Modelling Virtual Realities:Virtual Reality as a Transformative Technology for the Humanities

This paper proposes bridging virtual reality(VR)and the humanities,creating a valuable outcome through the implementation of virtual realities in teaching environments and through the reflection on the narratives and content in the process of modelling in the humanities.Current state of the art technologies offer many people the opportunity to experience VR without having to purchase expensive devices.This results in a rapidly growing number of different content to explore,and a diversification of overall concepts.Looking at VR as a form of representation and as a means of reproducing narratives,many potential research questions also for the(digital)humanities arise.This includes observing,exploring and comprehending the modelling of virtual worlds.It is of key importance to consider the process of creation,which is a process of modelling done by different individuals with different disciplinary backgrounds.Several courses at the University of Cologne were offered in which virtual worlds for the narration of theatre plays as well as other narratives were modelled by the students.The experiences from these courses will be used to analyse critically the use of VR in the humanities.