http://cs3889.ff.cuni.cz/research/

Charles University

UiT – Norská arktická univerzita, Fakulta humanitních a sociálních věd a pedagogiky

The primary aim was reached by three different, yet entangled, key activities within the project: (1) Collaboration on syllabi and educational materials. We collaborated on the creation and/or enhancement of the syllabi and educational materials for the courses which share common knowledge domains. At CU, these courses are “AISE00022: Video Games as a Sociocultural Phenomenon” and “AISExxxxx Contemporary Issues in Game Studies.” The first course was already taught at CU and was open to New Media Studies Czech students and foreign Erasmus students. The other was opened in winter semester 2016/2017 in accordance with the new accreditation of New Media Studies. Both courses were taught by Vit Sisler. Given the relative novelty of the field, there existed no established teaching or research methods or guidelines for students. Thus, while creating and enhancing the syllabi of these two courses, CU faculty could significantly benefit from the experience of Holger Pötzsch and his team at UiT. Pötzsch’s field of research includes an audio-visual war culture (in particular the war film and war games), film and cultural memory, new media, and computer games. (2) Translation of digital simulation Czechoslovakia 38-89: Assassination. The already existing digital simulation, Czechoslovakia 38-89: Assassination, was translated into English and implemented as a shared research- and teaching tool both at CU and UiT. The simulation was developed at CU and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It presents key events from Czechoslovakia’s contemporary history and enables players to “experience” these events from different perspectives. The simulation includes the perspectives of previously marginalized groups (e.g. Roma, Sudeten Germans, etc.). The simulation aims to develop abilities to comprehend and analyse sources of facts and create critical judgments. It won first place at Games Learning Society Showcase & Awards in Madison, WI, USA, in July 2015. We translated the simulation and its complete content into English and implemented it as a shared teaching and research tool at CU and UiT. At CU, it will be used in course “AISE00022: Video Games as a Sociocultural Phenomenon”, at UiT it will be used in the newly established MA-course “MDV-3xxx: Social Media and Digital Games” taught by Holger Pötzsch. We plan to develop a shared methodology for a meaningful integration of the simulation into university education, with emphasis on a critical reflection of different and/or contradicting memories of the past and an understanding of different historical perspectives of marginalized groups. By utilizing the English version of the simulation in class at CU and by active collaboration with the UiT faculty and students, we enabled the enhancement of language skills of the Czech students’, of their scientific competences and higher cognitive skills, including critical evaluation and discussion. (3) A workshop for teachers and researchers. We organized an intensive 3-day workshop for teachers, researchers and Ph.D. candidates of both institutions in Prague, where we shared knowledge and methods related to teaching and researching digital games as cultural artefacts. The workshop served as the initial platform for the two activities mentioned above. The overall objective of the project was to increase and strengthen institutional cooperation between CU and UiT and to enhance human capital and the knowledge base at CU.

1 225 426,5 CZK / 46 243 €