ENGL 222: Tools, Techniques, and Culture of Digital Humanities

Digital technologies have permanently transformed the ways we read, write, and research. They also give us the potential to ask questions and find answers that were previously impossible to imagine. What can we gain if we use digital tools for analysis that only they can do? What if we could instantly read every newspaper headline from an entire decade, map out a novel in physical space, or visually break down the relationship between two poems? Does reading change if it happens only online? In this class, we will learn various tools and techniques of digital humanities, while familiarizing ourselves with the theory of reading and writing in digital environments. We will ask and attempt to answer the following questions: What can you do with digital humanities in literature classes? Why would you want to? What opportunities and pitfalls await a digital humanist?