Location
Mondays: F-108
Fridays: F-105

Readings

Can be found in this Drive folder.

Abstract

The course introduces students to a variety of topics and practices in the diverse, complex and rapidly changing field of the digital humanities. Combining critical research, practical production, creative activities, and "digital making," the course asks students to think critically about the digital artifacts we consume, produce, and share, while learning digital production and analytic skills in relation to literary examples. The central objectives of the course are to apply humanities issues to digital media and to apply digital methods to literary texts, with a main focus on the image, digital storytelling, textual analysis, and artificial intelligence. At the same time, we will examine the ethical and methodological issues that arise from using digital tools and methods in the humanities within a global context.

By the end of the semester, students will have developed technical skills and critical frameworks and created a digital project that satisfies their own technical, creative and ethical criteria.

This course is inclusive – students are neither required nor expected to have previous digital media experience, just patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn!

Central Course Question

How have digital media changed the way we read and write literature, share narratives, and analyse texts, and what strategies can we develop to interact with digital media and methods consciously, inclusively and creatively within a rapidly changing and globalised world?

Central Objectives

1) Define key terms and concepts of the digital humanities and explain their relevance to the study of digital data and digital media.
2) Debate several current theories and methods of the digital humanities.
3) Critically evaluate literary texts and images by experimenting with various methods of digital studies, including aesthetic criticism, textual analysis, data visualization, and critical design.
4) Become conversant with Digital Humanities tools and methods and apply hands-on by using common digital storytelling tools to create digital objects.
5) Assess the ethical implications of digital media in national and global contexts, with particular attention to issues of access and representation.
6) Articulate personal criteria for using technology intentionally, creatively, ethically and inclusively.

Methodology

Students will take an active role in the discussion and analysis of literary and creative works and the development of digital methods; classes are organized around questions and problems from the disciplinary perspective of the humanities, a framework that will guide reflection and structure the learning experiences. The core questions of the course provide a foundation for discussion, textual analysis, group activities, and a research project, which each student will develop throughout the course. 

In order to successfully complete each session’s activities, students must read the assigned texts carefully and complete preparation assignments.