DH 8991 / ENGL 8500 Introduction to Digital Humanities

This course is a graduate-level introduction to the history, theory, and methods of the digital humanities.  All students enrolled full-time in any graduate program at UVA are eligible, and no prior training is expected. In it, we will cover a range of historical, disciplinary, technical and contemporary issues in digital humanities.  It is focused on digital humanities in the context of literature and language, but it also considers more general cultural, epistemological, and methodological issues. Examples include how maps and other spatial and temporal perspectives are enabled by the digital; the conditions of print and archival materials in the age of digital reproduction; emergent/cy concerns about textual analysis, machine learning/AI, privacy, security, surveillance.  This course is also designed to introduce students to areas of digital humanities activity at this university.  Students should come away from the course with a solid understanding of the origin of digital humanities, the kinds of work done under that label, the opportunities to participate in DH research at UVA, the research insights offered by digital humanities methods, and the applicability of those methods to the student’s own research interests. The course is offered each spring semester.  It is REQUIRED for all students enrolled in the graduate certificate in digital humanities.