A symposium was hosted by Tamkang University, in association with Kyung Hee University and the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, on November 10-11, in Tamsui, Taipei.
Traditional pedagogical approaches to Futures Studies focused on expert based lecture formats. Scenario planning opened up the process by using groups of experts. In the past few decades, however, the workshop format – futures workshops, knowlabs, immersive futures – all have attempted to include participants in the futures process. They are not mere spectators or receivers of the futures, but active creators – mind, body, and spirit. The futurist becomes thus a content facilitator, helping participants explore alternative futures and create desired futures. It is in this context that gaming the future has become more important. Futures games go further then the cognitive or the emotional, rather, they focus on embodied foresight. Drawing from many approaches – gestalt, play, role-playing, board games – a number of games have become part of futures doxa.
These include the Polak game, the Sarkar game, the CLA game, the time travel game, strategic gaming systems, foresight card decks, immersive experiences, geo-location gaming, for example. However, this is just the beginning. Games as apps, as virtual reality systems, indeed, the gamification of knowledge, process and action, is likely to grow as digital natives move to global and national decision-making and policy positions of defining how and what we learn.
Developments in futures studies
Along with the dominant gaming stream, the conference also featured presentations on Futures Studies and thinking in general. It was sponsored by Tamkang University, Kyung Hee University, and is part of the Unesco Chair in Futures Studies Asia-Pacific agenda.
EVENT PHOTOS BY AGENCE FUTURES (BRAM GOOTS)
EVENT SCHEDULE AND AUDIOVISUAL RESOURCES
(Below you will find links to the audio files and pdfs of presentations).
| November 10,2016 | |||||||||||
| Time | Event | Chair | Venue | ||||||||
| 09:00-09:30 | Registration | – | |||||||||
| 09:30-09:35 | Opening Remarks | Shun-jie Ji, Director of Graduate Institute of Futures Studies (GIFS) | Chueh-sheng International Conference Hall (10th Fl.) | ||||||||
| 09:35-09:40 | Flora Chia-I Chang, President of Tamkang University | ||||||||||
| 09:40-09:45 | Welcome
Stephen Yong-Seung Park Dean, Office of International Affairs, Kyung Hee University |
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| 09:45-09:50 | Welcome Cindy Frewen, President, Association of Professional Futurists |
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| 09:50-10:20 | Why Alternative Futures: why Gaming? Jim Dator Emeritus Professor, University of Hawaii |
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| 10:20-10:30 | Award Presentation From Professor Dator to President Flora Chang |
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| 10:30-10:45 | Break | ||||||||||
| 10:45-12:15 | Theory-Linking Gaming and Futures: the Emergent Pedagogies of Tomorrow | Kuo-Hua Chen, Associate Professor, GIFS, Tamkang University | |||||||||
| Gaming: The Current State of Play
Thadani Dimple, Assistant Professor, The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China |
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| What Works in Gaming Alternative Futures: insights from Foresight Workshops
Sohail Inayatullah, Professor, Tamkang University/ UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies |
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| Future Lab: Social Emergence for Social Innovations
Jose Ramos, Action Foresight, Australia |
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| 12:15 -13:15 | Lunch | ||||||||||
| 13:15-16:00 | WORKSHOPS
Can Futurists play games? |
Jeanne Hoffman, Assistant Professor, GIFS, Tamkang University | |||||||||
| The Time Machine
Mei-Mei Song, Assistant Professor, GIFS and Director, Center for Futures Intelligence and Research (C-FAR), Tamkang University |
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| Games for Policy Makers in the UN and The European Commission John Sweeney, Centre for Postnormal Studies, London, UK. |
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| The Polak Game – Using Gaming in Integral Futures
Peter Hayward, Professor, Swinburne University, Australia The Toynbee Convector Experiment Maya van Leemput, Agence Futures, Belgium The Sarkar Game Sohail Inayatullah, Professor, Tamkang University, Taiwan |
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| 1600-16:15 | Break | ||||||||||
| I201 | |||||||||||
| 16:15-17:00 | Discussion– Participants: Jim Dator, Cindy Frewen, Thadini Dimple, Stephen Park, Jose Ramos, Maya van Leemput, Peter Hayward, John Sweeney, Mei-Mei Song, and participants. | Moderator: Sohail Inayatullah | |||||||||
| 16:30-16:45 | Concluding Reflection總結回饋與反思 Moderator (主持人): Kuo-Hua Chen 陳國華 | ||||||||||
| 17:00 | Close | ||||||||||
| November 11,2016 | |||||||||||
| Time | Event | Chair | Venue | ||||||||
| 09:30-10:45 |
Futures Studies, Experiential Futures and Gaming Jake Dunagan, CENTRO, Mexico
Cindy Frewen, President, Association of Professional Futurist, USA |
Chueh-sheng International Conference Hall (10th Fl.) | |||||||||
| 10:45-11:00 | Break | ||||||||||
| 11:00-1:00 |
Teaching Futures Studies for Three Decades Wilhelm Chen, Associate Professor, GIFS, Tamkang University Mei-Mei Song, Assistant Professor, GIFS, Tamkang University Outside the Comfort Zone: Pedagogical Learnings and Critical Reflections on Futures for Students Nur Anisah Abdullah, Assistant Professor, Hamdan Bin Muhamad Smart University, Dubai and John Sweeney, Centre for Postnormal Studies, London, UK Teaching the Future and Futuring Teaching in Bangladesh Shakil Ahmed, Associate Director, Teach for Bangladesh. |
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| 1:00-2:00 | Lunch | ||||||||||
| 14:00-14:30 | A Special Contribution from Kyung Hee University
Towards Global Eminence: Humanity and Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University Jong-Pil Jeong, Kyung Hee University Social Fiction in the Next 50 Years Byongjin Ann, Professor, Kyung Hee University |
I201 | |||||||||
| 14:30-15:30 | The Politics and Futures of Gaming – Fish Bowl
Opening Speaker: Ivana Milojevic Participants: Jang-bang Deng Jake Dunagan Li-Hui Peng Mei-Mei Song Shakil Ahmed Then round 2 – speakers from day 1 |
Moderator, Sohail Inayatullah | |||||||||
| 16:30-16:45 | Concluding Reflection總結回饋與反思 Moderator (主持人): Kuo-Hua Chen 陳國華 | ||||||||||
| 15:30-15:45 | Break | ||||||||||
| 15:45-16:30 | A Game for Future Generations
Kewulay Kamara, Actor and Director, Badeya, Sierra Leone, A TEDX Speaker |
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| 16:30 | Close | ||||||||||
