Virtual Reality as a Proxy for Participant Observation in Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology

Abstract

This article details the piloting of a virtual reality activity in an introductory anthropology class at Utah Valley University. Anthropologists have only recently started exploring how VR technology can facilitate classroom learning. As Elzen (2018) writes, VR allows 'students to immerse themselves much more than passively watching a video.' It is this immersive quality of the medium that makes it particularly useful for anthropological pedagogy.