Here’s the email I spammed the lists with. We’re gearing up to start this next Tuesday, so things might go a little quiet here, but maybe I’ll come up with some interesting content as the class goes on.
****PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY****
Ever been daydreaming in class about what would happen if a dinosaur were hit by lightning?
Well, there’s a course where you’ll actually be on topic!
I know a lot of you are just trying to figure out classes and gearing up to do as much as you can, but for a change of pace, you might take
SYMSYS 15SI The Theory and Design of Magic: The Gathering
Maybe you have fond memories of junior high either playing or harassing the nerds who played at lunch, but whoever you are, this class is going to be a ton of fun. Perks include:
– getting to learn how to play Magic. Who knew you could get college credit to play a card game? If you’re not familiar with it, Magic is a card game where you use mana to make faeries and mutant bunnies attack and blow up the world. Think Pokemon, but way more legit (though maybe not quite as cute). We’re going to start from the basics and rules of the game, so everyone is welcome!
– ever wonder how combinatorics or nash equilibrium might matter other than at 3:00 AM on a scribbled mess of a pset? We’ll have interesting examples of how you can apply classroom material to something real (sort of)
– exposure to a lot of the Symbolic Systems major. We’ll be talking about Game Theory, Statistics, Epistemic Logic, AI, and more, so you’ll get a great look at the rest of your major if you’re considering symsys
– already an experienced Magic player? Great! Although the class is targeted towards new players, we’ll be covering new and exciting material so you can learn something, too
We’ll be meeting on Tuesday nights, 7-9 in 200-217, and you can sign up in Axess for the class. Even if the class is full, show up on the first day in case of drops.
See you there!
Kevin and Tom