Showing papers in "Arts and Humanities in Higher Education in 2012"
TL;DR: The scholarly field of the digital humanities has recently expanded and integrated its fundamental concepts, historical coverage, relationship to social experience, scale of projects, and range of interpretive approaches to bring it to a tipping point.
Abstract: The scholarly field of the digital humanities has recently expanded and integrated its fundamental concepts, historical coverage, relationship to social experience, scale of projects, and range of interpretive approaches. All this brings the overall field (including the related area of new media studies) to a tipping point where it has the potential not just to facilitate the work of the humanities but to represent the state of the humanities at large in its changing relation to higher education in the postindustrial state. Are the digital humanities up to this larger task?
63 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the experiences of a small sample (N = 6) of Australian academics with the use of digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool in higher education contexts, and found that the majority of them regarded digital stories as a complement to, not a substitute for, conventional methods of learning and assessment such as the critical research essay.
Abstract: This project explored the experiences of a small sample (N = 6) of Australian academics with the use of digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool in higher education contexts. This article describes two case studies of academic uses of digital storytelling, along with interpretive analysis of six semi-structured interviews of academics working within media and communication studies and their reflections on the potential of digital storytelling to enhance student learning and the student experience. Three consistent themes emerged, based around issues of definition, the need for ‘constructive alignment’, and resource and planning requirements. Academics regarded digital storytelling as a complement to, not a substitute for, conventional methods of learning and assessment such as the critical research essay. Overall, reservations exist regarding the promise of digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool that some academics have recently claimed for it.
50 citations
TL;DR: In the early 1980s, Donald Schon developed the theory of reflective practice as discussed by the authors, which put forward the idea that the design studio teacher is a "coach" who helps students in their work.
Abstract: Drawing on empirical research done in the early 1980s, Donald Schon developed the theory of ‘reflective practice’, putting forward the idea that the design studio teacher is a ‘coach’ who helps stu...
46 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the digital humanities can be seen as a humanities project in a time of significant change in the academy and suggest that the field can be viewed as a trading zone and meeting place rather than a strained "big tent".
Abstract: This article argues that the digital humanities can be seen as a humanities project in a time of significant change in the academy. The background is a number of scholarly, educational and technical challenges, the multiple epistemic traditions linked to the digital humanities, the potential reach of the field across and outside the humanities, and the ‘digital’ as a boundary object. In the article, four case studies are used to exemplify the digital humanities as a humanities project, and it is suggested that the field can be seen as a trading zone and meeting place rather than a strained ‘big tent’. In this way, the digital humanities can accept scholarly and technological challenges in relation to the digital as well as being an important place for thinking about, experimenting with and rethinking the humanities.
27 citations
TL;DR: The Writing Purposefully in Art and Design Network (Writing-PAD) as mentioned in this paper aims to support and disseminate the range of genres associated with writing in art and design, including the exegesis and the studio or practice-based thesis.
Abstract: In disciplines with long histories in higher education, academic literacies, including writing practices, are less contested than in newer academic fields such as art and design The relatively recent incorporation of such fields and schools into the university sector has required these fields to create academic writing practices consistent with existing academic models or to justify their distinctive disciplinary practices Recently, for example, much has been written about the distinctiveness of practice-based, reflective and creative written genres, such as the exegesis and the studio or practice based thesis, as the distinctive voice of art and design However, such models have yet to gain broad acceptance in the higher education sector, where scientific (eg empirical research report) and humanities (eg essayist tradition) practices are far more familiar and of overarching significance Similarly to the sciences and humanities, the field of art and design in fact names a broad grouping of communities of practice, eg graphic design, fine arts, fashion design, with a range of expectations regarding practice and writing Whatever disciplinary consensus is reached regarding legitimate writing practices in art and design, it is important not to obscure these differences and make the same mistake that has hampered clarity in writing instruction for mainstream academic fields, a problem that is at the core of the academic literacies program for change and enlightenment The Writing Purposefully in Art and Design Network (Writing-PAD) aims to support and disseminate the range of genres associated with writing in art and design In the second part of this article, an account of the purposes, practices and scope of the Writing-PAD network demonstrates the characteristics of and consensus on forms of academic writing in art and design Together with our introductory review we hope to promote discussion about the necessary balance of consensus and dissensus that art and design fields require to remain vibrant
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the prospects for an adaption through the piloting of an embedded approach in the Social Theory subject area, but the project ran into a series of resistances that came close to thwarting it en...
