EMDA 2015

Information about the upcoming "Early Modern Digital Agendas: Advanced Topics" Institute

15 June to 1 July 2015

Following on the success of the first “Early Modern Digital Agendas” institute—an intensive survey of the most current resources and methods in digital research to be found in July 2013—"Advanced Topics" is a second three-week NEH institute to be hosted by the Folger Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Jonathan Hope, Professor of Literary Linguistics at the University of Strathclyde, will direct an advanced exploration of data creation and management to be followed by various forms of hands-on investigation, including text analytics, social network analysis, dimensionality reduction, research process design, and even historical reflection on the nature of "exemplarity" claims in humanistic argument. It is supported by a $175,000 Institutes for Advanced Topics grant from the NEH's Office of Digital Humanities.

The Institute will convene a technically advanced cohort of fifteen early modern digital humanists for scholarly assessment of the most effective tools by which data sets are gathered, curated, and analyzed. EMDA2015 will build in more time than its predecessor for application and experimentation with the tools to which its participants will be introduced; it will also encourage participants to bring their own data and, as often as is practical, process that data for analysis with the tools that the visiting faculty introduce.

Participants will reflect on the ways DH expands the universe of possible questions that literary scholars can ask while new technologies produce exponentially larger bodies of evidence faster than ever before. Among the questions visiting faculty will pose and consider with the participants: What is "data"? What transformations lie behind statistical analysis? How is corpus-wide variation being treated? What are the principles of visualization? The aim is to enable participants not just to perform analysis, or curate data, but to understand the processes they engage in—where they enable, how they restrict, and how they might be improved. It remains the Folger's goal to ensure that DH practitioners question not only what is possible with digital tools, but why one would put them to certain uses, and at what costs.

Application Information

The Dear Colleague letter (in pdf) is written to all prospective applicants. It describes the aims of the institute. All applicants must apply through the Folger Institute's online application system. Before submitting an application, they should review the curriculum to ensure that they can address the ways their work will benefit from and contribute to the institute's goals. The application guidelines will undoubtedly answer many questions. The application deadline is 2 March 2015.