POST: A Working Definition of Digital Humanities

Scott Weingart has compiled a collection of statements from digital humanities scholars in an attempt to come to “A Working Definition of Digital Humanities.” Spurred by a conversation on Twitter, Weingart sought out recommendations for courses that an aspiring (undergraduate) digital humanist should take. Responses from Ted Underwood, Johanna Drucker, Melissa Terras, John Walsh, and Matt Jockers are included. Weingart’s original request is reproduced below:

Dear all,

Some of you may have seenĀ this tweet by Paige MorganĀ this morning, asking aboutĀ what classes an undergraduate student should take hoping to pursue DH. Iā€™ve emailed you, a random and diverse smattering of highly recognizable names associated with DH, in the hopes of getting a broader answer than we were able to generate through twitter alone.

I know youā€™re all extremely busy, so please excuse my unsolicited semi-mass email and no worries if you donā€™t get around to replying.

If you do reply, however, Iā€™d love to getĀ a list of undergraduate coursesĀ (traditional humanities or otherwise)Ā that you believe was or would be instrumental to the research you do. My list, for example, would include historical methods, philosophy of science, linear algebra, statistics, programming, and web development. Iā€™ll take the list of lists and write up a short blog post about them, because I believeĀ it would be beneficial for many new students who are interested in pursuing DHĀ in all its guises. Iā€™d also welcome suggestions for other people and ā€œschools of DHā€ Iā€™m sure to have missed.

Many thanks,
Scott

Author: Roxanne Shirazi

Roxanne is the Dissertation Research Librarian at the Graduate Center, CUNY.