IdeaExchange Social Science Classes
Prospectus 3 December 1994
Provst: Marc Bowden (Soulsinger)
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LEVEL ONE COURSES

Player Relations
  A basic course in customer relations, focusing on practical application
over psychological theory. Students will be given an orientation in handling
guest complaints, requests, and personal problems.
  Basic legal and ethical standards of conduct will be introduced and
discussed as they pertain to guests and visitors.

System Law
  Without a set of operating guidelines, volunteer organizations like ours
would quickly degenerate into chaos. The System Law course introduces
students to the most common rules laid down by game administrators in the
interMUD community, and how they apply to day-to-day operations.

LEVEL TWO COURSES

Player Psychology
  Why DO our guests whine so much? What motivates people to cheat in a game
with no "real" rewards? What do players really want? Questions like these
are the ones addressed in Player Psychology. Chapters covered: Motivation
for MUDding, Great Expectations, The Numbers Game, Mine is Bigger, and Reach
Out and BUG Someone.
  Enrollment perquisites are Player Relations and permission of instructor.

Staff Psychology
  You've won the game, right?
  Wrong. Welcome to a whole new world or political posturing as a MUD staff
member. This class will introduce students to the most common motivations
of MUD staff members, their behavior patterns, and how to deal when conflicts
between them arise.
  Enrollment perquisite is Player Psychology.

Writing to Inform
  Never again hear whining from your end-users that your documentation reads
like stereo instructions. Students will be tutored in ways to make their
writing clearer, and to anticipate questions about methods or procedures.
  Enrollment perquisite is Player Relations.

Art for Art's Sake
  A seminar on area creation, for those interested in practicing and enhancing
their writing and detail skills. Participants will practice writing descriptions
for a variety of genre styles, grammar, and spelling.
  Enrollment by permission of Instructor.

LEVEL THREE COURSES

Organizational Management and Behavior
  The way people interact, behave, and produce within an organizational
setting is a large part of running a game with more than one staff member.
OB (Organizational Behavior) addresses these issues and teaches the student
to use the scientific method and practical experience to understand and
shape these forces.
  Enrollment perquisites are the Level Two Psychology units.