Abstract: Support for writing instruction amongst lecturers in UK Universities is high, but they often prefer it to be provided by dedicated study skills specialists operating outside subject curricula. Yet because of the well-documented problems with the skills approach (where literacy support frequently becomes a generic add-on), American models such as Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) and Writing in the Disciplines (WID) make a strong claim that writing stratagems and thinking/theorizing within disciplines are actually intrinsically linked. It is accordingly now a commonplace in such literacy research that writing development needs to be contextualized within the disciplines, and interest in adapting such approaches to the UK context is burgeoning. A recent project at Nottingham Trent University set out to explore the prospects for such an adaption through the piloting of an embedded approach in the Social Theory subject area, but the project ran into a series of resistances that came close to thwarting it en...
18 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the learning exercises at the foundation of excellent humanities-based education may appear to lack any utilitarian benefit, but their long-term effect is the development of each student's individual voice, which is priceless.
Abstract: In an era in which the imperatives of global economic competition prompt institutions of higher education to promote vocational practicality and efficiency over all else, advocates of the humanities have struggled to articulate the distinctive value and contribution of our disciplines. This article seeks to develop an argument directed not at fellow academics, but at friends and parents who ask incredulously, ‘What are you going to do with a degree in that?’ After discussing the historical shifts that have led to the present-day predicament in which majoring in English, philosophy, religion, art or a foreign language seems supremely impractical, I argue that the most important resource necessary to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace is a clear, eloquent, impassioned voice. The learning exercises at the foundation of excellent humanities-based education may appear to lack any utilitarian benefit, but their long-term effect is the development of each student’s individual voice, which is priceless.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors emphasise the importance of cultural communities and collaborative partnerships between disciplines, and look to the potential of a new openness in scholarly practices for fostering and being fostered by such interdisciplinary working.
Abstract: The nature and extent of the impact of digital scholarship is a contested area; reviewing the arguments here, the article emphasises the importance of cultural communities and collaborative partnerships between disciplines, and looks to the potential of a new openness in scholarly practices for fostering and being fostered by such interdisciplinary working.
16 citations
TL;DR: Using mythology as a generative matrix, the authors investigates the relationship between knowledge, words, embodiment and gender as they play out in academic writing's voice and, in particular, in the context of academic writing.
Abstract: Using mythology as a generative matrix, this article investigates the relationship between knowledge, words, embodiment and gender as they play out in academic writing’s voice and, in particular, i...
15 citations
TL;DR: In recent years, many studies have highlighted the changing nature of scholarly research, reflecting the new digital tools and techniques that have been developed as mentioned in this paper. But researcher uptake of these to...
Abstract: In recent years, many studies have highlighted the changing nature of scholarly research, reflecting the new digital tools and techniques that have been developed. But researcher uptake of these to...
15 citations
TL;DR: This paper used a social network site to support students on a year abroad and to foster informal learning, particularly in the area of intercultural communication, in order to solve the problem of role conflict, in which users of these sites may feel some tension as the academic and social dimensions of their lives collide.
Abstract: This article reports on the results of a project which used a social network site to support students on a year abroad and to foster informal learning, particularly in the area of intercultural communication. The project employed a peer-mentoring structure to solve the problem of role conflict, in which users of these sites may feel some tension as the academic and social dimensions – two contexts usually kept fairly separate – of their lives collide. This article describes how students used the site, reports on the benefits of the project to both students and mentors, and sets out some recommendations for increasing the sustainability of social network sites as pedagogical tools in other educational contexts.
TL;DR: In this article, the uniqueness of the humanities, its role in teaching values, the objectives of research, the connection between research and teaching, the value of an education in the humanities for society overall, and the ways in which humanists can play a useful public role.
Abstract: This article raises a number of questions that the author believes need to be addressed in order to defend and justify the teaching and practice of the humanities in an age when they continue to face swingeing cuts and unreasoned attacks from many quarters, both inside and outside the Academy. They are questions that have to do with the uniqueness of the humanities, its role in teaching values, the objectives of research, the connection between research and teaching, the value of an education in the humanities for society overall, and the ways in which humanists can play a useful public role. In sum, the author advocates for a coherent justification for what the humanities, plain and simple, are (or is).
TL;DR: The Research-oriented Social Environment (RoSE) as mentioned in this paper is a socially networked system for representing knowledge in the form of relationships between people, documents, and groups developed as an intercampus, interdisciplinary project of the University of California.
