3.0

Average Course Rating

What are the digital humanities? How do they meaningfully differ from the humanities? This introductory course will delve into the theory and (some) practices of the digital humanities, often colloquially referred to as “DH.” Students will consider the neutrality (or lack thereof) of data collection and curation, labor issues inherent in computational work within the academy, and the role of the digital humanist as a public intellectual. This course will explore the very real political implications of big data in our everyday lives alongside the ways in which those play out within the field of DH. There is no prerequisite for any coding or software skills, but students will have a chance to practice cleaning and visualizing data, writing metadata and building digital exhibits. This will lead us to a nuanced critique of the dominant narratives that have framed the field of digital humanities, one that might take into better consideration marginalized voices and move beyond the limiting “yack vs hack” (theory vs practice) binary.