Brandeis Students Merge Language Learning with STEM in a Unique Hands-On Project
February 3, 2025
By: Kathleen McMahan
Brandeis undergraduate students in Beginning Ancient Greek (GRK 10a) are taking their language studies beyond the classroom, applying their knowledge in creative and immersive ways in Assistant Professor Michael McGlin’s introductory course. The first in a two-semester sequence, the class provides students with an opportunity to explore ancient Greek vocabulary and grammar while connecting language to historical events, cultural values, and key figures. In collaboration with the MakerLab and utilizing tools from the recently established Engineering classroom, students design and build their own board games to reinforce their learning. “I think the most important component of this collaboration is that this project introduces humanities and CEMS students to different academic spaces that spur creativity and learning” McGlin shared, “They may be more used to spaces like a book-filled library, but this project intended to make them feel equally at home (like a STEM student) in an engineering space surrounded by lab equipment and machinery.”
MakerLab staff member Greg Buckland helps students use cutting-edge technology, including 3D printers, laser cutters, and digital design software, to bring their ideas to life. The project not only deepens their understanding of the language but also fosters collaboration and problem-solving skills. “My goal with this course is to convert language study from strictly a cognitive activity which can be, at times, a siloed one into a collaborative, hands-on activity where students can bring their own interests and strengths into the coursework,” McGlin explains, “Board games are meant to be shared and now these students can share with their own friends and introduce them to their own creations and have them learn ancient Greek along the way.”
Undergraduates Eli Bensimhon ‘26, Charlie Gilliland ‘28, Maya Gonta ‘28, and Bea Malfi ‘28 shared their experiences with the Dean’s Office through photos and reflections, showcasing how this unique assignment allowed them to apply their language skills in an innovative and engaging way.
Majors: Philosophy and Linguistics
"[My partner and I] created a modified version of the popular board game “Catan” that adds Greek military units, event cards, and water tiles. The bulk of the game’s text is in Greek, including all of the numerals and resources. All of the game pieces, including the newly added military units and walls, were 3D printed in the MakerLab. The military units’ health is also tracked by the number of little spears currently held by the piece! The cardboard-cut hexagon tiles are also Velcroed to the board, so the tiles can be rearranged every game as is Catan custom. This engineering was definitely my favorite part of the project; I spent my high school career doing similar engineering projects for Science Olympiad and technical theatre, but it isn’t a muscle I get to exercise frequently in my college endeavors. In short, this project was not only a nice change of pace from lectures but an opportunity to explore the material with another set of tools—both literally and metaphorically."
Majors: Art History and Mediterranean Archaeology
"I originally took Ancient Greek to fulfill the Brandeis Core language requirement, but the class ended up being so much more than that for me. Learning one of the earliest forms of language helped me realize how much I love studying people—their origins, what brings them together, how they built civilizations, and how they created music and language to feel less alone.
As part of my coursework, I created a board game called "Bullish Odds," inspired by the Greek myth of the Minotaur. My goal was to encourage players to engage with the myth, as their familiarity with the story directly influenced gameplay.
In "Bullish Odds," each player assumes the role of one of the seven unfortunate tributes sent to Crete. The objective is to escape the labyrinth before the Minotaur finds you. Success relies on strategy, resourcefulness, and a bit of luck—since I like games with an element of suspense. For the gameplay setup, players are supposed to scatter 100 or so small wooden tokens (κέρματα) that I laser-cut in the university’s engineering lab. These tokens contain images that can either aid a player’s escape or reveal their presence to the Minotaur. Collecting tokens can provide valuable resources, but choosing the wrong one at the wrong time can mean immediate defeat. What makes this board game a little unique is that players can move their gameplay pieces wherever they want, the point of the game is to apply a strategy based on the tokens they collect throughout the game. The gameplay is quite intricate, as there are many ways for the players to escape the labyrinth before getting caught, and I wanted to give the players options and see what decisions they make.
What I loved best about this assignment was the creative aspect of it. I am an artist, and it's a big part of who I am. I loved the autonomy I was given with the assignment, as the only rule was to make a board game to help teach people a little bit about the ancient Greek language and culture. I loved the process of making a physical construction of a long-told myth and the people that I got to meet when I was working in the Maker Lab. I think I must have used most if not all the machines on campus: the laser cutter, the 3D printers, the digital scholarship lab, the sticker maker, and the automation lab. I had to get swipe access and certified in training in order to use the equipment, the training was offered by Brandeis students and I got to make a lot of connections out of that. I loved that I got to share the process with all these people and the end results. I spent a long time in this lab and it defined most of my first semester because I had to monitor the machines printing out my gameplay material. My favorite part about the class is Professor McGlin and the community of students he's brought together by sharing his clear passion for Greek culture. It's a subject that garners a very specific group of people and Michael's enthusiasm and genuine care for all of us has made it one of my favorite spots on campus. His class is always the highlight of my week and I hope he can see the influence he's already made here with these board games. I hope he introduces more projects like this one."
Majors: Anthropology and Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies
"My game is based on the board game Candyland, but it is about the Odyssey. Each player plays as the Greek hero Odysseus and the objective of the game is to try to make it home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. In the game, each player has to avoid the monsters, gods, and other obstacles that Odysseus and his crew face in the Odyssey on their journey home. My favorite part of this assignment was getting to 3D print my own game pieces. Since each player plays as Odysseys I used a model of a Roman statue of Odysseus for each game piece. I thought it was really cool that I essentially printed my own mini Roman statue!"
Majors: Anthropology and Classical Early Mediterranean Studies
"I worked with two other students (Jaelyn Krin and Sidra Lazarre) to make this Candy Land inspired game. There are 8 different domains: Athens with the goddess Athena, the Woodlands with the goddess Artemis, Mount Olympus, an ordinary Greek village, the ancient city of Corinth, the ancient city of Eleusius with Dionysus, the Underworld with Cerberus and finally, the Oracle at Delphi.
Players move around the board using 3D-printed game pieces. The movement of the players is determined by the card they draw, and if they answer the trivia on the back of the card; for example, if the card the players draws is orange and they correctly answer the question on the card, they are allowed to move to the next orange space. The colors of the squares correspond to different kinds of questions: culture facts, syntax, grammar, vocab. Some cards are unique and do not have a corresponding color on the board: there are 12 chance cards that randomly move players around the board, and 2 sudden death cards that either move you to the end of the board or the beginning depending on if you got the incredibly hard question on the card correct (we just added for some scheming fun).
The entire board is hand drawn by Jaelyn and all of the questions and game design were created by me and Sidra. The over 200 cards were hand cut and pasted together by me. The board was printed using the very wonderful and accommodating Brandeis print shop. The 3D prints were made and printed by me and Sidra with the help of the Brandeis MakerLab.
This assignment was so intriguing to me because it forced me to think like a professor when creating the cards/rules for the game. Is this topic too hard? Is the wording of this question too confusing? By forcing me to think about how others perceive the game/questions, my grasp of ancient Greek was strengthened. The little details in the drawings and the funny puns on some of the cards make the game ours. Overall, the project was so fulfilling to see come to life."
