Computers are basically magic. We turn them on and (mostly!) they do the things we tell them: open a new text document and record my grand ruminations as I type; open a web browser and help me navigate an unprecedented volume of information. Even though we tend to take them for granted, programs like Word or Firefox are extremely sophisticated in their design and implementation.
To support humanities researchers who wish to take advantage of the cloud computing resources provided by the Berkeley Research Computing (BRC) program, two members of the Berkeley digital humanities community will be attending a summer workshop at the University of Victoria.
Berkeley Prosopography Services, a tool for historical social network analysis originally developed for use with an Uruk text corpus from the Hellenistic period (331-46 BCE), is currently in the process of being generalized for use with a variety of corpora.
Researchers and instructors at the Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT) are expanding their undergraduate course offerings in computer music, building upon decades of interdisciplinary research, performance, tool development, and teaching. DH Fellow Edmund Campion, Professor of Composition in the Music Department and Co-Director of CNMAT, and other instructors at CNMAT have designed curriculum around computer music and digital sound.
In Fall 2015, DH Fellows Rochelle Terman, PhD Candidate in Political Science, and Laura Stoker, Associate Professor in Political Science, introduced a new interdisciplinary course, “Political Science 239T: Introduction to Computational Tools and Techniques for Social Research,” with support from a Digital Humanities at Berkeley new course component grant.
2015 has been a busy year for the Digital Humanities at Berkeley program. We are thankful for our many campus partners who support the growing digital humanities community of practice. Before the new semester begins, let’s take a look back at highlights from 2015.