Understanding Russia in 3D: A Curricular Experiment in Cultural Identity

Abstract

Scholars in various fields have started to embrace the digital humanities, but there has been a delay in involving undergraduates. Challenges such as unfamiliarity with applications, lack of understanding about the overall purpose of projects, and insufficient resources all contribute to creating a barrier between the digital humanities and students. However, collaboration between scholars and library staff can create new learning opportunities for students that allow them to see the value in digital approaches to pedagogy and view the humanities through new perspectives. This article outlines a collaborative effort between the University of Virginia’s Slavic Department and Library’s Scholars’ Lab to implement a digital humanities project in a pre-existing semester-long undergraduate culture course. In this project, students were asked to print and present to one another 3D objects representing Russia and then curate an exhibition of these objects. At the semester’s end, the students reflected on the appropriateness of their objects as symbols of Russia, given their increased knowledge of Russian culture. We draw on research in cultural pedagogy and digital scholarship to offer a new way of interpreting and teaching cultural understanding.