Digital Humanities, Ontologies, Epistemologies: Critical Interventions. ​

ACS  6820:  Digital  Humanities,  Ontologies,  Epistemologies:  Critical   Interventions.   Taught  by  Dr.  Radhika  Gajjala  @  Bowling  Green  State  University   (May  16  2015  to  June  29  2015  –  For  details  of  parts  of  the  course  that  will  be   open  to  semi-­‐public  participation  via  facebook  and  cyberdiva.org  site,  contact   Radhika)   http://www.radhikagajjala.org  Facebook  group:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/DHCRIT  Social  Media  Hashtag  -­‐  #DHCRIT   or  #DHCRIT15   [we  also  have  a  googlegroup  for  those  who  dont  want  to  do  FB  –  just  register  at   dhcrit.org  and  I’ll  contact  you.]     This  course  begins  with  the  basic  premise  that  Critical  Theory  and  Critical  Practice   go  hand  in  hand.  Cultural  Studies,  Critical  Race  Theory  and  Feminist  Studies  based   concepts  can  be  engaged  through  hands  on  digital  doing  as  we  explore  and  struggle   with  digital  ontologies  and  epistemologies  that  emerge.  As  Stuart  Hall  notes  –  “The   only  theory  worth  having  is  that  which  you  have  to  fight  off,  not  that  which  you   speak  with  profound  fluency.”  In  the  same  veign,  the  only  digital  practice  worth   having  is  one  that  you  fight  off  and  examine  through  failures  and  ruptures.     To  this  end,  we  will  explore  the  theories,  practices,  institutions  and  histories  that   form  contemporary  digital  humanities  scholarship—in  particular,  as  they  relate  to   cultural  studies.  Thus  we  will  come  to  digital  humanities  through  such  bodies  of   work  such  as  race  in  cyberspace,  feminist  digital  humanities  and  #dhpoco   (postcolonial  digital  humanities).  With  the  knowledge  of  these  frameworks,  as  well   as  their  underlying  theories,  students  will  be  able  to  conceive  and  implement  their   own  digital  projects  for  their  future  scholarly  work.       We  will  explore  hands-­‐on  tutorials  from  code  academy,  use  tools  such  as  scalar,   http://tiki-­‐toki.com,  wordpress/commentpress,  twine,  Omeka  and  so  many  more   ...but  your  final  projects  may  use  very  basic  tools.  Its  the  concept  and  practice  put   together  that  matters  –not  the  “hard-­‐core-­‐ness”  of  the  tools  you  use.       We  will  schedule  some  googlehangouts  or  other  forms  of  online  synchronous   meetings  –  watch  the  reports  and  tweets.     Texts    

1] http://www.amazon.com/Internet-Art-WorldRach…/…/ref=sr_1_1… (The only print hard copy book - but I need it to help situate the public spread/contagion of computer and humanities encounter ) 2] Some readings related to #dhpoco stolen from http://dhpoco.org/summerschool/

3] http://www.amazon.com/Switching-CodesThinkin…/…/ref=sr_1_1… 4] http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates (get accounts here and interact - the class members taking it for credit at BGSU will be required to do so). 5] Readings from http://adanewmedia.org