Anthropology Course in Minecraft: Development of Human Cultures (5-Session)

— Day 1 - Introduction to Anthropology: What exactly is anthropology? In our first session, we’ll explore how anthropology helps us understand history and our own current culture and civilization. In Minecraft, we’ll visit an archaeological dig site and see how objects unearthed in present day can differ from the past. 

— Day 2 - Human Culture, Stories, and Origins: Physical artifacts including structural remnants and written texts can give us a hint to the past but can’t fully paint the picture. Students will have a chance to explore a desert temple and its surroundings to formulate hypotheses about the long lost Minecraft Civilization.

— Day 3 - Underwater Anthropology/Environmental Shifting: Cultures adapt and change over time while being influenced by the environment. In a time travel activity, we will analyze the impact of ecological succession and natural disaster on anthropology studies and what tools anthropologists use to investigate historical sites.

— Day 4 - Cultural Changes and Folklore: Cultural relativism plays a big role in how we interpret our findings. As people create frameworks to understand the world, it is important to identify folklore and its significance in human culture. Students will travel to a distant Minecraft land and use keys to translate the messages that the “aliens” left behind. 

— Day 5 - Ethics in Anthropology: What is ethics and how does it relate to anthropology? As we explore ethical ways to conduct research, our group of young anthropologists/archeologists will gather information from Minecraft locals to properly fill out descriptions in each exhibit at a historical museum. 

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.

The curriculum for this program was designed by Amy, a counselor on our team who is pursuing a degree in Medical Anthropology. The learning experiences in this class are driven by Amy’s academic expertise in the field, along with her desire to share her passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.

This class does not require any out-of-class work. We do offer optional challenges that students can work on as an extension of what is taught in class. We provide guidance and instructions for students who are inspired to delve deeper into the topic. The purpose of these challenges is to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning with additional material that aligns with their passions and goals. Students may then integrate their learnings into their project and showcase their accomplishments to their classmates.

With this approach, students can explore the subject on their own. We give students the opportunity to share what they’ve explored independently with the class.

At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By building in Minecraft and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades.

In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.

1 hour 30 minutes per week in class, and maybe some time outside of class.