This document summarizes a presentation on using virtual worlds like Second Life for sociological research and teaching. Some key points discussed include: - Over 100 regions of Second Life are used for education and over 300 universities use it for teaching and research. - Second Life allows for more interactive and immersive learning experiences compared to traditional lectures by enabling students to directly engage with and explore concepts through their avatars. - Students in one course explored sociological theories by applying them to their observations and experiences in Second Life, finding it a novel way to bring the theories to life.

1. American Sociological Association Annual Meetings, August 11 2009. Session title: Social Science research in Virtual Worlds

22. “ The Second Life Field trip was quite intriguing, it provided a great analysis on how avatars use the virtual world to showcase political and cultural ideologies. I learned that Second Life allows users to extend their political beliefs through creating groups for their particular cause.” Memphis Caproni

23. Students have commented that a lot of courses in the program can tend to be repetitive and that although you can look at the information from lots of different angles…it still always feels like the same information. Agape Avro

25. What I have come to realize however, is that what I would define as "pretty" is also what the culture industry would define. Am I just a cultural dupe as Horkheimer and Adorno stated? Perhaps. Catherine Ulderport (Chang 2008)

26. It’s really nice when you learn something new...actually new. Not just a new perspective or a new part of it but altogether completely new. It’s really neat to see different reactions and perspectives to something you’re trying to make sense of and figure out…. Since I’m not tech savvy, this wouldn’t have been something I would have done in my own time so I’m very grateful that I took this course and expanded my (second) world view. Agape Avro

27. In previous courses we have discussed culture industries in regards to a number of different media, but never virtual communities like SL. It was interesting to see how Adorno and Horkiemer’s theory of culture industries can still be so easily applied to technologies that were probably unimaginable to them. Rian Dasdardly

28. We really were able to apply the theories to which we had already been familiar with to SL. I think that that was a very informative part of the class, and for once, we were actually able to get a hands on example of how these theories are actually applicable to our life. For so long now, we hear about these theories, and how they affect us, yet we never get to directly witness it--- until this semester. Catherine Ulderport

30. As soon as I discovered what this course was about I was excited because I felt like I could be part of something that is on the cutting edge and quite possibly the future of education. I was amazed at how enriched presentations can be by teleporting to art galleries, exhibits and universities. It was a really unique experience because we got to know each other in RL and SL and got to bond over the fact that all of us were experiencing things that were completely new. Jennifa Schwade