They're taking Black history to another level!
The all-male academy is launching its first virtual reality (VR) course in spring 2023.
Atlanta’s very own Morehouse College is taking it up a notch with the launch of its first Black history course in the Metaverse. History of the African Diaspora Since 1800 will be led by Professor Ovell Hamilton, and it will recreate prominent moments in Black history from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement. Students will wear VR headsets to go on virtual tours and experience moments such as the Underground Railroad and being on a slave ship.
This won’t be Hamilton’s first time going to the Metaverse. Prior to Morehouse, he taught a Black history course called Journey for Civil Rights but joined the HBCU after they partnered with VictoryXR to help grow VR education.
Professor Hamilton stated, “This is an experience that they would not have if they were sitting in a classroom, if they were sitting in a lecture. When you go there and see the bottom of a slave ship, see the slaves packed in together … you will have a new appreciation and you have a greater knowledge of how the events took place.”
The school announced last year that the new class will be accompanied by 10 other VR courses in various subjects, such as biology and journalism. With this academic advancement, students will be able to interact with classmates using avatars, study the stars up close, conduct science experiments, dig for fossils and much more!
Photo: Metaverse/Bernard Marr/ Mark Nazh/Shuttershock