LITS is currently hiring two students for an on-campus summer position. Students will serve as Digital Scholarship Project Assistants on the “Modeling a Divided Berlin: Parallel Lives in a Multilingual City” project, and will collaborate with faculty and LITS Staff to build a multi-modal map of 1980s Berlin.
Project description
Project leads: Margaret Strair (German) and Irina Walsh (Russian)
As we pass the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, lived experiences in East and West Berlin, on either side of the iron curtain, are being remembered and re-examined. Divided Berlin was hardly a monolingual or monocultural city– indeed, the divide between East and West Berlin was not only a political one, but also an ideological, cultural and linguistic one, marked by the influence of the Soviet Union in East Berlin, and the British, the United States, and the French in West Berlin. The Cold War created parallel worlds on either side of the wall, and this project will enable students to visualize the everyday in three separate communities: West Berliners, East Berliners, and the Soviet, mostly military presence in East Berlin.
The goal of this project is to create digital and physical representations of a divided Berlin to be used in language-learning courses in Russian and German. Phase one (Summer 2025) will focus on gathering archival materials and building a web-based map that includes images of buildings, landmarks, and daily life, along with information in three languages: Russian, German, and English. Phase two (Summer/Fall 2025) will entail designing and fabricating a physical map/model of parts of Berlin and will include 2D CAD as well as 3D modeling and printing.
Position details
Students will be involved in researching and gathering archival materials, building the web-based map and archive, and creating the 3D model resources.
- $15/hr for students with German or Russian language skills
- $14/hr otherwise
- Summer 2025
- Up to 35 hrs/week for 8 weeks
Qualifications
- Required
- Excellent collaboration skills, good written and oral communication skills, ability to work independently and with a team
- Motivation to learn new technologies, such as web publishing, mapping, 3D modeling, CAD, fabrication, and more.
- Interest in/experience with historical research
- Preferred
- Knowledge of either Russian language or German language
- Interest in web publishing, mapping, 3D modeling, or fabrication
- Interest in Cold War history, Cities, language pedagogy, or other areas relevant to the project
To apply
Please fill out the application form to apply. You will be asked to include:
- 1 paragraph explaining why you would be a good fit
- Your CV or resume
- Relevant coursework
- Description of Russian or German language skills, if applicable
We welcome applicants from any major. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For full consideration, please apply by May 5, 2025.
Questions? Please reach out to digitalscholarship@brynmawr.edu.