Alexander H Cohen is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He is an avid board and video gamer, and regularly uses active learning in his classroom. His research interests include the effect of weather on political outcomes, institutional assessment, pedagogy, and zombies. His most recent book was entitled Living with Zombies. John Alden is a social studies teacher in the Williamsburg Community School District in Iowa. He teaches 9th and 12th graders, covering the topics of geography and government. He earned his master’s degree in social studies education from the University of Iowa, where he also met his coauthors. Jonathan J. Ring is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and a Global Security Fellow in the Baker Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee.
This is the classroom game book political science has been waiting for. In Gaming the System, editors Alex H Cohen, John Alden, Jon Ring neatly package a breath of subfield exercises that test concepts, challenge students, and support active learning. This book gives time back to teachers hunting through learning activity haystacks, with every game easy to setup and distribute, and further tailorable to meet specific course objectives. Even better, each game has been rigorously playtested to assure educators that these games work. I wish I had this book years ago-a must-have for active learning classrooms. Lt Col James Pigeon Fielder, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Manchester Games Studies Network research associate, and professional wargame design instructor The book Gaming the System: Nine Games to Teach American Government Through Active Learning provides a plethora of useful games and simulations for the effective teaching of American government that will engage students and allow them to discuss the activity of their classmates and themselves in a way that will create much richer and more productive classroom discussions and analysis. Victor Asal, Professor of Political Science, SUNY Albany