History majors at PFW acting, dressing the part

Anyone walking by Deborah Bauer's "Historically Speaking" class during early October might have done a doubletake. Was that laughter, cheering, and clapping coming from inside? Were they just having a good time, or had the instructor lost all control?

No, the audible enthusiasm was actually by design, and the Purdue University Fort Wayne instructor seemed to be spending most of her time laughing and enjoying the reactions as well.

This was not just another mid-semester lecture, but part of a plan the associate professor of modern European history introduced during her public speaking course in 2022. It's game theory play that encourages students to research actual historical situations and their assigned characters' viewpoints, then role play to explore themes, choices, and outcomes of events. The assignment also helps students experience persuasive public speaking.

Though Bauer has previously utilized games around topics such as the French Revolution and the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, this fall's choice was the 1835 Red Clay conference, which led to the removal of the Cherokee Nation from Tennessee to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Students were assigned roles to effectively debate the proposed issues as historical figures.

"It's a completely different style of class," said Wayne Myers, a junior majoring in history. "Public speaking is hard for everybody, but when it's like this, it's actually something that is pretty interesting. This is a lot of fun."

Myers played the famed missionary Samuel Worcester during a recent series and dressed appropriately in black and gray, while wearing a cross. He'd studied to use mostly accurate idioms of the time, and successfully defended his opinions with religious influences.

Staying in character is important, but these are not professional actors. Sometimes a speaker will forget their role but quickly jump back in. Even during debates with insults and heckling hurled at speakers, students are always addressed as their characters' names.

The presentations can involve the discussion of documents or options. After that, the class turns into a historically influenced improv session, with Bauer serving as gamemaster to make sure the actual events that happened later don't influence the debates. She's also been known to hand out pointed questions for the "audience," adding a touch of professional wrestling theatrics and plot twists.

When someone makes a good point, one side cheers and the other may boo, especially in answer to a pointed question. At the end of a well-constructed presentation, everyone may clap in appreciation.

Potential grades lead to student investment, but maybe the eagerness to win the debate and meet their characters' "victory objectives" are bigger factors. The witty remarks prove most students spent time outside of class thinking of potential ripostes.

"There has to be a collective effort between everyone," said Marcus Bollenbacher, a freshman majoring in history who was cast as President Andrew Jackson. "It really brings to light a lot of characters in the whole scenario I would not have known about before. It's like one big machine that everyone has to play their part, but then you appreciate what everybody's bringing to it."

A good percentage of speakers try dressing up in styles of the period. Because most of the roles are of one gender, freshman Isabelle Ebert played Cherokee citizen Pathfinder, a man. To fulfill her mission, Ebert wore a male suit and cut a small shank of hair off the back of her head to use as a moustache kept in place with sticky tack. After her speaking spot finished, Ebert kept the moustache in place while sitting back down to ask questions.

Bauer and the students prepared during the unit's first five sessions for the three-class conference by discussing primary source documents. The exercise is called "Reacting to the Past" and not "Reenacting the Past" because the class outcomes can differ from history. In fact, during this semester's game, members of the Cherokee National Council voted in favor of accepting the government's "Removal Treaty," which was overwhelmingly rejected in 1835. The game play was followed by a debrief where everyone got to ask questions and discover hidden motivations or secrets Bauer and the game implanted in characters.

"Most of the students are first-semester freshmen, and because they're all history majors, they are kind of forming a cohort," Bauer said. "Even when the game gets heated, it breaks down barriers, lets them get to know each other, and gives them agency. By the time they get to that next round of speeches, they're more comfortable with each other. They are supporting each other and building community."

Other units give students the chance to deliver short individual presentations on their topics of choice from any historical era.