Module Description
This module is a reflective examination of primary tools and methods employed in the Digital Humanities.
Learning Objectives
This module will challenge participants to:
- Consider the broad variety of practices existing and emerging in the Digital Humanities;
- Have a broad understanding of the variety and typology of tools currently being employed to undertake humanities research, analysis and presentation;
- Be in a position to judge and evaluate those tools for appropriateness to current and future scholarship;
- Have an appreciation of various modes of inquiry to remain abreast to emerging tools and methodologies.
Office Hours
Tuesday 10:00 – 12:00 otherwise by appointment.
Assignments
There are two (2) assignments to be completed for this module during the semester. They are detailed in the Assignments Tab/Menu to the left of this Agenda. Submission links are provided there.
Assignment 1 (50%)
Date Due: 18 February 23:59
Assignment 2 (50%)
Date Due: 8 April 23:59
Late Submission
Assignments will be accepted up to 1 week following the due date. Following that they will be graded as 0. 7% of possible marks for the assignment will be deducted for each past 23:39 of the submission date. For example: if an assignment is graded out of 50% of the semester mark and it is submitted three days late, it will contribute a maximum of 39.5 (less 21% of 50 marks = 10.5). So an excellent paper earning 80% would have gotten 40points/50 but with the three-day penalty will receive 31.5/50. It may be advantageous to submit late if you can raise your submission grade appropriately, but it is up to you do the math! If you submit over a week late, you will receive 0 for the assignment, so do plan your work now. The assignments are listed below and you have plenty of time between now and due dates to complete, submit to maximise your marks.
Schedule
Week 1
Week 2
- Take a browse of Google Cultural Institute – Choose a Project that you really, really like and be prepared to discuss it.
Week 3
- It’s About Time (https://uxmag.com/articles/its-about-time)
- Visualising Cultural Data: Exploring Digital Collections through Timeline Vis (http://www.kraeutli.com/index.php/2016/04/15/visualising-cultural-data/)
Week 4
Locate and come prepared to share a crowdsourced community data project that you have found.
- Watch Bear71 (Bear 71: NFB/Interactive)
- How Do You Feel? (https://www.sciencesquared.eu/how-do-you-feel)
- Read (Strategically) Visualising Cultural Data: Exploring Digital Collections through Timeline Vis (http://www.kraeutli.com/index.php/2016/04/15/visualising-cultural-data/)
Week 5
Lecture: The Human Body as Data
For Next Week:
- First Assignment Due – 18 Feb
- DHAwards 2017 – Inspect the various Nominations for DHAWards2017 and do vote yourself. We will discuss next week.
Week 6
Your Neighbourhood as Data
Spatial Representations of public community data and putting it on the map
- Please take a quick look at RAW
- Checkout your OSM contributions: How Did You Contribute to OSM?
- Work Towards your Assignment 2
Week 8
- Choose a Text from Project Gutenberg (your favourite novel – or even one you just know)
- Please take a quick look at Voyant (Hint: It’ll help with text vis!)
- Explore the text using Voyant and come prepared to report on one finding from your text.
Week 9
- LYRA Data Visualisation Environment
- Data Driven Stories : KickStarter
- Reading Origin of the Species
- Bible Cross Ref
- Similar Diversity Exhibition
- Shakespeare’s Tragedies
- Marvel Avengers
- Pretty Literature
- Opening Lines of Famous Novels
- Great Gatsby Chart
- Map of Literature
- Mapping Literary Journeys
- Book on One Page
- The Humanities Action Lab (http://humanitiesactionlab.org)
- Public Humanities (http://www.uwo.ca/publichumanities/about/index.html)
Week 10
- Humanities Action Lab
- Public Humanities at UWO
- Open Knowledge Foundation
- Open Data Institute
- Ireland OpenDataPortal
- Georgetown University: Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation
- Georgetown Slavery and Reconciliation: Reflections
- Slavery and Reconciliation Timeline
- Slavery and Reconciliation Archive
- Metacritic
- Best and Worst Movies and Actors
March 24 – April 8 UCC Easter Break
Week 11
Week 12
Assignment 1
Due Date: 18 February 2017
- Identify a digital humanities *tool* that you are either intrigued by or suspect may be of use in your own project(s);
- You may do this by searching the net, talking to colleagues, following a reference in an article or social media or by searching the DiRT directory (http://dirtdirectory.org) – optimally this should be a tool that doesn’t exist in DiRT but could be added to this repository. If you are unsure about whether a tool is appropriate for review be in touch with me immediately.
