Course Overview

In this course, we evaluate a variety of digital humanities projects through theoretical scholarship in the field, in order to critically assess the value of the new knowledge that is being generated, and to weigh that knowledge in terms of traditional humanities methods.  We explore the fundamental arguments that are being advanced about these new methods and how they interact with humanities’ interpretive underpinnings. This course prepares students to apply digital methods in ethical, reflective, and responsible ways—understanding the potentials of the digital within the humanities.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze digital humanities' development from the history of new media and humanities computing

• Recognize debates within the digital humanities and the ways they structure contemporary academic discourse

• Provide students hands-on experience collaborating on, creating, and critiquing digital humanities projects

• Develop a familiarity with a range of digital humanities projects, as well as the ability to evaluate the tools and methods involved in creating those projects

• Identify several methodological and critical approaches which distinguish digital humanities in teaching, research, and engagement contexts

• Engage with a variety of digital humanities tools in order to choose the most appropriate technology to facilitate different work in different situations

Course Structure

• Week 1: What are/is Digital Humanities?

  • Theoretical Focus: Formalism, Structuralism, and Poststructuralism 

• Week 2: Data, Ethics, and Representation

  • Theoretical Focus: Critical Race Theory and Feminism

• Week 3: Remediation and Accessibility

  • Theoretical Focus: Marxism and Critical Disability Studies

• Week 4: Visualizing Data with Open-Access Software

  • Theoretical Focus: Reader-Response Theory

• Week 5: Further Debates in the Digital Humanities

• Week 6: Final Project Presentations 

Assignments and Projects

• Readings/Annotations [20% of final grade]

• Discussion Threads and Attendance [10% of final grade]

• Weekly Assignments: 

  • These are short reflective papers that are due each week. They are designed to help you think independently about DH studies, your position in the world of data science/digital humanities, and investigate current DH projects. [20% of final grade]

• How-To Video

  • You will create a short video walking the viewer through a selected existing DH project. You will provide commentary over a "live" navigation. In doing so, you should consider: Who is the target audience? Who is telling the story? What problems might some users encounter (re: accessibility, OS-related issues, paywalls, &c.)? Is the project's story being properly and appropriately conveyed? [20% of final grade]

• Group Digital Humanities Project [30% of final grade]