Study information

Introduction to Digital Humanities

Module titleIntroduction to Digital Humanities
Module codeHISM040
Academic year2023/4
Credits30
Module staff

Dr Richard Ward (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

12

Module description

This module provides an introduction to the ways in which digital technologies are being used in historical research, and to the recent emergence of the “Digital Humanities” as a field of academic practice. We will consider what the digital humanities is/are, before being introduced to different digital technologies (such as text encoding) and then looking at how those technologies have been used to study specific historical subjects (such as Victorian letter-writing).

The module does not require any specialist technical skills, nor will it provide training in how to create electronic resources. Rather, the focus is on developing the knowledge and skills required to use existing electronic resources.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the concept of digital humanities and to its application in practice. Digital resources are now used extensively in humanities research (including history), but often uncritically and without an understanding of the possibilities and problems that they pose. Likewise, digital humanities is one of the fastest-growing fields in the humanities; widely seen as central to the future direction of humanities research. Yet there is much uncertainty about what the digital humanities involves and what it can achieve. This module will develop your understanding of these issues. You will learn about the range of digital methodologies currently available, and how to evaluate them critically. The module will also develop your digital research skills, including your ability to exploit the full potential of electronic resources. This will be invaluable for your research more broadly. You will develop an understanding of the theory and methodologies of digital humanities in general, and an appreciation of how such methodologies and approaches have been applied to the study of the past in particular.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Demonstrate an informed understanding of the key themes, debates and approaches in the digital humanities
  • 2. Identify and critically assess different forms of digital technologies that are used in historical research and public engagement

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 3. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate digital resources that relate to historical research
  • 4. Identify and understand the intersection between original sources and digital technologies
  • 5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how digital theory and methods have been applied to historical research
  • 6. Research and present independent accounts and interpretations of different digital humanities issues

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 7. Develop the capacity for independent critical study and thought
  • 8. Develop key digital research skills (such as keyword searching, text-mining and data visualisation)
  • 9. Construct and defend a sustained argument, both in written form and orally
  • 10. Work as an individual and with a tutor and peers in an independent, constructive and responsive way (e.g. lead a group discussion or task)

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

 The module will utilise the expertise of lecturers from across the College of Humanities as guest speakers, where applicable.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
202800

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 20Seminars (10 x 2 hours)
Guided independent study280Preparation for seminars, essays and presentations

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Seminar discussionOngoing throughout module1-10Oral through discussion with peers and tutor

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
80020

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay402000 words1-10Oral and written
Demonstration of an existing digital resource2015 minutes1-10Oral and written
Written review of the demonstrated digital resource402000 words1-10Oral and written
OR0
Essay402000 words1-10Oral and written
Written guide to, and review of, digital resource604000 words1-10Oral and written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay - 2000 words1-10Referral/deferral period
Demonstration of an existing digital resourceScript as for 20 minute presentation1-10Referral/deferral period
Written review of the chosen digital resourceWritten review of the chosen digital resource - 2000 words1-10Referral/deferral period
OR
EssayEssay – 2000 words1-10Referral/deferral period
Written guide to, and review of, digital resourceWritten guide to, and review of, digital resource – 4000 words1-10Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

(If Demonstration assessment available)

  • The re-assessment consists of a 2,000 word essay and a 2,000 word digital resource review, as in the original assessment, but replaces the digital resource demonstration with a written script and accompanying screenshots that could be delivered in such a demonstration and which is the equivalent of 20 minutes of speech.

(If Demonstration assessment not available)

The re-assessment consists of a 2,000 word essay and a 4,000 word written guide to, and review of, a digital resource, as in the original assessment.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Introductory reading on digital humanities: 

  • Fitzpatrick, Kathleen, ‘The Humanities, Done Digitally’, Debates in the Digital Humanities (Minnesota, 2012).

  • Liu, Alan, ‘The Meaning of the Digital Humanities’, PMLA 128 (2013), pp. 409–423.

  • Prescott, Andrew, ‘An Electric Current of the Imagination: What the Digital Humanities Are and What They Might Become’, Journal of Digital Humanities 1 (2012).

  • Schreibman, S., Siemens, R., and Unsworth, J. (eds), A New Companion to Digital Humanities (Chichester, 2016).

  • Warwick, Claire, Terra, Melissa, and Nyhan, Julianne (eds), Digital Humanities in Practice (London, 2012).

  • Weller, Martin, The Digital Scholar: How Technology is Transforming Scholarly Practice (London, 2011).

 

On controversies and challenges in digital humanities: 

  • Bailey, Moya Z, ‘All the Digital Humanists Are White, All the Nerds Are Men, but Some of Us Are Brave’, Journal of Digital Humanities 1 (2011).

  • Hitchcock, Tim, ‘Confronting the Digital: or How Academic History Writing Lost the Plot’, Cultural and Social History 10 (2013), pp. 9–23.

  • Allington, David, Brouillette, Sarah, and David Golumbia, ‘Neoliberal Tools (and Archives): A Political History of Digital Humanities’, Los Angeles Review of Books (2016).

 

On digital methodologies and resources: 

  • Bingham, Adrian, ‘The Digitization of Newspaper Archives: Opportunities and Challenges for the Historian’, Twentieth-Century British History 21 (2010), pp. 225–231.

  • Causer, Tim, and Wallace, Valerie, ‘Building A Volunteer Community: Results and Findings from Transcribe Bentham’, Digital Humanities Quarterly 6 (2012).

  • Cummings, James, ‘The Text Encoding Initiative and the Study of Literature’, in Susan Schreibman and Ray Siemens (eds), A Companion to Digital Literary Studies (Oxford, 2008).

  • Terras, Melissa, ‘Digitization and digital resources in the humanities’, in Claire Warwick, Melissa Terras and Julianne Nyhan (eds), Digital Humanities in Practice (London, 2012), pp. 47-70.

 

On the impact of digital approaches in historical research: 

  • Hitchcock, Tim, and Shoemaker, Robert, ‘Digitising History from Below: The Old Bailey Proceedings Online, 1674–1834’, History Compass 4 (2009), pp. 193–202.

  • Howard, Sharon, ‘Tales of the Unexpected: or, what can happen when you let a bunch of criminals loose on the Internet’ (2013) http://goo.gl/1skoHu

  • Terras, Melissa, ‘The Impact of Social Media on the Dissemination of Research: Results of an Experiment,’ Journal of Digital Humanities 1 (2012). 

 

 Some digital humanities projects examined in the module: 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=12017 

Key words search

Digital humanities, digital technologies, digital history, digitisation, resources

Credit value30
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

7

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

22/01/2018

Last revision date

28/11/2022