Digital Humanities is the application of digital methods to research in the humanities and cultural heritage, such as computational studies of music, text or images and the use of humanities methods to understand digital phenomena, including the ethics and social impact of AI and cyberspace history.
The Digital Visualisation Lab supports research, teaching, and commercial activities with a broad variety of digital methods and techniques within the Department of Archaeology, across Durham University, and externally
Dr Alex Brown, Professors Frank Krauss, Christopher Gerrard, and Rebecca Gowland of Durham University have been awarded a Research Project Grant by The Leverhulme Trust for their project on 'Modelling the Black Death and Social Connectivity in Medieval England.'
The Black Death of 1348-9 stands ‘unchallenged as the greatest disaster in documented human history’, yet the characteristics of the disease that killed approximately half the population of Europe in just a handful of years have long confounded academics. Although largely thought to be caused by Yersinia pestis, it is still unclear how the disease spread so quickly in a preindustrial society.
We will use the latest computer modelling developed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to simulate the spread of the Black Death in England. The JUNE model uses modern census data about the population and a range of further information about their daily lives [...] to simulate the spread of the disease.
Learn more about the Research Project Grant 2024 by The Leverhulme Trust.
A major aim of the Leverhulme Trust research project grant Using music to investigate perceptual and cognitive constraints on imagination is to improve our understanding of how music can enhance creativity and well-being through the rich mental worlds it elicits. This project feeds into an emerging body of research in psychology and neuroscience which demonstrates that memory and imagination are strongly linked.
The project team at Durham includes Principal Investigator Dr Kelly Jakubowski, Associate Professor of Music Psychology at Durham University's Department of Music as well as Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr Wei Wu and PhD student Hazel van der Walle. It aims to develop a broad overview of different types of imaginings evoked during music listening, before exploring how features of both music and the features of the individual listener impact on the imaginings. For example, they explore whether certain sound patterns, timbres, or rhythms lead to particular imagined content. They also consider whether listeners from similar backgrounds share commonalities in music-evoked imaginings.
A piece of music can bring back near-forgotten memories from our pasts or stimulate newly imagined scenes, sensations and stories. Indeed, one of the main reasons we derive such pleasure from music listening is the range of mental associations it evokes.
Find out more about Dr Kelly Jakubowski's research interests and work.
Discover some of Durham University's research centres, initiatives, and projects related to Digital Humanities.
Fintan Malory, Assistant Professor at Durham University’s Department of Philosophy, works at the intersection of linguistics, machine learning and the philosophy of language. In this video he talks about his work on AI-generated texts and the games of make-believe.
The Talking Humanities podcast introduces projects and reflections from researchers across the Arts and Humanities Faculty at Durham University.
The Master of Data Science (Digital Humanities) is intended to provide Masters-level education rich in the substance of data science for students who hold a first degree in the Humanities.
Our research-led education ensures our broad range of courses will challenge and inspire you.
Visit the Transformative Humanities page to find out more about current research projects of other Transformative Humanities strands.
Find out more about the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Durham University.
Digital Humanities is one of the key research themes in the N8 CIR where growing interest in the use of computationally intensive research methods is expanding the possibilities for research.
The over-arching objective of this research project by Durham's Institute of Advanced Study is to identify basic transformative concepts in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
ARC is a dedicated computing support unit within the Research Division of the University. We support academic researchers in all faculties when there is a need for the use of coding or High Performance Computing.
Research, scholarship and ideas are at the core of Durham University. We are home to some of the most talented researchers and scholars from around the world, tackling global issues, and making a difference to people's lives.
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