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The Uprising: A role-playing game in an archaeology of the senses course
Archaeogaming
March 29, 2024

Guy Hepp, associate professor of anthropology, wrote a guest column for the website in which he described how he developed a tabletop role-playing game, “The Uprising,” for his ANTH 3201 course, “The Archaeology of the Senses.”

He wrote: “‘The Uprising’ is a 10-part adventure. Each week, I read a short story about events in an unnamed ancient city in Central Mexico (essentially Teotihuacán). After hearing these scenarios, the students have opportunities for choice and chance. I wouldn’t want them to lose motivation if disaster befell a given character, so they work together to represent factions over generations, even centuries. A third of the class comprises the Commoners, another third the Nobles, and the final group the Immigrants. A ‘rule sheet’ details the game’s setup, goals, turn-based play, the attributes of each faction, and how to create individual avatars such as warriors or diplomats, who are controlled by the group and whose fates are far from certain.”

Anti-Jewish hate crimes quadrupled in San Francisco in 2023
The Jewish News of Northern California
March 28, 2024

Brian Levin, professor emeritus of criminal justice at CSU, San Bernardino, and the founder of its Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said hate crimes in nine of the nation’s largest cities targeting Jews in October 2023 increased 285%  over the previous year. The article reported that hate crimes targeting Jews more than quadrupled in San Francisco last year compared with 2022, data from the San Francisco Police Department shows, spurred in large part by a dramatic uptick following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel.

Levin added that alongside the hate crime surge, 2023 saw increases in hate speech against Jews, a “recycling of various stereotypes” and the identification of “Jews, en masse, as legitimate targets for aggression and fears.”

These news clips and others may be viewed at “In the Headlines.”