Tearing Down Silos: Medieval Studies, Transdisciplinarity, and the Future
The ability to cross knowledge thresholds is essential for scholars to contribute to the world’s “Shared Futures.” This plenary talk will explore how transdisciplinarity positions medievalists to bring the past to life, to advance new forms of knowledge, and to contribute to pressing social issues, including those related to the environment. Dr. Bednarski will review the long tradition of interdisciplinarity that has driven Medieval Studies and make the case for a new transdisciplinarity by presenting examples from the Environments of Change Project he leads. That project deploys cutting-edge digital technologies to teach lessons about the complex relationships that exist between human cultures, technology, and natural environment. To do this, it deploys digital models, GIS mapping, video game development, 3D printing, and 3D scanning. Come and learn how medivealists engage digital tools to break down traditional disciplinary silos and to chart paths into the world’s “shared futures” in times of uncertainty! (presented with support from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ Open Programming Fund and the Walter De Gruyter Foundation)