The Virtual Harlem Project

The Virtual Harlem Project is a collaborative learning network whose purpose is to study the Harlem Renaissance, an important period in African American literary history, through the construction of a virtual reality scenario that represents Harlem, New York, and Montmartre in Paris as they existed in the 1920-30s. The Virtual Harlem Project is a learning environment in which students studying the Harlem Renaissance can experience the historical context of its literature and the culture of those who lived there.  Reconstructions of 1920s Harlem and Montmartre currently hosted on Second Life have been moved to OpenSim servers and will eventually evolve to use the Unity3D platform. This discussion reflects on the process and on our experiences during this evolution and how this digital humanities project is used as a platform to support learning.