Hey all!
Well, it’s been about a year since I’ve posted. And I’m posting again with another shameless plug. So, apologies in advance!
For anyone going to Dragon Con next weekend, I’ll be presenting a demo on using tabletop RPGs to teach philosophy. This time around, I’ll be using a stripped-down DW to discuss teaching the ethics of immigration. Afterwards, if there’s interest, I’ll be running a pick-up game too. I’d love to see you there.
Thanks!
Saturday, 11:30am
RPGs, Philosophical Pedagogy, and Immigration
Tabletop Gaming Track, Westin Augusta 3
“King Trumpkin Decrees a Ban on Elven Refugees! Philosophical Pedagogy, Tabletop Role-Playing Games, and the Ethics of Immigration”
Ryan Gabriel Windeknecht, Lecturer and Experience Learning Faculty Fellow; Department of Philosophy; University of Tennessee, Knoxville
This workshop demonstrates how tabletop role-playing games can facilitate teaching and learning. Specifically, it takes participants through a monster encounter, which encourages them to actively engage with and critically reflect on the ethics of immigration.
Participants will be provided with pre-generated characters and guided through the setup of the monster encounter. During the setup, they will debate whether their characters should escort a small group of elven refugees into a nearby city, which has recently banned them from traveling within its walls.
Following the debate, participants will begin the monster encounter. If their characters do escort the refugees, they will face the Captain of the City Guard, who will challenge them with statist arguments for closed borders (Miller 2005, Macedo 2007, Walzer 1983, Wellman 2008). If their characters do not escort the refugees, they will face the High Priest of the City, who will challenge them with egalitarian and libertarian arguments for open borders (Carens 1987, 2013). Once the monster encounter has been resolved, participants will take part in a short debriefing.
Assuming an interest in tabletop role-playing games, this workshop should appeal to both professionals and non-professionals alike, regardless of a familiarity with either pedagogy or philosophy.
Keywords: Pedagogy, Experiential Learning Theory, Gamification, Philosophy, Ethics, Immigration, Tabletop Role-Playing Games, Dungeon World, Monster Encounters
