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Digital humanities interactive workshop success

Arts staff and students from Monash and Warwick universities discussed the emerging field of digital humanities during an interactive workshop held simultaneously at both institutions on Wednesday 21 May.

Attendees participated in the real-time workshop without leaving their home countries by using the high-tech International Portal facilities at Ramphal that links a room in Warwick to Monash. The workshop drew upon perspectives, projects and practices between the universities to better understand the digital humanities, which integrates information technology with humanities research and teaching.

Launched by Warwick Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Simon Swain, and Monash Faculty of Arts Deputy Dean, Associate Professor Peter Howard, the event explored current digital humanities activities and future plans at both universities and internationally.

One of the workshop organisers, Dr Simon Musgrave from the Monash School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, said it was an important step in coordinating digital humanities efforts and making the field more visible at Monash. Dr Musgrave said:

At Monash we have researchers who consider themselves digital humanists and others who incorporate this field into their teaching. We also have staff undertaking similar work but who don’t see themselves as part of the digital humanities endeavour. This workshop has uncovered common themes emerging in the digital humanities and has helped colleagues identify opportunities to work together within their own faculty, other faculties and with Warwick researchers.”

Warwick workshop facilitator, Mr Jonathan Heron from the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL), said there was a commitment from both universities for ongoing dialogue to maintain the momentum being generated in the digital humanities. He said:

We’ve started an online collaborative discussion forum on which all workshop participants can contribute and we hope to have more digital humanities events at both universities in the near future,”

Future of Digital humanities

An online collaborative discussion forum has started, to which all workshop participants can contribute, and there are plans to have more digital humanities events at both universities in the near future.

Recently at Warwick, the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies collaborated to offer a range of postgraduate digital humanities modules. While at Monash, efforts to formally coordinate digital humanities activities have begun with the first undergraduate digital humanities unit to be taught in 2015, with contributions from Warwick colleagues.

R0.12 - International Video Portal

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