Course Content
Unit 2: Emotional Safety in Role-playing Games
We have touched upon many of the concepts in this Unit before, but we will focus less on game design and more around the community built around the game in terms of emotional safety.
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Unit 7: Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
In this unit, we will be explicitly focusing on the impacts of these topics on communities as a whole beyond the context of specific game designs or play experiences.
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Unit 9: RPG Communities Around the World
We have discussed styles and cultures of play before and examined various traditions. We will expand that work in this unit.
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Unit 10: Transformational Communities and You
In this Unit, you will submit your final draft of Major Assignment 2, as well as reflect upon your experiences.
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Cultivating Transformational Communities

Learning Objectives and Success Criteria

Learning Objectives

On successful completion of Cultivating Transformational Communities, the student should be able to:

  • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
  • Learning Objective 2: Game Design, Safety Design and Playtesting: Design, experience, iterate, and critique role-playing games as well as safety, and analyze community building practices related to transformative analog role-playing games.
  • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.

Please see below for specific Learning Objectives and Success Criteria for each type of assignment:

  • Discussion Boards Assignments: You are expected to participate in each discussion assignment, including your initial posts and posts to the required number of peers throughout the week in Ask a Question, Answer a Question format.
      • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
      • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.
    • Success Criteria: Complete your initial posts answering all questions thoroughly. Reply to at least three (3) posts of your peers throughout the week in Ask a Question, Answer a Question format.

 

  • Reflection Journal Assignments: You are also expected to complete Reflection Journals at the end of each Unit. Note that only your instructors and you can see your journals.
      • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
      • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.
    • Success Criteria: Complete your journals answering all questions thoroughly.

 

  • Major Assignment 1 — Autobiographical Game Design
      • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
      • Learning Objective 2: Game Design, Safety Design and Playtesting: Design, experience, iterate, and critique role-playing games as well as safety, and analyze community building practices related to transformative analog role-playing games.
      • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.
    • Success Criteria: Complete your Game Design Document and Playtest Plan in the required format.

 

  • Major Assignment 2 — Cultivating Transformational Communities: 
      • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
      • Learning Objective 2: Game Design, Safety Design and Playtesting: Design, experience, iterate, and critique role-playing games as well as safety, and analyze community building practices related to transformative analog role-playing games.
      • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.
    • Success Criteria: Complete your paper in the required format with each section. Include the minimum number of sources included and cited properly.

 

  • Peer Feedback — Cultivating Transformational Communities: You will read the first complete draft of Major Assignment 2 for each of your peers and respond to the required feedback questions to help them improve their work.  
      • Learning Objective 1: Knowledge of the Field: Discuss topics, themes, and theories related to building and managing communities featuring transformative analog role-playing games with an emphasis on safety and inclusion.
      • Learning Objective 3: Academic, Professional, and Reflective Writing: Compose written texts and other communication materials on game design, safety practices and community building related to transformative analog role-playing games in various formats for distinct audiences.
    • Success Criteria: Complete responses to each required question on the prompt in response to the drafts of each member of your group.