As part of my efforts to introduce both intellectually transformative and socially accountable content into the Weitzman School of Design's curriculum for my Justice and Belonging (JXB) Initiative, I partnered with Dr. Sonja Duempelmann to introduce virtual reality applications centered on building empathy. This session for the Department of Landscape Architecture was the first time XR had been used for a required course in any department. It was supplemented with modules from the university wide training, The Penn Experience: Reconciliation and Engagement.

Dr. Matthew Kenyatta leads a transformative session on empathy-building through virtual reality

Dr. Matthew Kenyatta speaking in front of a seated audience at the Weitzman School of Design during a class incorporating XR into the curriculum for the required Landscape Architecture course curriculum.

"Students engage in an immersive VR experience in the Kleinman Energy Forum, with Dr. Matthew Kenyatta

Students sitting in Kleinman Energy Forum engaging with virtual reality as part of Dr. Matthew Kenyatta's Justice and Belonging (JXB) Initiative, 2022."incorporating virtual reality applications in Landscape Architecture for the first time at the Weitzman School of Design.

Justice and Belonging Initiative: Dr. Matthew Kenyatta introduces virtual reality modules to foster empathy in the Penn Experience and Weitzman School’s required Landscape Architecture course.

Dr. Matthew Kenyatta leads a discussion in the Kleinman Energy Forum, part of the Penn Experience empathy training in the Landscape Architecture course, 2022.

All images taken by Eric Sucar, Kleinman Energy Forum, Fisher Fine Arts Library on August 30, 2022.