"Reacting to the Past" is a pioneering pedagogy consisting of elaborate historical games, in which students lead each other in explorations of great texts in the history of ideas. In "Reacting" classes students are assigned “roles” with “victory objectives” that are informed by the literature they read. Class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work.

Created in 1995 by Mark C. Carnes, Ann Whitney Olin Professor of History at Barnard College, in 2004 "Reacting" won the prestigious Theodore Hesburgh Award for pedagogical innovation. "Reacting" has also received several developmental FIPSE grants from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as a major FIPSE dissemination grant in Fall 2002. The program was featured in Change magazine ("Inciting Speech" by Mark C. Carnes, March/April 2005), the Chronicle Review (“Being There: The Liminal Classroom” by Mark C. Carnes, October 8, 2004); the New York Times (June 23, 2004, “Getting Into the Past by Getting into Character”); the Chronicle of Higher Education (cover story, November 16, 2001); the Christian Science Monitor; and elsewhere. Interest in “Reacting to the Past” is growing rapidly, with many institutions seeking to implement the pedagogy at their campuses.

At UGA, the Coordinator for "Reacting to the Past" is Dr. Nancy Felson, Dept. of Classics, 542-2153. Contact her for more information about this exciting curriculum.