DSC8011 : Data in the Humanities: Acquisition, Management, Interpretation
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Louise Rayne
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Francesco Carrer
- Lecturer: Professor Areti Galani, Professor Mark Jackson, Dr James Cummings, Dr Nick Rush-Cooper
- Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module will equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge to design and oversee digital humanities projects, from data acquisition to data management and interpretation. It will show how new and emerging technologies can be applied to and communicated in subjects like Archaeology, History, Geography, Heritage, and Literature, amongst others. Students will be exposed to case studies from the latest research at Newcastle and beyond.
The module will explore the meaning of place, people, present and past in the digital age, by engaging with data creation, digital mapping resources and archives, as well as the emerging use of AI, AR and VR for recreation and dissemination. Students will be encouraged to consider the power dynamics and ethical considerations of these tools
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus will follow a weekly pattern, encompassing theory and practice. Students will engage in interactive, practice-based workshops that will introduce them to a range of digital skills and cutting-edge case studies based on research underway at Newcastle. This approach is designed to help students to make the links between theory and practice.
Topics will include:
The spatial turn
The Authorised Heritage Discourse, and how technology is transforming it
Satellite image interpretation for heritage site documentation
Digital Historical Geography
Participatory GIS and Cognitive Mapping
Digital Documentation in the field
Urban change mapping
Transforming Access to Mediterranean Heritage Science Collections
Critical Digital Humanities: ethics, colonialism and access
AI and heritage
Digital games and interactive narratives with Large Language Models
Designing a digital exhibit
Digital text annotation for documents
Crowdsourcing with Zooniverse
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 16 | 2:00 | 32:00 | Independent practice of digital skills acquired during the practical classes |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 20 | 2:00 | 40:00 | Preparation and completion of the design project (a digital heritage database structure with example entries) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 20 | 2:00 | 40:00 | Preparation and completion of report (2000 words) |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 23 | 2:00 | 46:00 | Independent reading, based on specific reading list for each week |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | Practical Digital Tools |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Visit to Gertrude Bell archives in library special collections |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 1 | 4:00 | 4:00 | Visit to local area to practice digital documentation of heritage |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Software surgery |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 8 | 2:00 | 16:00 | Independent reading, using reading list as a starting off point |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will introduce the theory of each key theme drawn from the digital humanities and the practical classes allow students to engage with case studies and practical digital tools. Fieldwork will introduce them to local case studies (e.g. Newcastle's Special Collections) representing some of the latest research in this domain.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 2 | M | 50 | Design a digital heritage database structure with example entries (draw on image interpretation practical, archive and site visits etc) OR design of a digital museum/heritage exhibit/experience |
| Report | 2 | M | 50 | Report explaining their methods and design choices for their project (2000 words). |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Design a digital database structure OR design a digital museum/ exhibit/experience: Students will draw on the topics covered by the syllabus to demonstrate their ability to meet learning outcomes of the practical skills needed to design and oversee digital humanities projects. This assessment will give them transferable practical experience of the kinds of digital dissemination projects used across the humanities and other sectors.
Report explaining their methods and design choices for their project: Students will draw on the topics covered by the syllabus to demonstrate their ability to meet learning outcomes of the theoretical knowledge and skills needed to design and oversee digital humanities projects. This assessment will allow them to justify and explain their methods and choice.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- DSC8011's Timetable