Loyola University Chicago

Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities

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MA in Digital Humanities

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GRADUATE PROGRAM

Welcome to the CTSDH!

For details on our Digital Humanities MA program, please visit our website.

News

Gathering Places: Religion, Community, and Digital Public History
Dr. Christopher Cantwell | Thursday, November 17th | 12:30PM-1:30PM | Loyola Hall, Conference Room 318. The rise of digital humanities methods and pedagogies has fundamentally altered the study of religion. At the same time, our networked world currently is experiencing a profound shift in the nature of religious life. How might these two trends be brought into conversation? Can one help understand the other? This talk will draw upon a recent digital public history project to explore how religious studies, digital humanities, and public history can fruitfully work together to build a vibrant digital archive of our current moment. Please register for this Lunchtime Lecture. Food will be provided.
Digital Paris, c 1400
Dr. Emily Hutchinson | Tuesday, November 15th | 12:30 PM-1:30 PM | Loyola Hall, Conference Room 318. Mapping is a critical element of my scholarly work, and a useful form of evidence. Mapping often reveals things that are otherwise hidden in textual, artistic, or material sources. It offers insights into the physicality of a space, but also into patterns of use. The primary aim of Digital Paris c. 1400 is to have this platform answer queries for users that range from the very simple and straightforward (such as locating a particular street) to the more complex (for example: tracing the trajectory of the Dit des Rues de Paris and identifying ONLY the sites of interaction with women). Mapping evidence from our textual sources forces us to recognize that people's experiences differ across the terrain in very concrete ways, and mapping enables these realities to come to life in ways that we might otherwise overlook. Please register for this Lunchtime Lecture. Food will be provided.
Digital Humanities + Textual Studies Showcase
Melissa Bradshaw, Ian Cornelius, Elizabeth Hopwood, Frederick Staidum, and Marta Werner | Wednesday, November 9th | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Loyola Hall, Conference Room 318. Presentations of digital humanities projects by faculty in the Department of English. Please register for this Lunchtime Lecture. Food will be provided.
The Transformation of the Medium and Meaning of Illustration in Early Nineteenth-Century America
Join us as Dr. Chris Lusakik, Purdue University talks about 'The Transformation of the Medium and Meaning of Illustration in Early Nineteenth' on Thursday Oct 20, 2022 by 12:30pm at Loyola Hall, room 316. While the significance of illustration to the rise of a mass visual culture across the nineteenth century has been well documented, our understanding of what illustration meant during the period leading up to its dominance remains confused. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this paper examines the transformations in the medium and meaning of illustration as they appear in periodicals published in America from 1775 to 1825. Evidence from this case study will be discussed as it pertains to the study of literature, art history, and book history as well as our understanding of the rise of optical media across the nineteenth century.
XML transformations with JavaScript and XSLT
The workshop will be hosted by Eliora Horst on Wed. 3/24, 2-3:30PM CST, where you will learn how to transform the plain text of XML encoded documents into a well designed and easy to read format using the coding languages XSLT and JavaScript. No prior experience is required. Click to register
Building Digital Exhibits with Omeka Classic
Hosted by Andrew French - Wed. 3/3, 2-3:30PM CST Omeka Classic is a popular web publishing platform that allows users to create and share digital collections and exhibits. Omeka is a wonderful resource that empowers the user by providing a simple way to customize and navigate the backend of your own digital archive. Join us in this workshop as we will explore the process of setting up an Omeka site, and see how you can liven up your next digital project.
Introduction to Creative Commons and Open Access
Hosted by Anna Kroon - Wed. 2/24, 2-3:30PM CST This workshop will provide an introduction to creating and using open access content with Creative Commons licenses. We will cover the different Creative Commons licenses and their restrictions as well as where to find open access and public domain content. We will also discuss what it means to license projects under Creative Commons and how this impacts knowledge.
Narrating Time: A TimelineJS Workshop
Hosted by Regina Hong - Wed. 2/10, 2-3:30PM CST Any story, composed in any form, is the narration of time. TimelineJS is a user-friendly tool by KnightLab for building visually beautiful, interactive timelines that can display a variety of media to tell a story. Join us to learn about how TimelineJS works and how it can be integrated with existing projects you have.
The Fashion and Race Database: Decentralizing Fashion
Click to register to receive the Zoom link for 'The Fashion and Race Database: Decentralizing Fashion' lunchtime lecture. It will be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, from 2 pm to 3 pm CST. The talk will provide an introduction to the digital humanities project, The Fashion and Race Database, which is "an online platform filled with open-source tools that expand the narrative of fashion history and challenge mis-representation within the fashion system". Database founder and principal researcher Kim Jenkins (Ryerson University) will discuss the impetus for the project as well as the process of gathering and classifying sources on a large-scale, establishing a team of researchers and contributors. Jenkins will also discuss how the project has established a hybrid model of serving both academia and industry, whilst building community in the public realm through social media.
Surviving the Black Death: The Digital Reconstruction of a Medieval Merchant’s Diary
