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Ron Edwards Teaching a Cool Course

Started by joewolz, January 14, 2007, 12:46:23 PM

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joewolz

January 14, 2007, 12:46:23 PM
This semester, Ron Edwards is actually teaching what sounds like a fun course.  I'm not sure where it falls in any curriculum, but it sounds fun:

Evolutionary Biology at the Movies:  Focal Point Seminar 101
http://condor.depaul.edu/~biology/edwards/winter2007.htm

I'd take it if I was at DePaul.
-JFC Wolz
Co-host of 2 Gms, 1 Mic

James J Skach

#1
January 14, 2007, 09:37:33 PM
OK...why did I not know that he was at DePaul? How long has he been there?  I only ask as I used to head a department their (not academic, administrative).
The rules are my slave, not my master. - Old Geezer

The RPG Haven - Talking About RPGs

joewolz

#2
January 15, 2007, 12:17:17 AM
What I gather from his CV is that he;s been at DePaul since '99 or 2000.
-JFC Wolz
Co-host of 2 Gms, 1 Mic

Settembrini

#3
January 15, 2007, 06:03:09 AM
He has done this course several times.

AFAIK, it´s this course, where he met the students, that couldn´t re-tell the plot of some movies. They were RPG-Players.
That´s where the brain damage thing was born, IIRC.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

joewolz

#4
January 15, 2007, 09:12:53 AM
Quote from: SettembriniHe has done this course several times.

AFAIK, it´s this course, where he met the students, that couldn´t re-tell the plot of some movies. They were RPG-Players.
That´s where the brain damage thing was born, IIRC.

Really?  Can you back that up or did this come from conversations?
-JFC Wolz
Co-host of 2 Gms, 1 Mic

Settembrini

#5
January 15, 2007, 09:39:04 AM
I think I had it on video, but it´s on the "lost tape".
Actually I found the "lost tape" during the holidays, but haven´t gotten around editing them.
I´ll let you all know when that´s the case.

But I totally vouch for the general message:

Ron met people at university.
They could not re-tell stuff from movies that were relevant to the discussion at hand.
They all were gamers.
Ron drew conclusions.

I´m not sure if the linked course was the exact one. But it would fit.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Settembrini

#6
January 15, 2007, 10:02:14 AM
Look here, from the Brain Damage Thread:

QuoteA brief list of the specific features, or telltales, of the damaged story-capacity.

- The person cannot distinguish between "hopping over a fence" and conflict, between "this guy meets that guy" and a decisive plot event, or between "dramatic close-up" and character decision-making

- The person cannot summarize any story in simple four-point structure (conflict, rising action, climax, conclusion) - they typically hare off into philosophical or technical interpretations, or remain stuck in narrating the first ten minutes of the story in detail

- The person will devote many hours (and can talk for many hours) to commenting on the details of the story's presentation, either feverishly supportive or feverishly dismissive, but entirely uncritically

Most people I have worked with about these issues, which includes hundreds and perhaps a couple thousand in different capacities (classrooms, etc, never mind role-playing), pick up these skills within minutes of basic instruction and a little discussion. Absolutely consistently, class after class, year after year, the subgroup which offers the consistent exception is the gamers. They flounder terribly for weeks, and some just never get it.

Emphasis added by me.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

rcsample

#7
January 15, 2007, 12:25:18 PM
Quote from: joewolzThis semester, Ron Edwards is actually teaching what sounds like a fun course.  I'm not sure where it falls in any curriculum, but it sounds fun:

Evolutionary Biology at the Movies:  Focal Point Seminar 101
http://condor.depaul.edu/~biology/edwards/winter2007.htm



He should probably have a seperate class for the brain-damaged gamers.....
 

James J Skach

#8
January 15, 2007, 03:12:56 PM
What a strange, small world.  I was in IT at DePaul from, oh, 1998-2001. If only I'd known...
The rules are my slave, not my master. - Old Geezer

The RPG Haven - Talking About RPGs

Abyssal Maw

#9
January 15, 2007, 07:21:46 PM
If you click on it, you can see he's redefined terms to mean different things, and the course has to do with psychology issues and literature (movies). He is neither a psychologist or a literature professor.

I think he needs to stick with bat penii
Download Secret Santicore! (10MB). I painted the cover :)

Blackleaf

#10
January 15, 2007, 08:05:16 PM
So all gamers are science students?  Didn't he think that humanities students and grads who are gamers might do a little better with story analysis? :rolleyes:

arminius

#11
January 15, 2007, 08:18:05 PM
In fairness, the course may well be sort of "science of poets" class that attracts humanities students who need to fulfill a science breadth requirement. So it's just as likely that the class is filled with English majors.
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