Introduction to Digital Humanities

HIST 105B, Alice McGrath, Spring 2025 at Bryn Mawr College

Weeks: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 Syllabus Schedule GitHub

About

This course provides a general introduction to digital humanities through a combination of reading, discussion, and hands-on digital making. “Digital Humanities” describes a range of ways that computers are used to explore, analyze, and publish human histories and cultural objects (literature, art, music, and more), as well as the study of digital technologies through humanistic frameworks. We will seek to understand and critically assess digital infrastructures, how culture are represented and analyzed computationally, and the limits and possibilities of data-centric approaches for humanities scholarship, while building core digital competencies.

Schedule

See course syllabus syllabus for full schedule with readings

1 DH Basics  
1/21 What is DH? Defining DH; Digital Humanities projects
1/28 Computational thinking The Command line; introduction to python
2/4 The Internet Hypertext Markup Language; web design and access
2/11 Activism & community engagement Digital justice; crowd-sourcing
2/18 Data basics Data forms; data cleaning and curation
2 Modes and Methods of Analysis  
2/25 Data visualization Data stories; visualizing data
3/4 Text analysis Computational humanities; text mining methods
3/18 Mapping and GIS Map forms and geographic data; web mapping
3/25 Digital archives and Exhibits Digital exhibits, metadata, collection builder
4/1 Linked Open Data LOD principles; Wikidata
3 Emerging DH  
4/8 Generative AI LLMs, transformers, and Generative AI
4/15 Critical making Creative coding, critical making, makerspace visit
4/22 3D modeling Photogrammetry, 3D modeling, Immersive DH
4/29 Wrap-up Reflections on semester, project presentations

Assignments

Resources