- Carry out a formal review of the tool. This may involve installing or deploying it on your own server space, signing up for an account and using it online. etc. However, the crucial aspect here is to complete a critical evaluation of the tool and make your opinions and judgement available to the wider community.
- You should evaluate it against at least two similar tools.
- The following structure should help guide you through the process.
- After conducting the review compile the review on your blog documenting your process and evaluation.
- If the selected tool or service does not exist in the DiRT Directory add it and link your review to the tool submission (you will need to sign up for an account on DiRT).
- If the tool already exists there simply link your review on your blog to the existing tool page.
- Please submit a text copy of you blog post URL & PDF of the Blog review to the turnitincom link below before the submission deadline of 23:59 on 18 February 2018.
- Is there a website about this tool?
- Did you collect and summarize information on this website?
- Is/Are there research-articles about the tool? Did you read them?
- Does the information gathered (websites + articles) show that the tool fits your research’s goals?
- What projects have used the tool?
- Did you have to deploy the tool on your own server and if so, how was the process?
- How well documented is the tool?
- Is there a cost attached to its use?
- What tools are similar to it and what are the strengths of this one over its ‘competitors’ (identify and compare against at least 2 other similar tools or platforms)?
- Did you find a roadmap for the tool?
- If yes, is it far from its first version (the version that will have all the functionalities the tool is scheduled to have)?
- Is it stable? (which means: trying the tool and/or going to forums/discussions lists to see what its users are telling about the tool)
- What standards and formats does the tool use?
- What license applies to the use or output from the tool?
- How long has this tool been available for?
- Is there a strong community supporting it?
- Is it open-source?
- Can you export your data and your results?
- What kind of export?
- Do you understand how the tool works?
- Will the tool allow your research results to be verifiable and reproducible?
- From your experience with it, would you recommend it to others – yes/no and why?
- How would you improve it?
Assignment 2
The intention of this assignment is to join with others in a community-engaged project to compile spatial data for public use. This is often referred to as User Generated Content (UCG). Through participation, you will gain hands-on experience and also on-the-ground appreciation of the wider implications of your contribution. There are three steps in this assignment:
- Use MapSwipe on your mobile device;
- Use HOT
- Reflect and Review
- (Optional) Work in your own neighbourhood in OpenStreetMap and Mapillary
- Download the app to your mobile device;
- Orient yourself using the provided help and tutorials;
- Carry out a few tasks to gain an experience in using the app and consider – what, why and how you are participating.
- Proceed to https://hotosm.org/get-involved/disaster-mapping and orient yourself with the objectives and principles involved;
- Carry out tutorials as needed (you will also find assistance in your face-to-face DAH tutorials);
- Choose a task that interests you from the hundreds in need of assistance.
- Complete at least 5 tiles of the task;
- Attempt to validate a further 2 tiles of that task completed by others.
Feel free to explore and augment the mapping available for your Local Neighbourhood on OpenStreetMap. The key aspect is a personal hands-on experience. Your objective will be to create missing features in the neighbourhood and to also identify deficiencies and to correct any that you find on the existing map. You are working in the real world. Your changes will be instantly available to people using these real-world maps globally. It’s real. You may also want to experiment with Mapillary (to suit your own interest and tastes) Specific pointers:
- Learn OSM (http://learnosm.org/en/) newbies useIDEditor(http://learnosm.org/en/editing/id-editor/)
or
- If you want a more industrial strength tool: JOSM (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/JOSM)
Reflecting and Reviewing Your Experience
- Join OpenStreetMap (requisite for all projects);
- Carry out the tasks noted above;
- Complete a 1,000-word reflection on your own blog considering:
- The processes you undertook;
- The implications of what you contributed;
- What you learned from the experience;
- How you feel you might be able to apply the spatial or the crowdsourced initiatives in your own work – now or in the future.
Due: Submission for this module is by 8 April – 23:59.
- a link to your blog post in response to the above request.
- a PDF file containing your blog post.