How did the Black Death impact people’s daily lives? From 1340-1380, Pepo Albizi kept a ledger and memorial book, recording business affairs, accounts of events, personal and family matters, including details of his three weddings, a list of his legitimate and illegitimate children, and a register of family members who died in the black death of 1348. One of the most powerful families of premodern Florence, the Albizi were active members of the wool guild, most prosperous between 1200 and 1550. Pepo’s diary (1340-1380 ca.), now at the Newberry Library in Chicago, provides an unprecedented glimpse into the life of a medieval merchant during the time of a pandemic and tells us a story of survival and of overcoming a tragic personal and public event. This talk, by Isabella Magni, will present the initial stages of building a digital edition of the Albizi Memorial book. Click to register and receive the Zoom event link. Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 2pm - 3pm CST.
Visualizing the Future of Museums: How to Make Data Visualization Accessible and Useful for Managing Collections
Jessica Mailhot will share the story of CollViz (short for “collection visualization”), an online one-stop resource hub for anyone interested in bringing data viz into their collection work. CollViz is the product of Jessica Mailhot’s graduate thesis at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Museum & Field Studies Program, and she will discuss how to explore interdisciplinary solutions, the crossroads of data viz and museums, and how CollViz could help introduce the power of data viz into your work.
What Computers Can't Read: Computational Graphology and Literary Manuscripts
September 23, 2020, 2 pm - 3 pm CST: Seth Perlow talks about his project which develops computerized methods for literary handwriting analysis. It uses forensics software, a pen-wielding robot, and other equipment to read manuscripts from Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe to recent Instagram poetry. The project situates these methods within an interdisciplinary history of graphology to show how technological challenges help us to rethink the value of seeing literary manuscripts in the first place. Click to sign up.
Sesquicentennial Scholars Project
The Sesquicentennial Scholars are a group of graduate students based at the University Archives and Special Collections and Women and Leadership Archives, working on a series of projects to commemorate Loyola's sesquicentennial. Come listen to project presenters Scarlett Andes, Jennifer Duvall, and Regina Hong, share about their work on timelines, exhibits, oral histories and tweets, on September 9, 2020 from 2-3PM (online). Click to sign up and receive the Zoom meeting ID. Disclaimer: This session is being recorded and will be posted on our social media channels.
Loyolans During the Covid-19 Crisis
To document life through this historic crisis, Loyola University Archives is seeking the Loyola community’s experiences of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators to keep a journal and to submit any stories, videos, photographs, art, or reflections; ranging from direct observations to artistic reflections on topics such as working from home, the shift to online teaching/learning, changes to daily life, or social distancing. These items will be kept in the University Archives for future generations to experience. Click to participate and submit.
Dr. Melissa Bradshaw Receives ORS Grant for "The Amy Lowell Letters Project"
Congratulations to Dr. Melissa Bradshaw for receiving a Research Support Grant from the Office of Research Services. The grant will go towards "The Amy Lowell Letters Project," a digital edition of Lowell's correspondences.
Useful Resources for Online Teaching
We have curated a limited list of resources for academics now rushing to moving their classes online; from open-access reading material, to shared annotation tools, community access, and more. Take a quick look.
COVID-19 Update
In keeping with the latest University-wide directives to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), all CTSDH events for the Spring 2020 semester, including Lunchtime Lectures and Workshops, have been canceled.
The Amy Lowell Letters Project: Digitizing a Career in Poetry
On the Wednesday following spring break, Dr. Melissa Bradshaw from Loyola's Department of English will deliver a lecture on her work for The Amy Lowell Letters Project, an open-access, digital scholarly edition of the letters of American poet, editor, and critic Amy Lowell (1874–1925). The event will run from 12:30 to 1:30 PM and will be held in the conference room on the 3rd floor of Loyola Hall. DETAILS
East Asian Textiles Launch
Please join us for the launch of the East Asian Textiles project. Wednesday, March 18, 12:30-1:30 pm at the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection (Mundelein 419).
Dr. Marta Werner Awarded ORS Grant for "Dickinson's Birds: A Public Listening Project"
Congratulations to Dr. Marta Werner, Martin J. Svaglic Chair in Textual Studies, for receiving a Research Support Grant from Loyola's Office of Research Services.The grant will fund her digital project, "Dickinson's Birds: A Public Listening Project."
Digital Humanities 101
Join the Digital Humanities Student Association for DH 101, where we'll survey digital editions, timelines, mapping, and more. Students, staff, faculty, and community members from any discipline are welcome; no experience necessary. It will be held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm at Loyola Hall 318. Please RSVP to luc.dhsa@gmail.com
Fall 2020 Applications now open
Applications for the MA in Digital Humanities program at LUC are now open. Apply now!
Top Reasons Why Technology Needs the Humanities
As the need and purpose of humanities education raises questions in academia and outside, there is one sector looking at its usefulness; technology. See why two seemingly different branches of education are made for each other.
Upcoming: Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science 2019
DHCS 2019 is fast approaching! As last year's hosts, we are excited to see how University of Chicago extends the conversation about the current state of DH. The conference will be held in the David and Reva Logan Center, November 9-10. Make sure to RSVP and we will see you there! DETAILS
LECTURE

