What are the digital humanities and how might they apply to your research?
This graduate course is an introduction to the ways that digital methods and tools are reshaping research, teaching, and public scholarship in the humanities. Through weekly readings, we will discuss key debates in the digital humanities, including critical questions around archives, power, politics, and sustainability. We will pair theoretical discussions with examples of digital scholarship so you can explore how projects are designed, built, and situated within broader intellectual and institutional contexts, both at UVa and beyond.
Through hands-on encounters with digital tools and methods, you will also develop a practical understanding of possibilities and limits in areas such as text analysis, mapping, visualization, digital archives, public-facing scholarship, digital pedagogy, critical making, and GenAI. This course is designed to support you in reflecting on your own research interests and disciplinary commitments, considering how Digital Humanities might extend, challenge, or transform your work. No prior technical experience is required, only curiosity and a willingness to experiment critically.