The second day of THATCamp DHSoCal proved as rewarding as the first. I left with a long list of tools to test and try out, along with some very smart strategies for implementation in teaching and research.

We left invigorated to continue the conversation, both virtually and online. If we captured your email in registration, watch for an invitation to join the DHSoCal email list. This will keep you updated on the latests in the DHSoCal regional network.

Session Summaries

Liz Losh presented on FemTechNet

Share, Play, Remix: a show and tell of cool digital tools and our uses of these tools.

Assessing Digital Projects

Creating Queer Spaces Online

Scalar powered ACLS Workbench

Topic Modelling

Closing Ideas

Great DH Projects and Resources Shared

Exemplary Topic Modelling Projects

Special issue of Journal of Digital Humanities on Topic Modelling

Article on Collaborative Peer Review

Collection of resources for Evaluating DH Practice

We had a great first day of THATCamp DHSoCal. Below are a few pages and docs that summarize the conversations of the day:

Day One Storified

Notes from sessions:

Visualizations Workshop

Starting up a Digital Humanities Center

Being a Digital Humanities Scholar

Text Analysis with Lexos Workshop

Cyberfronterismo

Links shared:
Resources for teaching with Wikipedia

Tools shared:

Lexos

Omeka

Mondrian: A visualization tool

Cool projects:

The Execeptional and the Everyday

Deformance & Interpretation

More than a Fence

Good resources:

ADA Initiative

Geek Feminism on conferences and anti-harassment

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

SAMR model

Gallery of Data Visualizations

Another Gallery of Data Visualizations

Fusion Table Gallery of Examples

I would like to propose a conversational session on getting digital humanities projects started and the benefits, issues, and obstacles involved in doing so. Many faculty members are now thinking about their (next) books when they might instead be thinking about representing their research in digital form (and/or performing their research with digital tools). Issues we might discuss could include locating resources and technical support; engaging undergraduates meaningfully in your research; finding funding; developing a feasible work plan; public vs coterie scholarship; modernizing tenure and promotion processes where they still fail to recognize digitally represented research as genuine scholarship…

Digital Humanities is a banner, a rallying point, and a buzzword with great value in many cases. Some administrators are happy to see work that seems up-to-date come out of humanities and soft social sciences that may seem antiquated or out of touch. Some graduate students are excited to use techniques that have proven their value in other sectors of the economy. Some faculty are excited to get new insights into old topics with new tools. Some scholars are happy to bring older methods to bear on digital topics. Some students are happy to gain job skills while still studying topics they love.

But there are also detractors. Many professors don’t see what all the commotion is about. Many grad students don’t know whether what they are doing is digital humanities or not.

If the Digital Humanities remains a contested term and a floating signifier, but has emerged as a particularly important one because it has proven useful to many individuals and groups, what are the ways it has proven useful? Where is it unwelcome? Are there cases where it is not helping and what are they?

In the tradition of an unconference, this session would be a place for allcomers to share what they have seen and what they imagine so we can all better understand the term, the movement, and the best ways forward.

Welcome to “Diving into the Digital Humanities,” a ThatCamp for Southern California!

October 24-25
San Diego State University
@ The new Aztec Student Union

This ThatCamp is special because it is organized through a unique collaboration between 4 regional institutions: San Diego State University, UCSD, Cal State University at San Marcos, and University of San Diego. Inspired by the open, grass-roots efforts of our regional networking group, DHSoCal, this ThatCamp promotes working together and collaborating across disciplinary, departmental, and institutional divides.

All ThatCamps are open to all kinds of campers, but this one is envisioned as a way to get new folks engaged in the DH and to create new networks of collaboration. So, if you have any kind of inkling to learn about the Digital Humanities– whether you’re already a dedicated digital humanist researcher or an absolute newbie, whether you are a student, teacher, or curious community member– come to camp!

Our ThatCamp is about jumping into the Digital Humanities, getting wet, and learning to swim.

Dive in. The water’s fine!