Category: Uncategorized

What is Digital Humanities? The better question is what isn’t Digital Humanities in electronic world that we live in today?  Prior to this class I had never heard of the term Digital Humanities.   Being a social studies major throughout college I had studied humanities but not in what I had perceived in the digital realm.   I had been interpreting digital humanities for years without knowing the concepts name.  From the readings these past two weeks I’ve gathered that there is no one true definition of Digital Humanities.  A quick Google search would reveal that Digital Humanities “is an area of research and teaching at the intersection of computing and the disciplines of the humanities”.  However that’s not enough for the purposes of this course.  Digital Humanities in a since is a multitude of subject areas that intersect with technology and the digital world.  Something that is always present in our digital lives but not always noticed.  Some examples might include blog, vlogs, YouTube, social media, and gaming.  Not only the fields themselves but the ethics, history, culture, and science within them.   It combines the methodology of traditional subjects like the social sciences, history, art, science, philosophy, and math with the tools of modern day technologies.

The next logical question is why is Digital Humanities important?  Digital Humanities is important for many reasons. The world around us is constantly changing with technology as the cornerstone of this process. We need to meet the challenges that these new technologies bring in an ethical and rational way.  As a teacher it is important to stay up to date with technology because it allows us to be better connected to our students and transfer knowledge easier.  It also allows for better communication with students and colleagues.  In addition, it allows teachers to stay up to date of current methodologies and professional development.  It makes teaching a 24/7 profession and allows for more efficient data collection.  Throughout this upcoming semester I hope to gain more insights into what Digital Humanities is and how it will affect our perception of this course.  I am sure as we learn more this semester our definitions of Digital Humanities will continue to evolve and I excited to see where this course will take all of us.

So the question of the first week is what is DH? That is a great question. Coming into this class I wasn’t so sure myself. Intro to Digital Humanities sounded cool, and it looked a lot better than some of the other classes offered this semester. After doing some reading, I began to understand what all DH consisted of, and it all made sense. I just never really used the term Digital Humanities.

After reading the Intro and Part 1 of Debates I found some answers as well as clarification on what DH is, or at least what DH consists of. Here is what I gathered from the reading. Digital Humanities in fact is made up of a ton of different topics, categories, and things. What is involved in the study of Digital Humanities consists of a variety of topics. DH is the study and research, the teaching and computing of certain knowledge. DH is also driven by the many types of social media. In fact, many of us do not realize it but things we have in our everyday lives falls into the category of DH. DH is also; “history, musicology, performance studies, media studies,” and so much more. I think that maybe DH is just a name for one category that a lot things fit into.

I never really thought about what DH consisted of until I began this class. As a teacher, I realize that I have it all around me everyday. The one point made in Part 1 was that composition and computers go together. Electronic archives and electronic literature are becoming more and more popular and everything else is becoming part of the past. DH can expand cultural studies because of the electronic and online resources.

Social Media, texting and technology are constantly changing. The more advanced technology gets, the more advanced society becomes. It is a constant race to have the “newer, smarter” phone, tablet, laptop, and even car. Even though technology is changing, it will still always be in the category of DH.The more digital the world is, the faster, and usually better things will be. The times of reading a book, and actually hand writing letters and papers are becoming more and more things of the past. Welcome to the digital world.