Abstract: We report on the experience of creating a socially networked system, the Research-oriented Social Environment (RoSE), for representing knowledge in the form of relationships between people, documents, and groups Developed as an intercampus, interdisciplinary project of the University of California, this work reflects on a collaboration between scholars in the humanities, software engineering, and information studies by providing an opportunity not only to synthesize different disciplinary perspectives, but also to interrogate and challenge the assumptions each brings to team-based design projects in the digital humanities This work examines socially networked knowledge as both content and methodology for collaboration, calling for further critique and future investigation of epistemological questions in models of social networks
TL;DR: A 2008 article by Patrick Juola describes the digital humanities community as marginal to mainstream academic discussions and suggests that its work has little scholarly impact as discussed by the authors, suggesting that digital humanities specialists should urgently engage with the wider theoretical concerns that characterize humanities scholarship.
Abstract: A 2008 article by Patrick Juola describes the digital humanities community as marginal to mainstream academic discussions and suggests that its work has little scholarly impact. At the same time, mainstream humanities scholars are using digital resources more and more, but these resources are chiefly produced by libraries and commercial organizations rather than digital humanities specialists. How can the digital humanities achieve its promise and transform humanities scholarship? It is suggested that the digital humanities community is too inward-looking and needs to reach out to wider constituencies. In particular, digital humanities specialists should urgently engage with the wider theoretical concerns that characterize humanities scholarship. Projects such as the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674–1913 engage new audiences because they are grounded in a strong research vision.
TL;DR: In the past, humanists and scientists have held very different views about the role of collaboration in scholarly research as discussed by the authors, from the point of view of a Principal Investigator in a scientific labora...
Abstract: In the past, humanists and scientists have held very different views about the role of collaboration in scholarly research. From the point of view of a Principal Investigator in a scientific labora...
TL;DR: In this article, reflections arising from a recent colloquium at the Open University on the implications of the development of digital humanities for research in arts disciplines, and also for their interactions with computing and technology.
Abstract: This article offers reflections arising from a recent colloquium at the Open University on the implications of the development of digital humanities for research in arts disciplines, and also for their interactions with computing and technology. Particular issues explored include the ways in which the digital turn in humanities research is also a spatial/visual one; the tension between analysis based on the extensive ‘hard’ data generated by digital methodologies and the more subtle evaluations of traditional humanities research; the advantages and disadvantages of online resources that distance the researcher from the actual archive, book, artefact or archaeological site under investigation; and the unrealized potential for applying to the humanities software tools designed for science and technology. Constructive responses to such challenges and opportunities require the full rigour of the critical thinking that is the essence of arts and humanities research.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on the pedagogic rationale, didactic design and implications of an AHRC-funded doctoral training scheme in collaborative and digital multimedia in the humanities.
Abstract: This study reports on the pedagogic rationale, didactic design and implications of an AHRC-funded doctoral training scheme in collaborative and digital multimedia in the humanities. In the second part of this article we discuss three areas of provision that were identified as particularly significant and/or controversial. These include (1) desktop publishing and information design for academic posters, (2) quantitative, corpus-based approaches to text analysis, and (3) a discussion of the affordances and constraints of ‘collaborative’ Web 2.0 based research as reflected by participants and relevant theory.
TL;DR: The role of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) in facilitating and encouraging a collaborative community of junior and senior scholars on issues of technology and humanistic learning is explored in this paper.
Abstract: This article explores the role of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) in facilitating and encouraging a collaborative community of junior and senior scholars on issues of technology and humanistic learning. As a result of its emphasis on collaboration and discussion, HASTAC encourages a form of collective intelligence that can serve as a model for future iterations of online communities formed to address problems and highlight advances in teaching and technology. Written from the perspective of a graduate student who also is a HASTAC scholar, the article discusses the positive impact HASTAC can have in terms of opportunities for professional advancement for junior scholars, as well as encouraging collaboration across disciplinary boundaries on issues relating to teaching methodologies, the humanities, and technology.
TL;DR: The calling of public scholarship is inherently multifaceted, and often inherently controversial; public scholars have to accommodate different spheres of society, different cultural values and goods, and even different political agendas in their work.
Abstract: The calling of public scholarship is inherently multifaceted, and often inherently controversial; public scholars have to accommodate different spheres of society, different cultural values and goods, and even different political agendas in their work. Unlike academic workers, public scholars rarely have the opportunity to do work that is driven primarily by intellectual agendas, yet they also have to sustain fidelity to the ideas, values and standards of the disciplines they practice – even when sustaining fidelity means criticizing the most cherished tenets of the disciplines themselves. To be successful, public scholarship must be animated by a pluralist conception of society, a vision of the social world that recognizes that all of us live among different and incompatible cultures and that even the cultures we claim as our own have incommensurate and incompatible standards.
TL;DR: More collaborative work in the humanities could be instrumental in helping to break down the traditional rigid boundaries between academic divisions and disciplines in modern universities as mentioned in this paper. But, such collaborative work is difficult and time-consuming.
