Exploring the Caribbean in DH: Dreaming with Data

Student Workshop: Dreaming with Data
June 11, 11am-12:30pm EDT
Facilitated by Dr. Schuyler Esprit

This workshop takes the rhetorical exercise of inquiry as a point of departure for navigating DLOC data. We will use rhetorical analysis as the framework for searching and analyzing items and collections in the database. Participants will employ a “search and serendipity” method as a point of entry into the portal and use the inquiry framework to define, refine and their research questions and project design. The goal of this approach is to interrogate and challenge the colonial concept of “discovery” in archival research, by positioning the student researcher as a practitioner of care for archival material of all kinds.

This workshop is ideal for students with big ideas or broad topics of interest who are curious about working with digital data collections and want to use them to help clarify their thinking and refine their research questions and strategy. Participants do not need to have any experience with digital humanities or computational analysis, but should be prepared to come to the workshop with a broad research topic in mind. With specific attention to the digital collections of DLOC, participants will be guided to use primary sources as the catalyst to turn ideas into research questions, then into more formal projects.

During the workshop, participants will be introduced to and work with digital concept mapping with Miro software to create a subject or keyword matrix. We will explore the interfaces of DLOC and Chronicling America, and use select data sets from these including Dominica Herald, Abeng (Jamaica) and Barbados Mercury to discuss connections and themes emerging from the matrix in order to refine research questions. The workshop will also introduce students to methods and tools for searching and analyzing bulk data, including MALLET and Voyant, used for topic modeling in digital humanities contexts.

To register, please click here: REGISTER.