Can You Beat Churchill? Teaching History through Simulations PDF
Preview Can You Beat Churchill? Teaching History through Simulations
Can You Beat Churchill? Can You Beat Churchill? Teaching History through Simulations Michael A. Barnhart Cornell University Press Ithaca and London Copyright © 2021 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. Visit our website at cornellpress.cornell.edu. First published 2021 by Cornell University Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Barnhart, Michael A., 1951– author. Title: Can you beat Churchill? : teaching history through simulations / Michael A. Barnhart. Description: Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifi ers: LCCN 2020039959 (print) | LCCN 2020039960 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501755644 (Hardcover) | ISBN 9781501758294 (Paperback) | ISBN 9781501755668 (PDF) | ISBN 9781501755651 (ePub) Subjects: LCSH: Simulation games in education. | History—Study and teaching—Simulation methods. Classifi cation: LCC LB1029.S53 B37 2021 (print) | LCC LB1029.S53 (ebook) | DDC 371.39/7—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039959 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039960 To my mother, Ann Harrison, and my wife, Janet Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. From Game to Simulation 6 2. Roles 21 3. Rules 56 4. Requirements 71 5. Room 80 6. The A.I. 87 7. Under the Hood 105 8. Simulations for an Afternoon 118 9. Can You Beat Churchill? 136 Appendix: Finding Historical Simulations 167 Notes 169 Index 179 Acknowledgments Teaching by simulation is inherently a collaborative work. My collabora- tors over the years would number in the thousands, but they fall into three primary groups that deserve mention here. First in line would be the many undergraduates at Stony Brook Uni- versity who participated in—really, created themselves—the various sim- ulations I have overseen there, especially in my G reat Power Rivalries 1936–1947 simulation seminar. It is a measure of their enthusiasm and dedication that over forty of them would return to the university at a re- cent homecoming to participate in a rapid rendition of the Cuban Missile Crisis. One sim-alum Skyped in from Moscow. Obviously, we put him on the Soviet team. Second come my colleagues at Stony Brook. An exceptionally conge- nial History Department afforded me the opportunity to try out my ideas, and exceptionally gracious colleagues quickly turned from skeptics to cheerleaders. I owe individual mention to Eric Zolov, who actually took the plunge himself and now uses simulations in his courses, and to Seth x Acknowledgments Offenbach, now teaching at Bronx Community College. Sharing his ex- periences with his classroom simulations was of great help as I prepared this book. Not least would be instructors at other institutions, especially those active in the Reacting to the Past project based at Barnard College, who use classroom simulations. The Reacting community is just that, and its resources have helped me immeasurably. I am especially grateful to two of its members, John Moser of Ashland University and Robert Goodrich at Northern Michigan University. John graciously allowed me to use ma- terials from his masterly simulation on Japan, and I enjoyed our discus- sions of its various features and workings. Robert conducted a fascinating simulation of the last years of the Weimar Republic that I participated in at a recent Reacting conference. My experience was memorable. His experience in dealing with abhorrent words and ideas in the classroom was invaluable. Emily Andrew deserves pride of place as my editor and instigator. She came across my faculty webpage, saw a description of my simulation, and thought the subject might make for an interesting book. You are holding the result of a long and happy collaboration. I would also like to express my appreciation for the comments and insights offered by my anonymous readers. I hope they will be pleased with the results. Thank you all.
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