ENGL2811: Reading the Digital - Digital Humanities and Literary Studies

• At least one of the following modules: ENGL 1011 Introduction to Drama, ENGL 1061 Introduction to the Novel, ENGL 1071 Introduction to Poetry

• None

• None

• To introduce students to a range of digital and computational methods for use in literary studies
• To consider appropriate critical approaches to digital phenomena
• To investigate the act of reading in physical and digital information spaces, including ebooks, blogs, journals, archives, libraries and memory institutions
• To explore how our ideas of textuality, and our comprehension of texts are affected by digital technologies

• Time period predominantly from the mid 1980s to the present, but with some investigation of the origins and history of digital humanities in the 1940s.
• Will consider a range of digital technologies and their application to literary and textual studies, including text markup and encoding; text analysis packages such as Voyant and Ngrams; an introduction to concepts underlying coding, programming and data analysis; digitization; digital preservation and curation; user studies and digital ethnography, including diary studies, observation and user requirements analysis; the study of digital reading, including participation in experiments with digital fonts and paratext; digital libraries and museums and the use of digital material- in collaboration with libraries and special collections.
• Will investigate how we read and critique digital phenomena such as social media; big data and the effect of algorithms; distant reading and close reading- including participation experiments in digital reading and the effects of fonts and paratext.
• Will discuss the history of DH as an Anglo-American dominated field, and the development DH in a global context, including India and South America, and the debates about multi-lingual DH.
• Will consider diversity issues both in DH and the IT industry, in the context of trolling, online harassment, and hate speech on digital platforms.
• Students will take part in hands-on practical sessions using digital tools, but this will not require pre-existing coding skills

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students studying this module will develop:
• Knowledge of a range of digital techniques relevant to literary studies
• Knowledge of digital methods that augment their existing skills in close reading, such as distant reading, user studies, and awareness of the complex relationship between physical and digital reading practices
• Insight into nature of digital textuality and the ability to critique and evaluate digital phenomena within their wider societal context

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students studying this module will develop:
• critical skills in the reading and analysis of digital texts and phenomena
• knowledge of a range of text analysis techniques and text markup
• knowledge of digitization techniques
• understanding of the principles of coding and data science and the use of algorithmic criticism
• a critical awareness of the human and societal context of the use of digital technologies and applications
• understanding of the nature of digital textuality and digital reading, especially as compared to that in physical spaces
• an ability to critique digital objects and phenomena as texts in themselves
• an awareness of the importance of digital preservation and the role of libraries and memory institutions in providing access to digital culture and heritage
• skills of effective communication, argument, and evaluative methodology for digital objects
• awareness of conventions of scholarly presentation, and bibliographic skills including accurate citation of sources and consistent use of scholarly conventions of presentation
• command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• awareness of the role of the digital in supporting, or threatening diversity, equity and inclusion

Key Skills:

• a capacity to analyse critically
• an ability to acquire complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way involving the use of distinctive interpretative skills derived from the subject
• competence in the planning and execution of essays
• a capacity for independent thought and judgement, and ability to assess the critical ideas of others
• a capacity for collaborative work
• skills in critical reasoning
• an ability to handle information and argument in a critical manner
• information-technology skills such as word-processing and electronic data access
• organisation and time-management skills.

• Seminars: encourage peer-group discussion, enable students to develop critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts, and skills of effective communication and presentation; promote awareness of diversity of interpretation and methodology.
• Practical sessions: enable students to learn and practice new digital techniques and methods for the analysis of digital data; to learn methods of user evaluation and observation; to participate in experiments in digital reading in smaller groups
• Independent practice of digital methods following practical sessions: enables students to gain greater mastery and more complex understanding of the technique or method they have learned
• Work with Durham libraries museums and special collections: gives students first-hand experience of the use of digitization in libraries and heritage organisations, and an appreciation of the different affordances and uses of physical and digital resources.
• Independent but directed reading in preparation for seminars: provides opportunity for students to enrich subject-specific knowledge and enhances their ability to develop appropriate subject-specific skills.
• Autonomous peer learning groups: students will be required to practice the new computational techniques they have learned. This will give them the opportunity to work together to extend their knowledge of digital technologies and techniques
• Evaluation: the first piece of coursework will consist of an evaluation of an existing digital resource, collection or service with particular focus on the physical and digital holdings of Durham Libraries and Special Collections. This allows them to compare the digital surrogates to the physical texts and artefacts that have been digitized. This piece of coursework requires students to apply the knowledge they have gained during the course to the evaluation of a real digital resource. This develops their ability to critique existing digital resources and objects and reflect on how digital surrogates compare with physical objects. This reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of an existing project prepares them for the second piece of coursework
• Feedback: The written feedback that is provided on the evaluation allows students to reflect on examiners' comments, and integrate them into planning for their second piece of coursework
• The second piece of coursework will require the student to create a proposal detailing how the resource they have previously evaluated could be improved, updated, or extended, or used as a model upon which to build a new collection. The ability to write a convincing project proposal is a vital skill in DH. The preparation of an initial proposal thus tests students ability to articulate the rationale and context for their plan, its expected value to the scholarly community, and, if appropriate, to users beyond academia.
• Pitch to peers: As preparation for the second written assignment each student will present ideas at a pitch to peers session. This requires students to organise ideas and present them to others clearly and concisely, and to express constructive criticism appropriately, both of which are key skills in the DH community.

Before the first assignment, students have an individual 15 minute consultation session in which they are entitled to show their seminar leader a sheet of points relevant to the evaluation and to receive oral comment on these points. Students may also, if they wish, discuss their ideas for the project proposal at this meeting.

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