2017-2018

HUM2DH3: Introduction to Digital Humanities

Winter 2018 / Dr. Matthew Davis / Draft Syllabus

Increasingly, data is the ocean we all swim in. Not just the decisions that we make, but the very notion that we have decisions to make – the options presented to us – are controlled by data aggregated, classified, and presented online. This ubiquity has reached the point where data is considered to be unabashedly objective – the wisdom of the crowd is assumed to be democratic, all-powerful, and incorruptible. But what if the crowd is wrong? What if the data we swim in actually limits our options? What if we can control that flow to shape the crowd to our point of view? What does that mean in terms of the purported objectivity of data, and more importantly of the decisions based upon it? This class is an introduction to some of the key topics, theories, and conversations that underlie the idea of “data.” Students will explore how data shapes cultural discourse and organizes popular ideas, and they will learn how to create and critically analyze and interpret modes of data dissemination and visualization through ongoing team-based work.

Electronics for the Rest of Us

February 8-10 / John Fink

Building on previous 3D printing workshops, we are offering for the first time a short course in 3D design for printing within the experiential learning track co-sponsored by the Integrated Science (iSci) and Arts & Science (ArtSci) programs. We will scratch the surface of working with simpler 3D design tools such as Tinkercad and OpenSCAD to create new designs or modify existing designs. We will also familiarize students with design principles that lead to successful and robust printed objects.