Minds on Fire

“[Carnes] marshals evidence for the effectiveness of Reacting to the Past from numerous sources—first from his own nearly 20 years of teaching Reacting games in his courses, and then from many of the faculty members who teach the games on more than 300 college campuses… [Minds on Fire is] Carnes’s beautifully written apologia for this fascinating and powerful approach to teaching and learning in higher education. If we are willing to open our minds and explore student-centered approaches like Reacting, we might just find that the spark of student engagement we have been searching for in higher education’s mythical past can catch fire in the classrooms of the present.”—James M. Lang, The Chronicle of Higher Education

“In Minds on Fire, Carnes offers qualitative and quantitative evidence to show that an immersive gamified approach to the curriculum not only significantly increases student engagement and motivation, but produces greater familiarity with landmark historical events and ideas, greater empathy for historical actors, and greater engagement with the skills that college mission statements advocate: critical thinking, close reading, moral reasoning, leadership skills, and analytic and argumentative speaking and writing.”—Steven Mintz, History News Network

“This book is a highly engaging and inspirational study of a ‘new’ technique that just might change the way educators bring students to learning in the 21st century.”—D. D. Bouchard, Choice

“Minds on Fire demonstrates not only how we can transform our classes into crucibles of engagement and critical thinking, but also how we can build communities, grow empathy, teach leadership, and turn students into voracious readers. With convincing research and case studies on every page, this is one of the most stimulating books on higher education this year.”—José Antonio Bowen, President of Goucher College

“Every professor who wrestles with finding ways to bring more vitality to the classroom will find Minds on Fire to be disarmingly honest, with insights that invite a serious consideration of role-immersion games.”—Richard L. Morrill, Chancellor, University of Richmond

“As we continue to face the familiar problems of how to engage students and what to do about the crisis of liberal education, Carnes offers excitement, optimism, and the spirit of experimentation. Minds on Fire is engagingly written, witty, and full of novel insights into contemporary classroom dynamics and the psychology of today’s college students.”—Ian F. McNeely, University of Oregon