The Foundations Game : A Pedagogy of Classroom Engagement

In an age of social networking websites and advanced forms of new media, students have become accustomed to virtual modes of interactive information delivery that give them control over their experience. Modes of communication that do not feature interactivity or new media technologies often fail to capture the attention of 21st century students. This is especially the case in political theory courses that cover seemingly abstract materials. A challenge for political theory instructors is to find pedagogical strategies that engage students in course material.This paper outlines a pedagogical approach developed at the University of Georgia. The pedagogy addresses the tension between students' desire for classroom environments that incorporate interaction to deliver information and modes of political theory instruction centered on critical thinking. Our approach to this problem was to create a political theory-centered simulation game. The game, titled “Foundations,” is based loosely on the Barnard College “Reacting to the Past” pedagogy. This paper outlines the pedagogical strategy of the game, which is designed to engage students in political theory courses in ways that do not rely solely on modern technologies, yet incorporate interaction and elements of virtual reality, such as role play. The paper is divided into three sections.The first section addresses student-centered and active-learning in large universities. The second section describes the motivations behind the development, management and execution of the “Foundations” game. The third section identifies the strengths and weaknesses we found in the pilot version of the “Foundations” game. Specific attention is given to how the pedagogy facilitates the development of interpersonal and communicative skills relevant to civic life and democratic citizenship