Tales of Resilience
This pre-approved honors experience promotes empathy and personal growth through shared storytelling.
The group will engage in tabletop role-playing in a fantasy setting, using the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition System. No prior experience with this game is required to participate. However, you can find out more information here: What is Dungeons and Dragons?
Gameplay Goals
Although individuals familiar with fantasy will recognize tropes of the genre, each student will also select a goal for personal growth—both for themselves and for the character they will be creating and portraying. These goals include confronting and working through potential struggles, such as:
- self-worth/self-esteem
- emotional and mental well-being
- family dynamics
- social/political power
We will engage in goal setting as a group during our first meeting. In addition to these personal goals, the group will use communication, action, and teamwork to face larger issues and themes.
Getting Started with Role-Playing Games
The Lead Storytellers of this experience will set you up with everything you need to play! All you need to bring are your ideas around a character you would like to explore. We recommend that you brainstorm character traits and identities both similar and different to your own (keep in mind that you will need to articulate these ideas in your initial application).
While it is true that tabletop role-playing games often use dice rolls and fantasy combat to determine inflection points in a story, it should be noted that those participating in this experience will be asked – and challenged – to immerse themselves in their character, as that internal story is just as powerful and important as the external one. Growth occurs when we encounter new experiences and engage across difference, and both will be common themes in this adventure.
The fantasy genre has often delved into prescient issues in society, and these ethical, moral, and social questions are essential for undergraduates to explore during their time at UC. Equally important is an indiviual's ability to recognize and build resilience within themselves, in order to move forward in the face of life's struggles.
This experience is an accessible option for students who might not otherwise feel ready to step fully out of their comfort zones by taking on a leadership position or going on a study tour, among other examples. Within this game, there are plentiful opportunities for participants – through the added, protective lens of their characters – to build confidence and public speaking skills, as well as to engage across difference and better understand intercultural development. As this occurs within the game world, it will also take place within the group of students themselves. In this way, the experience will also yield a smaller-scale version of the interdisciplinary teamwork and learning that is present in all honors seminars. Tales of Resilience meets students where they are and allows them to explore a goal that they select. This creates a dynamic, adaptable experience for each new group.
Contacts