Abstract: More collaborative work in the humanities could be instrumental in helping to break down the traditional rigid boundaries between academic divisions and disciplines in modern universities. The valu...
TL;DR: In this paper, three characteristics of centers that enable their advancement of larger concerns of the humanities as a whole are discussed: location, flexibility, and broadened perspective, which allows humanities centers to reach diverse public audiences, explore new paradigms and alternative structures for knowledge, and to overcome the intellectual divisions created by organizational structures of the contemporary university.
Abstract: Given the academic specialization endemic today in humanities disciplines, some of the most important work of humanities centers has become promoting education about the humanities in general. After charting the rise of humanities centers in the US, three characteristics of centers that enable their advancement of larger concerns of the humanities as a whole are discussed: location, flexibility, and broadened perspective. Independence from departmental demands and responsibilities allows humanities centers to reach diverse public audiences, to explore new paradigms and alternative structures for knowledge, and to overcome the intellectual divisions created by organizational structures of the contemporary university.
TL;DR: Humanistic studies cultivate types of conceptual fluency and modes of awareness important to thought concerning values as mentioned in this paper, but not all knowledge is scientific knowledge, and there is genuine comprehension of some valuative matters -they are not all to be interpreted in expressive or subjective terms.
Abstract: Humanistic studies cultivate types of conceptual fluency and modes of awareness important to thought concerning values. Not all knowledge is scientific knowledge. There is genuine comprehension of some valuative matters – they are not all to be interpreted in expressive or subjective terms. Education in the humanities can encourage value-relevant types of discernment, awareness, and articulateness in uniquely effective ways. Though important kinds of thought concerning values may lack formal, theoretical elaboration they involve genuine standards of intellectual responsibility. Engagement with the humanities does not ensure development of sound valuative thought and judgment – nothing ensures it – but can have a crucial role in shaping it. Moreover, intellectual and moral imagination should not be constrained by boundaries of academic specialization. Specialization has several merits but it can motivate inappropriately reductionist claims and theoretical over-extension. Often, sound normative understandin...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the ways in which the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) can be integrated into graduate education in the humanities to support future faculty preparation in teaching.
Abstract: This article examines the ways in which the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) can be integrated into graduate education in the humanities to support future faculty preparation in teaching...
TL;DR: This paper analyzed student and staff reflections on the experience of undertaking a supervised research project and argued that the ontological shifts and identity transformations that occur at doctoral level are also observable in the transition from undergraduate coursework to graduate research but only in the right conditions.
Abstract: This article considers the ways in which entry-level graduate students in the discipline of English begin to understand themselves as researchers within a particular disciplinary formation. Analysing data from student and staff reflections on the experience of undertaking a supervised research project, we argue that the ontological shifts and identity transformations that occur at doctoral level are also observable in the transition from undergraduate coursework to graduate research but only in the right conditions. We compare participant accounts of two supervised research projects that, although offered within the framework of a single fourth-year unit, created very different opportunities for transformative learning. This comparison of graduate research experiences raises a number of questions about threshold concepts in English and cognate disciplines, particularly those that have been transformed by the encounter with theory.
TL;DR: The relationship between aesthetic judgment, literacy, and knowledge as defined by the French seventeenth-century Jansenist school of Port-Royal is discussed in this article, where the authors argue that the cognitive basis of aesthetic judgments in the various disciplines of the humanities can be used to define the cognitive foundation of aesthetic judgment.
Abstract: The article discusses the nature of humanistic knowledge. Analyzing the relation between aesthetic judgment, literacy and knowledge as defined by the French seventeenth-century Jansenist school of Port-Royal, the article argues that Port-Royal’s interpretation of the enthymeme can be used to define the cognitive basis of aesthetic judgments in the various disciplines of the humanities. The article concludes with arguments that the literacy provided by the humanities explains their value as a necessary foundation for understanding the global world.
TL;DR: The authors defend the humanities against the general challenge of lack of rigor by showing how objective standards of evaluation are to be understood within the particularity model, and discuss the distinct benefits offered by that model of learning and conclude how the skills and temperament associated with that model can be usefully deployed to illuminate Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Abstract: This article begins by acknowledging the general worry that scholarship in the humanities lacks the rigor and objectivity of other scholarly fields. In considering the validity of that criticism, I distinguish two models of learning: the covering law model exemplified by the natural sciences, and the model of rooted particularity that characterizes the humanities. With those two models set forth, I defend the humanities against the general challenge of lack of rigor by showing how objective standards of evaluation are to be understood within the particularity model. I then discuss the distinct benefits offered by that model of learning and conclude by showing how the skills and temperament associated with that model can be usefully deployed to illuminate Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.