WMS 200 in SL or Gender in the Metaverse

December 31, 2009 by

I am developing an introductory Women’s Studies class to be held in the metaverse of Second Life. The primary focus of the class will be gender identity and gender expression. I chose SL as the platform for several reasons.

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  • First is the immersion component; students can experiment with gender expressions in a safe and secure environment.
  • Second is what I call the mask or actor affect: if a student can pretend to be someone he or she is not, he or she might be more willing to express an unpopular opinion or position.
  • Last, there is a very pragmatic reason for choosing an online environment: our university, like many others, has a lack of classroom space and a lack of funds to create more. Meeting in a virtual classroom helps alleviate the space crunch while providing a more personal interaction between student and teacher then many other online platforms, i.e. WebCT.

What are the positives and negatives of teaching in SL? I would like to discuss several issues which relate to teaching in SL:

  • Are the benefits of immersing oneself in an alternative world offset by the isolation some critics fear increases in SL.?
  • When teaching in SL, how do you get over the learning curve of using the platform?
  • Is it ethical for students to perform a gender with which they do not normally identify or, in other words, pretend to be something they are not?
  • Also, any other issues which pertain to teaching in Second Life.

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This entry was posted on December 31, 2009 at 11:43 pm by and is filed under Sessions and Ideas

2 Responses to WMS 200 in SL or Gender in the Metaverse

  1. Amanda Sikarskie on January 1, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    How interesting! One of my dissertation chapters is on quilts and quilting in SL. I’m also very interested in real life museums’ presences in Second Life. Really looking forward to your session!

  2. jamesdcalder on January 4, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    “Is it ethical for students to perform a gender with which they do not normally identify or, in other words, pretend to be something they are not?”

    Definitely an interesting question, especially in light of something like Judith Butler’s take on Performance Theory. While we can debate the accuracy of Butler’s work, it is definitely easy to see how “performing” gender roles in something like SL could be an ideal place to teach such theories.

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