|
Amanda
Houle '06: Reacting to the Past
Amanda Houle '06 |
"I
will never forget the month I spent in Gandhi's India. For
a while, I became Gandhi, and India became my own country.
Nor will I forget the month in 403 B.C., when my vote in support
of the Socratic model of government single-handedly brought
about the fall of a radical Athenian democracy; or my time
in Puritan New England where, during the trial of Anne Hutchinson,
I was challenged to use my own sacred text—the
Bible—to defend positions at odds with my own
fundamental political and religious beliefs…"
As the
annual Reacting to the Past conference marked its sixth
year, 2006 graduate Amanda Houle marked her fourth and final
year of involvement in the program. She was captivated by
the program as a first-year student, when, she notes, "these
historical journeys, paved with late-night strategy sessions,
repeatedly delivered me to a place where my academic and personal
passions became one."
She subsequently
went on to serve as a preceptor for each of her college years,
not only at Barnard but at other colleges and universities,
from as close as New York University to as far away as The
University of Texas.
And she
has found each conference to be inspiring. The professors
are very receptive to the subject matter and context since,
for most, it involves areas that are outside of their field
of expertise. And even those few students who don't "buy
into" the pedagogy behind Reacting still thoroughly
enjoy the games and the interaction. But most are convinced
that Reacting to the Past serves as a new paradigm for the
teaching of history.
She attributes
the popularity and effectiveness of the program to two main
components: the inclusion of "beautifully written"
texts that introduced radical ideas for their time (such as
Confucius' Analects and The Social Contract
of Jean-Jacques Rousseau) and the engagement and total immersion
of the participants in their role-playing functions.
In addition
to participants being assigned to specific factions, there
are also an assigned number of "indeterminates,"
which constitute the swing vote, and it's the faction's job
to persuade them to their point of view. Participants become
so consumed by the course that it's hard for them to break
out of their roles once the conference ends for the day, and
heated conversations often continue well past the day's event.
Since the outcome of the game is largely based on the final
opinion of the majority, persuading the "indeterminates"
to your faction's stance is the order of the day.
Amanda
notes that "Reacting teaches people that change
is possible, and that individuals have agency in history,
and that was an important lesson."
Her personal
favorite game is Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of
Independence, 1945. "I was attracted to Gandhi's
writing, so I connected with it most." An article on
her experience was recently published in the July/August 2006
issue of Change:
The Magazine of Higher Learning (click
here to read the article).
She acknowledges
that her education at Barnard in general—and her participation
in the conference in particular—has reinforced the idea
that idealism can be a practical virtue. And this belief is
particularly relevant to Amanda's future career goals-she
will be going to Fordham Law in the fall, and intends to pursue
a career in social justice.
—Cyndie
Pogue
posted 08.10.06
|
