a week without class: of work ahead, and of meditations and celebrations....

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Tuesday 26 November, NO CLASS: WORK AHEAD DAY for Website & Learning Analysis

• Look at and download Instructions for the Learning Analysis: LOOK AT END OF SCHEDULE FOR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT!
• What are you curating on your website? How does it include what you have learned in this class? Could it be an on-going portfolio of your experiences?

• On the last day of class for the website you will turn in a screenshot or digital pic of your website main or Splash page, a drawing or screenshot of the structure of your site. You will give the url or web address, a few sentences about why you chose your platform and its best features for your purposes, and a bit about why you structured it as you did. 

Thursday 28 November, NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK 

Many meanings to Thanksgiving, this time and all times. In the midst of celebrations consider the histories of all entangled through these days....

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• Gaia: Worlding and feminist action

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Five technologies:
=reading power (radical semiotics, la facultad, ‘signifyin’
=deconstruction (coatlicue
=meta-ideologizing
=differential perception (nepantla
———————
=democratics, an ethical technology: mobilizes the previous four 

so that agencies can select tactics according to political situation

tactics such as
=integrationism
=revolutionary action
=supremacism
=separtism
=anarchism
=political defense of the human or redefinition of the human
=or even defiance of categorizing as “human”

all this becomes 

A PLACE-BASED ECOLOGICAL ACTIVISM 
IDENTIFYING POLITICAL & CULTURAL PLANETARY GEOGRAPHIES

Sandoval's differential consciousness & oppositional consciousness 

Sandoval essay on Google docs   

I highly recommend Sandoval's Methodology of the Oppressed too. 

Read ahead? Bateson article here. 

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Tuesday of Gaia, we will meet during class time to share our projects, displaying posters and handouts on the walls of our room, walk and talk one-on-one with each other, share questions, observations, excitements! On that Thursday, we will continue to work with the energy generated by the first day of the con, collectively coming up with reflective analysis and more ideas for what comes next!

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graded assignments: paper, poster, learning analysis, logbook, prototyping

Five kinds of assignments are required in this class:

• a research paper with visual handout for con display (enough handout print-outs for all in class), • a research poster for con display, documented with digital pictures (hardcopy in class, electronic to be emailed), • a final learning analysis, • a logbook, • some techno-crafty prototyping activities, some done during class.

The first three: paper, poster, learning analysis, allow you to position the work for the class in various frameworks, or knowledge worlds. In each of these you will work on research, analysis, and critical thinking. Some of this will be in traditional academic forms, some in emerging scholarly practices, but it is possible to combine these also with the techno-crafty delights cons have always shown off as well. And papers and poster projects may be be done with partners or individually, as you choose.

The logbook will help you organize your projects: when you started them, how many drafts you completed, who you worked with, where you are in what you have done, and what still needs to be done. It will be turned in four times during the semester (the first in time for early warning grades), and you won’t get credit for any assignments until the final version is turned in on the last day of class with the final version of the learning analysis. You can download a template for the logbook here. 

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• Gaia: Worlding and feminist action

Week of 19 November:

Gaia Union: peer to peer worlding: click image

“Gaia” is inspired by the environmental interests of FemCon, a feminist gaming convention in Umeå, Sweden. For Gaia you will create either • a paper & handout or • poster & pics (which determined by lot earlier, whichever one you did not do for A Gathering). You may work on these individually or with a partner.

With the help of Nardi, Pearce & Artemesia, or Taylor, you will analyze feminist processes of play, worlding and games as activist actions. You will either begin from • the most urgent feminist issue you care about, exploring gaming and/or virtual world practices that might speak to it; or you will begin from • your own most valued game or virtual world, and analyze its possibilities for the feminist values you most care to embody. ALWAYS make a point of connecting projects to class readings, activities, and discussions. ALWAYS use a standard model for citation and bibliography, even on posters. NOTICE how useful the website Not Your Mama’s Gamer will be here! You may also want to use the web to follow-up or look in greater detail at the kinds of worldings feminisms explore today and ways all of these are promoted in popular and scholarly media.

Remix additions: flip cameras at WMST: Papers and posters may include a range of media creativities, in addition to their analytic aspects. Media fandoms are known for creative work: drawing, mashups, remix, vids, machinima, and more. Any of these may be ADDED to a project if you like. Women’s Studies now has a library of flip cameras for video projects, and you can check one out for a week at a time on a first come, first served basis. Notice that these techno-crafty things are enhancements to the basic project, not a substitute for one, or the only platform! They must be accompanied by a paper or poster no matter what. This is an opportunity to enjoy media learning in alternative forms, but these additions are entirely at your own discretion and pleasure!

