DH 102: Intro to Data in the Humanities

Prof. Mackenzie Brooks

Office: Leyburn M37/218

introductions + survey

https://goo.gl/forms/HCIMVlQ2ES74kWHP2

What is data?

Wikipedia: "Data is measured, collected and reported, and analyzed, whereupon it can be visualized using graphs, images or other analysis tools. Data as a general concept refers to the fact that some existing information or knowledge is represented or coded in some form suitable for better usage or processing."

School of Data: "Data is a value assigned to a thing."

Johanna Drucker: "...phenomena are observer-independent and can be characterized as data. Data pass themselves off as mere descriptions of a priori conditions."

What are the humanities?

Wikipedia: "Humanities are academic disciplines that study human culture."

WLU Registrar: "Courses in a variety of disciplines focus on aspects of human experience and on methods of addressing the basic questions of meaning in humanistic study. Courses in history, philosophy, religion, or other departments or interdepartmental programs may fulfill this requirement."

Johanna Drucker: "Humanistic inquiry acknowledges the situated, partial, and constitutive character of knowledge production, the recognition that knowledge is constructed, taken, not simply given as a natural representation of pre-existing fact."

What is data in the humanities?

What about "digital humanities?"

Why do I care?

Course website:

www.gitbook.com/book/mackenziekbrooks/dh-102-data-in-the-humanities

syllabus review

Before this class is over, you will have your own website. Start thinking of domain names now.

environment setup

domain registration

Task: install Wordpress in a subdirectory

Task: add a bookmark for your website to your Box folder

For Tuesday:

* readings on schedule

* familiarize yourself with Wordpress, or a CMS of your choice; find a theme you like, think about structure

http://calmingmanatee.com/2