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This two-day workshop will introduce participants to Confucianism and the Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor, 1587, written by Danel Gardner (Smith College) and Mark C. Carnes (Barnard College). The game explores the suppleness and power of Confucian thought as applied to issues of governance during the Ming dynasty. The game is set in the Hanlin Academy. Most students are members of the Grand Secretariat of the Hanlin Academy, the body of top-ranking academicians in the realm. Some Grand Secretaries are Confucian “purists,” who hold that tradition obliges the emperor to name his first-born son as successor; others maintain that it is within the emperor’s right to choose his successor; and still others, as they decide this matter among many issues confronting the empire, continue to scrutinize the teachings of Confucianism for guidance. The game unfolds amidst the secrecy and intrigue within the walls of the Forbidden City, as scholars struggle to apply Confucian precepts to a dynasty in peril.
“Reacting has been the single most transformative pedagogy I have encountered in my teaching career.”--Andrew Keitt, Professor of History, University of Alabama at Birmingham
“Reacting administrators have smartly organized workshops that model what it professes: that learning works best when it is practiced, collaborative, and reflective.”--Mary Conley, Associate Professor of History, Holy Cross
"Reacting inspires students to work harder and learn more in a way that almost has to be seen to be believed," Nancy Reagin, Professor of History, Pace University
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