The Honors course, Energy & Society, describes the flow of energy from infrastructures to Earth’s natural systems. Through analyzing and reflecting on the modern-day technological and societal contexts of energy, Isaac Rogers and Zerin Campbell created a dynamic and complex game reflecting society’s utilization of energy and resources.
HONORS 2285: ENERGY & SOCIETY
Being one of the core classes to complete the Human Rights and Resources Honors Integrated Minor, Honors 2285 (Energy & Society) continues to be a popular class among honors students.
This sentiment was reinforced by Zerin Campbell: “[Professor Kate Magargal] is probably the reason I’m still in the Honors College. It was my favorite class that I have taken from the Human Rights and Resources track.”
Within this class, students learn about the benefits and trade-offs of different types of energy production. Through a variety of short field trips, lectures, and discussions, the course focuses on applying concepts, practicing skills, and engaging in a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future of society’s relationship with energy. At the end of the course, students are encouraged to incorporate their own creativity within their final project. This open-ended assignment allows each student to explore their interests within a medium of their choosing including by not limited to a written analysis, presentation, film, art, and original game.
According to Professor Magargal’s syllabus, it states, “The format of your project outcome can be in anything of your choosing, so long as it can reasonably be evaluated for its relationship to the themes of the class and employs conceptual tools we covered.”
ORIGINAL GAME: ENERGY EMPIRE
Both Isaac and Zerin are Human Rights and Resources minors at the Honors College, and they have gained a newfound love for learning, especially energy from this class.
Isaac Rogers says, “Professor Magargal makes it super easy to talk to students, and I have developed a huge love of energy from her course.”
Inspired by their favorite childhood tabletop games, Gloomhaven, Spirit Islands, and Twilight Imperium (4th Edition), they co-developed their final project by creating their game, Energy Empire, which showcases how different types of energies (wind, nuclear, and solar) can impact the environment.
The goal of this collaborative game is to pass through seven different rounds, where the players collectively are challenged to produce enough resources to continue onto the next phase. If the players are unable to mine enough resources from the land, the game ends. Additionally, within the game, there are several mechanics making it more complex, including damaging the environment, collecting energy, and incorporating workers to improve the resource intake. By incorporating these elements, it forces the players to strategize together and critically think through each decision, as it can impact the overall outcome of the game.
After finishing the class, Isaac and Zerin plan to continue their project and publish their game by the end of the year.
Aspen Delis | Journalism Intern, University of Utah Honors College