HIST009 - INTRO DIGITAL HUMANITIES: COMPUTING FOR INTERPRETATION IN THE HUMANITIES

The "Digital Humanities" are an emerging field in which computers are employed to help with the interpretive work that humanists do. This class will introduce humanities-oriented students to basic computer programming and to and to some of the interpretive research that this skill can enable. No previous experience is necessary. Students in the class will develop practical skills so that they can see for themselves how computer programming might alter their way of approaching questions about literature, history and culture. The humanities have sometimes been skeptical about computational methods, and we will also take that suspicion seriously, reflecting on the implications of the rise of computation within contexts of humanistic inquiry. Student work in the course will consist of programming and analysis exercises aimed at interpreting textual materials relevant to both literary studeis and cultural history. The programming language of choice for the course will by Python, which enjoys wide currency within the Digital Humanities.