Mathew Thompson & Jim McKinley, Sophia University

“Reacting to the Past� (RTTP) was an exciting educational workshop featuring an approach that uses content to get students to engage in debates, research and prepare papers and speeches, in a way that allows students to develop invaluable critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork skills. These integrative games are currently in use at universities in Japan.

The two games run in this one-day workshop were “Legacy of the 47 Ronin” and “The Threshold of Democracy, Athens in 403 B.C.” Participants were assigned a role in which to engage in one of the games. Role sheets and readings were sent to participants before the workshop in order to prepare. Overall it was a great success and brilliant learning experience.