Early this semester, my department head bust into my office and said, “Pigeon! Want to teach a game design course in the Spring?” I asked if I could think about it, stared into the middle distance for about three seconds, then heartily replied, “game on!”
Per Dr. Daum’s guidance, my only strict criterion was that the course must be through the lens of international relations theory. This way, it leverages my existing IR credentials and counts distinctly toward Colorado State University’s Global Politics and Policy concentration. However, it is open to any political science major who’s taken at least one of the foundational 200-level courses in any concentration, history and international studies majors who’ve completed specific foundational courses in their disciplines, and other majors with my approval after reviewing their transcripts.
I used my US Air Force Academy wargaming design course syllabus as a starting point, but that iteration was laser-focused on addressing national security questions. For CSU, I’ve widened the aperture to address questions across international relations.
Aye, the reading list is breathtaking for an undergraduate course. How I’m couching it to students, though, is that these are actionable, hands-on readings: they’ll be applying concepts in their game prototypes almost immediately.
By the end of the course, student teams will complete playable, functioning game prototypes, with live play and critique as part of their assessment. Their grades won’t be simple letters; they’ll represent a tangible, tactile product they can be proud of — and even publish!
I’ve attached a 99.9% syllabus draft below for your review and nefarious use (I don’t expect substantial changes at this point, but I certainly won’t sneeze at anyone’s feedback). More to follow as the course unfolds next semester!