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SPEAK SWIFTLY
Reputation and Celebrity Political Endorsements
by Jennifer C. Edwards
  Play this game recently? | Debate celebrity influence on politics in a CNN forum during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. “Speak Swiftly” examines the braid of celebrity, identity, and political expression at a pivotal cultural moment during the 2018 US midterm elections. Taylor Swift’s October 2018 political endorsement of two Tennessee congressional candidates ignited national debate about celebrity influence in politics and performers' obligations as activists. Participants divide into six factions to consider whether performers have a moral obligation to speak about political issues, or to avoid the risk of conflating popularity with political authority. The game asks: Does celebrity political speech enhance democratic engagement? Who gets to claim political authority in a democracy? Are artists ethically obliged to demonstrate their allyship through political advocacy? Should artists risk commercial backlash by taking political stands? To what extent are artists free to speak if their livelihoods depend on pleasing a broad audience? How do gendered expectations shape public response to women’s political speech? |
Details
Disciplines |
Level
Level 3 Microgame Player Interactions Aggressive, Competitive, Factional Mechanics Chaos and Demand on Instructor Medium Chaos; Low Demand on Instructor. |
Using the Game
Class Size & Scalability
This game is recommended for classes with 5-85 students.
Class Time
This game can be played in a single session.
Assignments
You can adjust the assignments based on the desired learning outcomes of your class. This game does not include any written assignments
Additional Resources
Miss Americana - includes a useful segment about the Instagram post at 1:00:48.
Reputation Tour Clip - Discusses SA-related lawsuit.
The Man - Swift examines the level of respect she feels she might have if she were a man.
GAME MATERIALS
Reacting Consortium members can download all game materials below. You will be asked to sign in before downloading.
Please fill out the Permissions Request Form before using Speak Swiftly in your class!
Instructor's Manual The Instructor's Manual includes guidance for assigning roles, presenting historical context, assignments, activities and discussion topics, and more. | Role Sheets and Additional Materials Students also need a Role Sheet, which contains biographical information, role-specific resources or assignments, and their character's secret victory objectives. Some games have handouts and rubrics which are included in an Additional Materials folder. |
Jennifer C. Edwards Jennifer C. Edwards is Professor of History at Manhattan University in Riverdale, NY, where she teaches medieval and ancient history, as well as an interdisciplinary first-year seminar on Swiftology. Her research examines medieval European women and gender, power and authority, religion, and health. She is the author of Superior Women: Medieval Female Authority in Poitiers' Abbey of Sainte-Croix (Oxford, 2019) and Daily Life of Women in Chaucer's England (ABC-CLIO, 2022). She has also written the Reacting to the Past game-under-review, Christine de Pizan and the Querelle des Femmes and microgame Revolting Nuns: Rebellion at Sainte-Croix, 590. She earned her PhD and MA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. |
Members can contact game authors directly if they have questions about using the game. We also invite instructors join our Facebook Faculty Lounge, where you'll find a wonderful community eager to help and answer questions.
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