The 2019/20 Edward Surtz Memorial Lecture to be held in late February
Founded in 1973, the Edward Surtz Memorial Lecture year after year has featured innovative trans-historical and cross-disciplinary work in the humanities. Save the date, February 26th, 2020, to participate in the continuation of this tradition. LEARN MORE
Call for Papers

Call for Abstracts: 9th Annual Digital Ethics Symposium
The Center for Digital Ethics & Policy at Loyola University Chicago (digitalethics.org) will be holding its 9th annual International Symposium on Digital Ethics on November 7th & 8th, 2019. Abstracts for papers related to digital ethics should be submitted by May 20th, 2019.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

It's time for the Girls Who Code Fall 2019 Semester at CTSDH!
After securing two grants last year, we are so excited to announce the new session of Girls Who Code, which begins in September. Details inside!LEARN MORE
ANNUAL REPORT

Read the 2018-19 Annual Report
From new graduating MA students to major new grants, the CTSDH had a banner year in 2018-19. Learn more about all that our research center and graduate program accomplished!
Workshops

Unessays, Data Analysis, and 360 VR
We expanded our research toolkit this year! Taught by talented scholars, our workshops provided hands-on training and discussion for interested students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.
Lunchtime Lectures

A Year of Lunchtime Lectures
Lunchtime Lectures provide talented scholars with the opportunity to share their Digital Humanities work with interested students, faculty, staff, and members of the community over lunch throughout the academic year.
CTSDH People

Loyola Women in STEM
Congratulations to CTSDH Fellow Eunice Montenegro for being featured in this story, highlighting the different ways female students excel in STEM fields at Loyola!READ MORE
Publication

Caughie Co-Authors Digital Humanities Article
Congratulations to Dr. Pamela Caughie, Director of the Man Into Woman Project, and her co-author Dr. Sabine Meyer on the publication of their article based on the scholarly edition of Man Into woman. The article is titled "From Work to Tech: Digital Archives and Queer Narratives." Click to read the article.
Essay

New Essay on Digital Pedagogy by Loyola Students
"Digital Paxton: Collaborative Construction with Eighteenth-Century Manuscript Collections" by Loyola doctoral student Kelly Schmidt, recent graduate Kate Johnson, and scholar Will Fenton reveals the pedagogical possibilities of digital archives.
Major Grant

Loyola Awards Grant to Commemorate 150-year History
The Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities, Public History Program, and the University Libraries are the recipients of a three-year grant to help prepare for the university’s 150th anniversary celebration which takes place in 2020.
CONFERENCE

University of Chicago to host Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science 2019
The Call for Papers was just issued for DHCS 2019 to be held Nov 9-10, 2019 at the David and Reva Logan Center at the University of Chicago. Click through for more information.