Reacting to the Past Conference 2012

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Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia
March 2-4, 2012
Co-sponsored with the University of Georgia

Online Registration Form 

Featured Games

Track A: Greenwich Village, 1913: Suffrage, Labor, and the New Woman
Gamemaster: Professor Montgomery Wolf, Department of English, University of Georgia

Description: Greenwich Village 1913 takes students to the beginning of the modern era when urbanization, industrialization, and massive waves of immigration were transforming the U.S. way of life. As the game begins, suffragists are taking to the streets demanding a constitutional amendment for the vote. What, they ask, is women’s place in society? Are they to remain in the home or take an active role in the government of their communities and their nation? Labor has turned to the strike to demand living wages and better conditions; some are even proposing an industrial democracy where workers take charge of industries. Can corporate capitalism allow an economically just society or must it be overturned? African-Americans, suffering from the worst working conditions, disenfranchisement, and social segregation, debate how to support their community through education and protest, thereby challenging their continuing marginalization in both the South and the North. Members of all these groups converge in Greenwich Village to debate their views with the artists and bohemians who are in the process of remaking themselves into the new men and new women of the twentieth century. The game asks what social changes are most important as well as how one can or should realize these goals.

Track B: Patriots, Loyalists & Revolution in New York City, 1775-76

Gamemaster/Author: Dr. Bill Offutt, Department of History, Pace University

Description: Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution in New York City,1775-76 draws students into the political and social chaos of arevolutionary New York City, where patriot and loyalist forces argued and fought for advantage among a divided populace. Can students realize the liminal world of chaos, disruption, loss of privacy, and fear of victimization that comes with any revolution accompanied by violence? How do both the overall outcome and the intermediate “surprises” that reflect the shift of events in 1775-76 demonstrate the role of contingency in history? Could the Brits still win? What were the complexities, strengths, and weaknesses of the arguments on both sides? How were these affected by the social circumstances in which the Revolution occurred?

Driving Directions
From Athens: Take 441 south through Watkinsville, Madison, and Eatonton. Entering Milledgeville, continue straight so that you follow the business section of Hwy. 441 to Montgomery Street. Turn left.

From Atlanta (heading east): Take 1-20 East to Exit 114 (Madison). Turn right onto Highway 441 South. Follow Highway 441 South to Milledgeville (about 45 miles). Entering Milledgeville, continue straight so that you follow the business section of Hwy. 441 to Montgomery Street. Turn left.

From Atlanta (heading south): Take I-75 South and use either Exit 212 or Exit 205 to travel to Jackson, Georgia. In Jackson, take Highway 16 to Monticello, then Highway 212 to Milledgeville. Highway 212 ends at Highway 22. Turn left.

From Macon: Take either Highway 22 or Highway 49. Both routes lead straight to Georgia College.

From Augusta or Columbia, S.C.: On 1-20 west, exit at Camak (Exit 165), follow Route 80 to Warrenton, Highway 16 to Sparta, and Highway 22 to Milledgeville.

From Savannah: Take I-16 West, Exit Highway 441 North at Dublin. Follow 441 North to Gray/Milledgeville Road (Highway 22 East). Turn right.

Parking
You can park anywhere on campus Friday-Sunday (except handicapped and reserved spots). Probably the most convenient parking will be along N.Liberty Street on the west side of Kilpatrick Hall (see campus map below).

Lodgings
We have a block of rooms reserved at the Fairfield Inn, 2631-A North Columbia Street, Milledgeville, Georgia 31061

Reservations may be made by calling 478-445-5202 or 1-800-MARRIOT. We have a special rate of $89 under the group name “Georgia College Reacting Group.”

The Inn is about 4 miles north of campus. Participants approaching from the north on 441 may wish to check in at the Inn before proceeding to campus.

Campus Map
See http://www2.gcsu.edu/campusmap/default.html. The conference is being held in the A&S Building in the center of campus.

Registration
On-campus registration will be in the North Lobby of the A&S Building.

Contact Information

  • Dr. Steven Elliott-Gower, Interim Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor, Political Science (steve.elliott-gower@gcsu.edu)

Register Here