Exploring these topics and themes as if at a con means that by attending and listening we will all benefit from the hard work of everyone. Notice that both sorts of projects in both cons should be begun several weeks ahead of their due dates. Not only do you need this time to do any additional research or reading, but to get good grades you need to • write papers in at least three drafts, and • plan out posters carefully to demonstrate both the results of your research and also how you got to those results.

Obviously attending class faithfully and taking good notes will make all this work a lot easier. Lecture materials are displayed on the class website, to be reviewed at any time. In college courses ALWAYS use your projects to demonstrate how you uniquely put together, or synthesize, class readings, mini-lectures and discussion. Make a point of displaying that you are doing all the reading and attending all the classes. Doing this clearly and carefully will demonstrate that this is your own work, and ensure your credit for honesty and for real engagement with the course.

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Map it out for Gaia!

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1) where does the quest begin? <game or fem issue?>
2) who are your companions? <which ethnography and other books/authors>
3) what attributes do you and your companions share? <skills, qualities...>
4) how do these attributes shape the quest? <how will you use?>
5) looking ahead to the goal from where you are now: what can you
see so far along the way of the quest, about how feminist processes 
of play, worlding, and games are activist actions?

DRAW AS A MAP

HOW WILL THIS BE A LEVELING UP FROM THE FIRST CON?

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As you complete your project for Gaia consider this advice for all college courses: In college courses ALWAYS use your projects to demonstrate how you uniquely put together, or synthesize, class readings, mini-lectures and discussion. Make a point of displaying that you are doing all the reading and attending all the classes. Doing this clearly and carefully will demonstrate that this is your own work, and ensure your credit for honesty and for real engagement with the course.

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Tuesday 12 November, Better Realities

·       McGonigal: Reality: finish it up: Part III and all Appendixes

If Reed and McGonigal were going to have a conversation, what would it be about? What would they think of each other? Add yourself to that conversation and say where you would be in it all.

Thursday 14 November, Playful Values and Political Games

·       Values at Play: http://valuesatplay.org/

·       Tiltfactor Lab: http://www.tiltfactor.org/

Explore the sites well enough to talk about the projects and people involved, the motivations, how these are political (and what do you mean by the term?). Flanagan is a major player in all this. How? Put Nardi, Pearce, and Taylor into these contexts and meanings.

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Watch McGonigal again to get ideas about what sort of play we are creating for Gaia!

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Bettering Realities: Gaia, our second Con....

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image from: http://i.stack.imgur.com/asvzJ.jpg

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NOTICE THAT GAIA: CON #2 IS next WEEK! TIME TO GET WORKING ON IT! QUESTIONS? LOOK CAREFULLY AT CONS&THEMES TAB NOW! 

OVER THE WEEKEND, BRING IN FOR TUESDAY:

We discussed in the last class where you need to be on Tuesday for Workshop 2 next week! 

=You should have figured out whether you are working with a collaborator or not.

=You should know whether you start your project from a game, or from a social issue. That's the first step in the process for Gaia. 

=You should examine carefully the section on Cons&Themes as a map for how to begin the process of Gaia: itself a sort of play, thus more than just a game, but something more encompassing. Check out the link to FemCon too! BRING IN QUESTIONS NOW! 

=In class on Thursday we went over two readings carefully: one from Salen and Zimmerman and a section from Sandoval (both on course reserves).

=Consider the Sandoval as if it were a mystery papyrus found in a game, that needs to be decoded to proceed to the next step! YOU MUST TALK TO THOSE PRESENT ON THURSDAY TO GET THE CODE! 

(this image from http://cdn-blog-assets.bigfishsites.com/Walkthroughs/The-Crop-Circles-Mystery-Walkthrough/the-crop-circle-mystery032.jpg)

=Consider the Salen and Zimmerman as an explanation of what is at stake in Gaia: the double consciousness we are learning to use for Better Realities! 

=The end of your quest for Gaia, the result? an analysis! and your companions in this quest? Pick one: Nardi, Pearce & Artemesia, or Taylor. Tell us which on Tuesday. 

=WHAT IS IT ABOUT? the hook, the heart of your project emerges from careabouts discovered as you work with your companion (Nardi, Pearce & Artemesia, or Taylor) as they speak to you about

how feminist processes of play, worlding and games are activist actions.

image: McCullough, #9 Quanta: Gaia Centra-Fusion: http://the-mac.org/2013/06/51813-62913/

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Tuesday 12 November, Better Realities

·       McGonigal: Reality: finish it up: Part III and all Appendixes

If Reed and McGonigal were going to have a conversation, what would it be about? What would they think of each other? Add yourself to that conversation and say where you would be in it all.

