events, and students will be asked to make decisions about how to respond. Play will be divided into 3 phases–Research, Action and Voting. Students will be asked to research the event and the actions they can take prior to taking action, and non-actors will be asked to cast votes of Confidence or Contempt for these actions. Actions will generate scores across dimensions including casualty rates and refugee counts and groups will be presented with a “Win” condition to promote peacemaking in the region. We successfully pilot-tested this design at a recent World History Association of Texas conference and are looking forward to fleshing out this work for the full event in mid-April.

1. Playing
Games
to
Teach
Complex
Conflicts

2. • Jason
Rosenblum:
ITEC,
UNPG
&
SMBX
• Mity
Myhr:
BSSX
• Christie
Wilson:
BSSX
• Selin
Guner:
BSSX
• Christopher
Micklethwait:
UNPG

3. • Knowledge
Building
• Social
Responsibility
• Intercultural
Competencies
• Experiential
Engagement

4. • Analysis
of
the
Roles/Goals
of
Internal
and
External
Actors
• Analysis
of
Factors
that
Promote
Conflict
or
Peacemaking

5. • Understand Influence of Resources and
Shifting Alliances
• Understand Complexity of Choices and
Appreciate Consequences
• Appreciate Value of Corroboration/
Cooperation in Achieving Goals

6.
Game-­‐like
simulation
+
Role-­‐play
+
Conflict

7. • equates
live
simulation
games
with
a
constructivist,
experiential
learning
approach
(Kolb,
1984)
• Supply
Chain
Example
-­‐
beer
game:
http://
www.beergame.org/
• teamwork,
concrete
experiences
&
reflexive
activities
Kolb,
David.
(1984).
Experiential
learning:
experience
as
the
source
of
learning
and
development:
Prentice-­‐Hall.
Malave,
C.;
Figueiredo,
R.
(2002).
Practicing
active
and
cooperative
learning
using
live
simulation
games
in
the
classroom.
Proceedings
of
the
International
Conference
on
Engineering
Education.
Aug
18-­‐21.
Manchester,
U.K.

8. • affective,
cognitive,
behavioral
dimensions
of
attitude
• studied
in
the
simulation:
Culture
and
Creed
• MIT-­‐based
game/simulation
can
affect
attitudes
towards
international
conflict.
• Affects
perspectives
in
moving
from
competition
to
cooperation.
Williams,
A.;
Williams,
R.
(2011).
Multiple
Identification
Theory:
Attitude
and
Behavior
Change
in
a
Simulated
International
Conflict.
Simulation
&
Gaming
42(6).
733-­‐747.

9.
Role
play
in
education
resources
http://www.rpg-­‐mmorpg.com/vl/role-­‐play_education.php
Model
UN
–
getting
started:
http://www.unausa.org/global-­‐classrooms-­‐model-­‐un/how-­‐to-­‐participate
Crossley-­‐Frolick,
Katy.
(2010).
Beyond
Model
UN:
Simulating
Multi-­‐Level,
Multi-­‐Actor
Diplomacy
Using
the
Millennium
Development
Goals.
International
Studies
Perspectives.
11,
184–201
Rich
tradition
of
role-­‐play
to
support
learning.
Simkins,
David.
(2011).
Negotiation,
simulation,
and
shared
fantasy:
Learning
through
live
action
role
play.
ProQuest
Dissertation.
See
Chapter
4
–
History
of
role-­‐play
as
a
tool
for
learning.
pp
68
–
77.

10. • Peacemaker
used
in
dispute
resolution
classes
• Individual
and
group-­‐based
work
• Key
findings:
• Role
reversal
leads
to
empathy
• Ladder
of
inference
from
reactions
based
on
data
as
a
result
of
decisions
made.
• Two-­‐level
diplomacy
to
gain
approval
from
national
interests
and
domestic
groups.
Goodrich,
K.;
Schneider,
A.
(2010).
The
Classroom
Can
Be
All
Fun
and
Games.
Ohio
State
Journal
on
Dispute
Resolution.
25(1).
87-­‐103

11. • Syria
Simulation
based
on
Peacemaker,
except:
Syria
as
setting;
live
role-­‐play
of
Actors
&
Non-­‐Actors
• Supported
by
SEU's
own
Peacemaker
pilot
&
Goodrich
&
Schneider
(2010)
• Want
students
to
build
empathy
through
non-­‐Western
POV's
&
(for
some)
morally
oppositional
stances.
• Make
decisions
based
on
outcomes
following
each
round:
re:
casualty
counts,
#
refugees
fleeing,
etc.
• Balance
approval
ratings
from
multiple
non-­‐actors

12. • giving
them
a
“win”
scenario
in
which
no
one
player
can
actually
win,
except
through
cooperation.
• BUT
they
need
to
garner
approval
from
multiple
non-­‐
actors,
including
the
UN
general
assembly
• we
predict
most
actions
will
result
in
a
split
along
ideological
lines
in
character
profiles.
• In
theory
there
is
a
way
to
win
through
cooperation,
but
in
practice
this
is
unlikely,
thus
mirroring
the
setup
of
the
real
life
conflict.
Bogost,
Ian.
(2007).
Persuasive
Games
-­‐
The
Expressive
Power
of
Videogames:
The
MIT
Press.

13. Phase
I
:
Research
• Read
profiles
&
materials
• Consider
event
Phase
II
:
Action
• Review
options,
discuss
&
choose
action
• Group
presents
&
discusses
their
choice.
Phase
III
:
Voting
by
Non-­‐Actors

14. fin.
jasonr@stedwards.edu
@jarosenblum