Feminist Art Games
Professor micha cárdenas, michacardenas@ucsc.edu
ARTG 138, Spring 2020, UC Santa Cruz
10:40AM – 1:05PM, Online
Office hours: Tuesdays from 1:15-2:15pm.
Image: Rider Spoke, Blast Theory
DRAFT SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO REVISION
“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”– bell hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center
“Individuals who fight for the eradication of sexism without struggles to end racism or classism undermine their own efforts. Individuals who fight for the eradication of racism or classism while supporting sexist oppression are helping to maintain the cultural basis of all forms of group oppression.”
― bell hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center
Course Description
Feminist games, including intersectional feminist games, transfeminist games and queer feminist games, will be created by students in this course. Students will study the existing history and present of these genres of games, including game mods, personal experience games, narrative games, alternate reality, augmented reality and electronic literature. Students will work individually to create games as art and activism building on feminist theories of race, gender, sexuality and algorithms.
The course will consist of reading, Theater of the Oppressed performance activities and game creation. There will be ample time dedicated to discussion, hands on activities and presentation. Students will be expected to do fifteen hours a week of total work in and out of class.
Feminist games call into question what games are, and who they are for. Why should games be fun? Should they be healing? Can they be healing? Can they not only comment on, but actually bring about social change?
Learning objectives
Students in this course will:
– Learn to design feminist games using performance and digital technologies.
– Learn to create games to engage with complex social issues.
– Learn how artists have engaged critically with issues of race, gender and sexuality through games.
Relevant AGPM Program Objectives
- Demonstrate understanding of the connections between technical commitments and game system design, on one hand, and player experience and cultural communication goals, on the other.
- Define, develop, and communicate artistically innovative game ideas—situated historically and employing the methods of multiple art practices.
- Use knowledge of game history and interpretation sufficient to do independent research on a topic, identify relevant games and secondary literature, think critically about a particular games-related topic, and make a convincing, research-based argument about games.
Projects
Challenge One – Wednesday April 22 – Game Draft, with one page self assessment
Challenge Two – Wednesday, June 3 – Final Game, Digital Format
Challenge Three – Monday, June 8 – Three page Reflection paper and self assessment
Grades will be determined by you, in your self assessment papers, with some small possible adjustments from me, only if I deem adjustment necessary.
Required Texts
Game Design Workshop, Tracy Fullerton
Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed
Assignments
Game Draft – Week 5
Write a draft of your game! The draft game and game description must include :
- Citations from at least three in class readings or other academic works that support your project concept.
- A character map, showing relationships between characters, describe the emotional goals of the game, and describe the core mechanic of the game.
Present the proposal to the rest of the class for feedback.
Final Game – Week 10
Create a project using Twine, or another technology we’ve learned in class, that engages social issues of gender, sexuality, race and/or ability. Play the game online with other students in class and get their written feedback. Come up with specific questions to ask them for feedback.
Final Reflection – Week 11
Write a 2-3 page (500-750 word) paper reflecting on how well your work in the course met the learning objectives of the course. Keep in mind that your learning is your responsibility, and my responsibility is to provide a structure and a space for you to do your best work. Include links to any photo and video documentation of your final project.
Schedule
Week 1
Monday
Course overview, Intro to Zoom and Discord
Wednesday
Play Depression Quest
http://www.depressionquest.com/
Post about it on discussion forum
Week 2
Monday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, “Introduction, Bringing Feminist Theory Home”
Meeting on Zoom
Wednesday
Watch “Love Drugs” by Brie Code, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2JWs856lwY
Or read these two articles:
“Games are Boring”
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-11-07-video-games-are-boring
“Slouching Toward Relevant Games”
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-03-08-slouching-toward-relevant-video-games
Post in discussion forum
Week 3
Monday
Play “The Game The Game” by Angela Washko
https://angelawashko.com/section/437138-The-Game-The-Game.html
Discussion on Zoom
Wednesday
Read Game Design Workshop, Introduction
Post in Discussion Forum
Discuss Story and narrative arc
Week 4
Monday
Story map exercise – Create a psychogeographic map and create a story for your game with events at specific locations.
Discussion on Zoom
Wednesday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, Chapter 1. “Feminism is Sensational”
Post on discussion board
Week 5
Monday
Read Game Design Workshop, Chapter 1
Character map exercise – discuss the different characters in your story. Try role playing the characters to flesh out their stories and their relationships to other characters.
Wednesday
Present game proposals in discussion board and discuss on Zoom.
Week 6
Monday
Intro to Twine
Meet on Zoom
Wednesday
Read “Introduction: Cliches Versus Women: Moving Beyond Sexy Sidekicks and Damsels in Distress” in Gaming at the Edge by Adrienne Shaw (online at the library website)
Optionally, Read Game Design Workshop, Chapter 4
Week 7
Monday
Playtest prototypes on Zoom
Wednesday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, Chapter 2. “On Being Directed”
Post in discussion forum
Week 8
Monday
Studio day, work in on games on video
Wednesday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, Chapter 4. “Trying to Transform”
Week 9
Monday
Studio day, work on games on video
Wednesday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, Chapter 9. “Lesbian Feminism”
Week 10
Monday
Read Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed, Conclusion 1 and Conclusion 2
Wednesday
Playtesting discussion on video
Week 11, Finals Week
Monday, Final reflection papers due
Meeting to debrief and celebrate
Policies
Principles of Community
The University of California, Santa Cruz is committed to promoting and protecting an environment that values and supports every person in an atmosphere of civility, honesty, cooperation, professionalism and fairness.
