COVID-19 has crowned a number of other disasters (wildfires in Australia, Desert Locusts in Kenya, an imminent WWIII merging Iran and the US), causing panic to click into place and horror to become our global predicament, making us realize that we live in the illusion of the permanence of things, of mastery, and of immortality. People's turning to…

Concerns about environmental sustainability are constantly in the news as global warming, fossil fuels, and pollutants increasingly endanger habitats worldwide. What once were uncommon extreme environmental events have become commonplace--unseasonal intense heat, year-round drought, raging wildfires, rising sea levels, severe storms, massive…

Global warming is a current environmental issue that has been linked to an increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To raise awareness of the problem, various simple experiments have been proposed to demonstrate the effect of carbon dioxide on the planet's temperature. This article describes a similar experiment, which…

Games and simulations are increasingly used in courses on international politics. This study explores the hypothesis that games are better than simulations (as well as only reading and lectures) in introducing students to abstract concepts integral to an understanding of world politics. The study compares a two-level Prisoner's Dilemma game…

This comparative case study presents one key challenge that 2 experienced teachers faced when using simulations: control. Simulations are activities that place high demands on teachers, including the ability to anticipate pitfalls in advance, act in multiple capacities, shape the direction of the activity without unduly interfering, and to be…

The "Global Village Playground" ("GVP") was a capstone learning experience designed to address institutional assessment needs while providing an integrated and authentic learning experience for students aimed at fostering critical and creative thinking. In the "GVP", students work on simulated and real-world problems as a design team tasked with…

To help assess the consequences of food policies, the world's food system is being assembled into models. These models should help planners evaluate the impact of food-related policies and will try to account for the interactions of all food-related supply and demand factors. (BT)

A conference on terrorism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was taken over by terrorists, hostages were seized, and negotiations failed. The goal of the conference was to teach about international terrorism. The events of the simulation are described and the exercise's accomplishments are discussed. (MLW)

Models of global energy demand, a lower-growth-rate model developed at Case Western Reserve University and the H5 model of the Conservation Committee of the World Energy Conference, assess the features of decentralized and centralized electricity generation in the years 2000 and 2025. (BT)

This paper explains how to conduct a SALT simulation with upper division undergraduate and/or graduate students who have a limited background in international relations. Playing time is approximately four weeks. It is suggested that an introductory course devoted to reading, lectures, and discussions precede the simulation. (Author/RM)

This article argues that systems thinking transcends disciplinary boundaries and should be part of everyone's education. Stresses future importance of systems global models and their capacity for planning and decision making on a world scale. A tentative topic outline for a systems approach course at university level is proposed. (Author/SMB)

Discusses computer simulation approach of Limits to Growth, in which interactions of five variables (population, pollution, resources, food per capita, and industrial output per capita) indicate status of the world. Reviews other books that predict future of the world. (CS)

Scientists have increasingly focused attention on far-reaching environmental threats, such as climate change, ozone depletion, and deforestation, that transcend national boundaries. A new concept, global environmental problems, has entered the public arena, particularly in the area of foreign policy and economic matters. This unit explores the…

This simulation game is designed to give the student direct experience in conflict and cooperation. This exercise, a two-person instead of a group game, combines the primary elements of simulations--role-playing with a senario and a game format in which strategies have clear outcomes for the players. (SM)

Economics teachers at the secondary and postsecondary level are provided with an overview and general recommendations for effective use of games and simulations. Material is divided into two sections. In section 1, a description of card games, board games, activities, and puzzles is followed by a discussion of the advantages of each of these types…