COMM 4380 - Communication in Virtual Worlds

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading.

Primarily for: juniors and seniors. Co-meets with COMM 5380.

A. Won.

This course deals with the psychological, social, and technical aspects of being embodied in virtual environments. During this course, students will learn how human—and non-human—entities and their actions are represented as virtual bodies. The course is organized around three areas: an overview of how a sense of embodiment is created in virtual reality, an overview of research on virtual embodiment, and current and future applications. Students will experience virtual environments, relate course topics to current events, and experiment with the creation of immersive virtual content.

Outcome 1: Read and discuss peer-reviewed journal articles on embodied virtual reality and related topics.

Outcome 2: Defend their views in class and make a presentation on how topics covered in class can be extended to new applications for embodied virtual reality.