Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences presents
THE BEAUTY OF PLAY: BOARDGAMES AS DISCIPLINES IN ACTION
Academics and academia are often seen as lofty and serious in a way that is almost antithetical to play. Yet many forms of playing are rich grounds for observing our academic fields in action. By examining and appreciating playful entertainment, such as board games, we can find areas of intersection between play and aesthetics, mathematics, history, and social processes. This panel of board game aficionados from departments across HCLAS will explore the beauty we find in this intersection, including the many surreptitious ways games instruct others in our areas of expertise. After the moderated panel, we invite members of the audience to play many illustrative games with us and several of our like-minded colleagues.
Facilitators:
• Christopher Dippel, Professor of Drama and Dance
• Johanna Franklin, Professor of Mathematics
• Christopher Niedt, Professor and Chair of Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology
• Elisabeth J. Ploran, Professor of Psychology
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences presents
THE BEAUTY OF PLAY: BOARDGAMES AS DISCIPLINES IN ACTION
Academics and academia are often seen as lofty and serious in a way that is almost antithetical to play. Yet many forms of playing are rich grounds for observing our academic fields in action. By examining and appreciating playful entertainment, such as board games, we can find areas of intersection between play and aesthetics, mathematics, history, and social processes. This panel of board game aficionados from departments across HCLAS will explore the beauty we find in this intersection, including the many surreptitious ways games instruct others in our areas of expertise. After the moderated panel, we invite members of the audience to play many illustrative games with us and several of our like-minded colleagues.
Facilitators:
• Christopher Dippel, Professor of Drama and Dance
• Johanna Franklin, Professor of Mathematics
• Christopher Niedt, Professor and Chair of Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology
• Elisabeth J. Ploran, Professor of Psychology