Thursday 14 November, Playful Values and Political Games

·       Values at Play: http://valuesatplay.org/

·       Tiltfactor Lab: http://www.tiltfactor.org/

Explore the sites well enough to talk about the projects and people involved, the motivations, how these are political (and what do you mean by the term?). Flanagan is a major player in all this. How? Put Nardi, Pearce, and Taylor into these contexts and meanings.

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Watch McGonigal again to get ideas about what sort of play we are creating for Gaia!

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putting things together!

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NOTICE THAT GAIA: CON #2 IS WEEK AFTER NEXT! TIME TO GET WORKING ON IT! QUESTIONS? LOOK CAREFULLY AT CONS&THEMES TAB NOW! 

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FOR TODAY: half our time devoted, first, to:

1) talk about your ideas, based on having read everything for this week (and having gotten caught up on all readings up to now too!).
2) bring in to share whatever form your ideas have taken -- and they should be pictured or written out, or something YOU CAN PASS AROUND OR SHOW OFF.

Salen, Flanagan, Zimmerman are all artists that care about learning and play. From looking at these materials what can you tell about how they think alike? Compare and contrast their projects. Bring in examples to tell others about.

Connect all the readings for this week together. How would you do that? Look ahead to Con #2 Gaia. How does Reed help us figure out what to do and why? What sorts of inspiration do you get from Salen, Flanagan, Zimmerman and Sandoval?

·       Check out Zimmerman’s website and projects: http://ericzimmerman.com

·       Check out Salen’s Institute of Play and their projects: http://www.instituteofplay.org

Salen, Flanagan, Zimmerman are all artists 

second half of class will be reports on what you did last week, and what I did! yay!

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Hi Folks! I'm sick. Some of you know all about how this feels, having had this yourself already.

I am in the coughing strangling phase and people to people interaction is unproductive for all.

I am excited to hear about your class adventures last week and know you all did a great job.

I have put up in the next post the work for this week, and I ask you to do it all, ready to work with it all on Thursday, when I anticipate we will be back together again.

For Tuesday, I ask that you do careful work, ideally with one or more class buddies, to make plans for our second Con: Gaia, and come in on Thursday, HAVING READ EVERYTHING FOR THIS WEEK (and having gotten caught up on all readings up to now too!), ready to talk about your ideas.

It would be fabulous if you did some prototyping poster-ing as you think it all through. Bring in to share whatever form your ideas have taken -- and they should be pictured or written out, or something YOU CAN PASS AROUND OR SHOW OFF.

Be sure you have downloaded the materials from course reserves and printed them out or made notes AND BRING THOSE TO CLASS ON THURSDAY!

See you then, and thanks for being such a great group!

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How does matter, well, matter?

>>>MAKING REALITY MATTER, MATTERING REALITIES

Tuesday 29 October, KATIE AT UPENN, YOU RUN THE CLASS!

·       Read another chapter in the book you choose for your fifth book

·       Check out the website and its links at FemCon, a feminist gaming convention in Umeå, Sweden: http://www.gamingaswomen.com/posts/2013/05/femcon-a-feminist-gaming-convention-in-sweden/ 

Thursday 31 October, KATIE AT UPENN, YOU RUN THE CLASS!

·       Read an additional chapter in the book you choose for your fifth book

For this whole week, with the aid of some class facilitators, you will run both classes yourselves. You will share with each other your reading and thinking about the fifth book you have chosen to read for Con #2 Gaia. Talk about it and the issues it raises or speaks to in ways most meaningful to you all collectively. Working together without the teacher is a special activity: may it be especially enjoyable! Make if fun to use this time to look ahead to Con #2!

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And what was Katie doing while you were playing games and thinking ahead to Con #2? She was presenting at Queer Method at the University of Pennsylvania! You can see her talk HERE.

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Tuesday 5 November, Histories of Games and what they reveal

·       Flanagan, Play: pick 2 more chapters to read; why those in particular?

·       Salen & Zimmerman: brief selections from Rules of Play (electronic reserves)

·       Check out Zimmerman’s website and projects: http://ericzimmerman.com

·       Check out Salen’s Institute of Play and their projects: http://www.instituteofplay.org

Salen, Flanagan, Zimmerman are all artists that care about learning and play. From looking at these materials what can you tell about how they think alike? Compare and contrast their projects. Bring in examples to tell others about.

Thursday 7 November, Liberations and Arts

·       Reed, Art: choose an additional two more chapters: why those? What attracts you?

·       Sandoval, “Afterbridge” from this bridge we call home (electronic reserves) 

·       BE SURE YOU ARE ON TRACK FOR CON #2 GAIA!

Connect all the readings for this week together. How would you do that? Look ahead to Con #2 Gaia. How does Reed help us figure out what to do and why? What sorts of inspiration do you get from Salen, Flanagan, Zimmerman and Sandoval?