UC Santa Cruz expects that every campus member will practice these Principles of Community.
We strive to be:
Diverse: We embrace diversity in all its forms and we strive for an inclusive community that fosters an open, enlightened and productive environment.
Open: We believe free exchange of ideas requires mutual respect and consideration for our differences.
Purposeful: We are a participatory community united by shared commitments to: service to society; preservation and advancement of knowledge; and innovative teaching and learning.
Caring: We promote mutual respect, trust and support to foster bonds that strengthen the community.
Just: We are committed to due process, respect for individual dignity and equitable access to resources, recognition and rewards.
Disciplined: We seek to advance common goals through reasonable and realistic practices, procedures and expectations.
Celebrative: We celebrate the heritage, achievements and diversity of the community and the uniqueness and contributions of our members.
We accept the responsibility to pursue these principles in an atmosphere of personal and intellectual freedom, security, respect, civility and mutual support.
UC Santa Cruz is committed to enforcement of policies that promote the fulfillment of our principles of community. These policies include but are not limited to: University of California Personnel Policies for Staff Members; applicable University Collective Bargaining Agreements; Academic Personnel Manual O15-University of California Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline; UC Santa Cruz Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline; UC Santa Cruz Policy on Sexual Assault and UC Policy on Sexual Harassment; UC Santa Cruz Hate Bias Incident Policy. For further information or inquiries, contact the Directors of Academic Personnel and Staff Human Resources; Director of EEO/Affirmative Action Office; Director, Student Judicial Affairs; Title IX Officer; and Campus Ombudsman.
https://www.ucsc.edu/about/principles-community.html
Accommodations for Disabilities
UC Santa Cruz is committed to creating an academic environment that supports its diverse student body. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations to achieve equal access in this course, please submit your Accommodation Authorization Letter from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me privately during my office hours or by appointment, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. At this time, I would also like us to discuss ways we can ensure your full participation in the course. I encourage all students who may benefit from learning more about DRC services to contact DRC by phone at 831-459-2089 or by email at drc@ucsc.edu
or on the web at https://drc.ucsc.edu
Late Work
Handing in your work late will cause your grade to drop one letter per day. Work more than three days late will not be accepted.
Attendance
A major part of a transformative education is learning to work with your peers, face to face, in a professional manner, to generate knowledge together. A university education is about more than facts and data, it is also about learning the social skills involved in having a conversation about challenging issues in a way that allows everyone to be heard. Your participation in class and section is essential. I will take attendance on quiz days. You cannot miss more than three lectures or section days and still pass this class. If you have a documented reason for your absence, such as doctor’s note or a documented family emergency, you can provide that to your TA, but you cannot make up quizzes, in class assignments or participation points from missed classes.
I do not answer email on the weekend. I will respond to any email sent to me within two business days of receiving them.
Academic Integrity
Do not use anyone else’s work other than your own. You are responsible for clearly citing any ideas, words or images in your work that are not your own.
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of a university education. Academic dishonesty diminishes the university as an institution and all members of the university community. It tarnishes the value of a UCSC degree.
All members of the UCSC community have an explicit responsibility to foster an environment of trust, honesty, fairness, respect, and responsibility. All members of the university community are expected to present as their original work only that which is truly their own. All members of the community are expected to report observed instances of cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty in order to ensure that the integrity of scholarship is valued and preserved at UCSC.
In the event a student is found in violation of the UCSC Academic Integrity policy, he or she may face both academic sanctions imposed by the instructor of record and disciplinary sanctions imposed either by the provost of his or her college or the Academic Tribunal convened to hear the case. Violations of the Academic Integrity policy can result in dismissal from the university and a permanent notation on a student’s transcript.
For the full policy and disciplinary procedures on academic dishonesty, students and instructors should refer to the Academic Integrity page at the Division of Undergraduate Education
https://ue.ucsc.edu/academic-misconduct.html
Title IX Statement
Title IX prohibits gender discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. If you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can receive confidential support and advocacy at the Campus Advocacy Resources & Education (CARE) Office by calling (831) 502-2273. In addition, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) can provide confidential, counseling support, (831) 459-2628. You can also report gender discrimination directly to the University’s Title IX Office, (831) 459-2462. Reports to law enforcement can be made to UCPD, (831) 459-2231 ext. 1. For emergencies call 911.
Faculty and Teaching Assistants are required under the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment to inform the Title IX Office should they become aware that you or any other student has experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment.
Resources
All Gender Restrooms at UCSC:
https://maps.ucsc.edu/sites/default/files/GIF-Master-LIst-Final-091916.pdf
Lactation Rooms: https://maps.ucsc.edu/sites/default/files/lactation_room_map_6-18.pdf
Childcare: https://childcare.ucsc.edu/
Prayer Rooms: ISB-475, http://ucscmsa.wixsite.com/home
For Veterans: https://stars.ucsc.edu/veteran/
Undocumented Student Services: https://eop.ucsc.edu/undocumented_student_services/index.html
Support for Survivors of Assault: https://care.ucsc.edu/resources/support-survivors.html
Slug Support, including Food Support
https://basicneeds.ucsc.edu/crisis-resolution/Slug%20Support%20Program.html
Writing Centers: https://lss.ucsc.edu/programs/writing-support/index.html
Counseling & Psychological Services: https://caps.ucsc.edu/index.html