Faculty Learning Cohort

Understanding Digital
Humanities
Spring/Fall 2016

Contact Information
Facilitator: Beth Bensen
Dates: January 20 (BH 109), February 17, March 30, April 13
Times: 2:00 4:00 p.m.
Where: TBA
Email: ebensen@reynolds.edu
Office: PRC, BH, Room 220H
Office Phone: 804.523.5754

Readings
o Several PDFs linked in FLC Blackboard site.
o Spring 2016: Digital Humanities; Burdick, Drucker, Lunenfeld, Presner, Schnapp (purchased
with FLC funds)
o Spring 2016: Understanding Digital Humanities; David Berry (ed.) (purchased with FLC
funds)
o Fall 2016: Digital Humanities Pedagogy: Practices, Princiiples and Politics: Brett Hirsch
(ed). (purchased with FLC funds)

WordPress Blog Site

o FLC participants will create individual WordPress blog accounts.
o Sign up at the following URL: https://wordpress.com/
o Further instructions provided during January 20 meeting

Bensen

FLC Digital Humanities

FLC Description

This FLC will focus first on defining and understanding Digital Humanities and how humans
gain knowledge and make meaning of information in a digitally complex academic environment.
Second, and after defining Digital Humanities, this FLC will provide a means for faculty
participants to develop a discipline-specific curriculum that encourages the implementation of
digital technologies in their pedagogy.
The overall goals for this FLC are to develop a sense of what the theories and methods of Digital
Humanities are in a community college setting and develop a pedagogy that integrates digital
technologies.
By the end of the FLC, faculty participants will accomplish the following:

Demonstrate an understanding of current theories and practices pertaining to Digital

Humanities
Define Digital Humanities for a community college setting as it applies to specific
disciplines
Develop a discipline-specific curriculum that integrates digital technologies
Develop a discipline-specific pedagogy that integrates digital technologies

Spring 2016 will focus on a number of assigned theoretical and practical readings to assist with
defining Digital Humanities in order to understand what it means in the twenty-first century.
Spring 2016 will also begin working toward developing discipline-specific pedagogies.
Fall 2016 will continue developing discipline-specific curricula to encourage faculty participants
to develop a pedagogical approach that promotes twenty-first century literacy practices to
include digital and multimodal technologies. Participants will adapt and put into practice theories
learned and discussed in the Spring 2016 semester to translate into a pedagogy that relates well
to Digital Humanities in a community college setting.
Participation: In order to ensure an engaging FLC, I encourage all participants to attend each
meeting during both the spring and fall semesters. The success of this FLC will largely depend
on what each participant contributes to discussions and what each participant produces as a result
of discussions and readings.
Assignments:

WordPress Blog Site

Reflective Reading Responses (in blog site)

Bensen

FLC Digital Humanities

Chapter Presentation (Understanding Digital Humanities)

One unit or assignment that integrates pedagogical concepts discussed in FLC
Calendar/Schedule of Assignments
(This schedule is subject to change.)

Week/Date Readings

Assignments

W Jan 20

Create WordPress Blog

Site
WordPress About Page
WordPress Reading
Response

Raley, Digital Humanities for the Next Five

Minutes
Hunter, The Digital Humanities and Democracy
Snow, Two Cultures
(Articles are linked in Readings folder in BB)

W Feb 17

Burdick et al, Digital Humanities (pp. 3-71)

Select chapter for

presentation on Apr 13
WordPress Reading
Response

W Mar 30

Burdick et al, Digital Humanities (pp. 75-135)

WordPress Reading
Response

W Apr 13

Berry, Understanding Digital Humanities (select

chapters)

In-class presentation
on chapter selected
Post presentation in
WordPress site

Fall 2016 Schedule Forthcoming