Perspectives on Curricula Design for Digital Humanities Programs

At the recent ACH Greater Boston Area Hub, a discussion on Digital Humanities curricula as it relates to DH certificates and similar programs revealed substantial interest in the subject. In response, our roundtable, comprising representatives from Boston College, MIT, and Northeastern University, will address how we have approached DH curriculum design and how that approach fits within the structure and culture of our DH programs. To lead off the session, each presenter will share very brief details about the DH curricular programs at their institution. The roundtable members will then respond to both pre-circulated questions and questions from the audience, and audience participants will also be invited to share perspectives from their own institutions. Topics will include our perspectives on essential DH knowledge, skills building, navigating institutional and cultural complexities, and addressing students' current and future professional needs. Our intent is to make this an open and dynamic discussion. Contributors to this session represent three institutions where digital humanities curricula are very differently positioned and organized. MIT has experimented with several approaches, from a Mellon-funded, Institute-supported Digital Humanities Lab to standalone courses. At Boston College, the Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities program is a collaborative effort between the Libraries' Digital Scholarship Group (DSG) and participating academic departments within the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences. At Northeastern University, the digital humanities curriculum is sponsored by the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Sciences and is focused on a four-course graduate certificate in digital humanities, which is open to students enrolled in graduate programs at Northeastern and may also be taken as a standalone certificate. This session will be an opportunity to explore how these curricula serve different student populations (undergraduate and graduate students from varied disciplinary areas) and different kinds of educational goals. It will also consider the institutional and logistical realities of designing and supporting programs like these: what kinds of courses and staffing are needed? What types of mentoring and support do students need outside the classroom? What kinds of preparation, if any, are students expected to have? What kinds of skills, tools, and methods are the focus of instruction? Melanie Hubbard is Head of Digital Scholarship and Data Services and co-directs the Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities at Boston College. Antonio LoPiano is Digital Humanities Program Specialist at Boston College Library. Ece Turnator is Humanities and Digital Scholarship Librarian at MIT. Mark Szarko is Librarian for Comparative Media Studies, Literature, Philosophy, and Theater Arts at MIT. Julia Flanders is Professor of Practice and Director of the Digital Scholarship Group at Northeastern University. Sarah Connell is Associate Director of the NULab for Digital Humanities and Computational Social Sciences, and Associate Director of the Women Writers Project at Northeastern University.