Today’s Plan:
- Watch: Last of Us Final Scene
- Last of Us as a Tragedy (group discussions)
- Last of Us as a Tragedy (class discussion)
- Checking in with our project calendar
Last of Us Final Chapter (“Hospital”)
Let’s watch.
- Open:9:17:45
- Skip to 9:33:45
Last of Us as a Tragedy Prompt
Today I want to spend some time using the theoretical terms we researched at the beginning of this project. Working in groups of 3-4, I want you to think about how the following terms/concepts apply to our class playthrough (and, um, watch) of the Last of Us’s opening prologue and first chapter.
I’ve created a set of heuristic questions at the beginning of this document to help with this. Because we haven’t finished playing the Last of Us yet, some of these might be more difficult to discuss than others.
Hypothetical Timeline (Updated)
Here is what I am thinking:
- Thursday, Feb 1st: Santos lecture. Discussion of Meakin et al. Building a vocabulary for analyzing tragedy. Homework: Identify a game you will play outside of class. Play it for two hours.
- Tuesday, Feb 6th: Introduction to Aristotle’s Poetics (and the best/worst definition of tragedy). Close reading activity. Homework: Read Curran.
- Thursday, Feb 8th: Start Developing our Handbook of Tragic Terms. The Last of Us, “Hometown / Prologue.” Homework: Play your game for 2 hours and finish Gaming Reflection #1.
- Tuesday, Feb 13th: Last of Us, “The Outskirts: Capitol Building.” Play your game for 1 hour.
- Thursday. Feb 15th: Santos lecture: Player complicity. “Reading” Sicart together. Last of Us, “Suburbs”. Homework: Read Potzsch and Waszkiewicz. Play your game for 2 hours and finish Gaming Reflection #2.
- Tuesday. Feb 17th: Discuss Potzsch and Waskiewicz. HW: Play your game for one hour.
- Thursday. Feb 19th: Last of Us, “Hospital” (time for “Epilogue”?). HW: Play your game for 2 hours.
- Tuesday. Feb 20th: [Changed to Last of Us and tragedy discussion]Writing the Paper Workshop. HW: Start drafting your paper.
- Thursday. Feb 22nd: [Changed to Writign the Paper Workshop / Overview]. Presentation expectations. Conference Sign-Ups.
- Tuesday and Thursday Feb 27 & 29: Writing Conferences
- Tuesday and Thursday March 5 & 7: Presentations
Parts of Tragedy–catharsis, hubris/hamaritia, anagnorisis, peripeteia, epiphany, aporia (? not expected, but Meakin), “action,” mimesis. Sicart: player complicity.
