Workshop: Higher Education Programs in Digital Humanities: Challenges and Perspectives

Different aspects related to higher education programs in Digital Humanities (DH), whether, what and how they should be organized, are currently discussed at many higher education institutions in Nordic countries and beyond. In recent years the establishment of new educational programs under the title of Digital Humanities, for example in the USA, UK and Germany, are an indication of a perceived need for developing such specific curricula. DARIAH-EU has a dedicated research and education centre under the title of Virtual Competency Centre (VCC) Research and Education Liaison. DARIAH-EU also runs a registry of Digital Humanities education in Europe which, as of September 2019, lists 69 courses, 13 modules, 50 Bachelor programs, 85 Master programs, 7 PhD programs, and 6 summer schools. The Erasmus+ funded Open Education Ressources platform #dariahTeach forms part of DARIAH-EU sustained services, offering modules and courses within a range of DH topics, while also building on European quality standards for Higher Education.

In the Nordic countries similar efforts are underway at the University of Gothenburg, which launched a Master in Digital Humanities in autumn 2017. Uppsala University also offers a Master, started in autumn 2019. Linnaeus University will start an international distance Master program in Digital Humanities in autumn 2020; a course in Programming for Digital Humanities have been taking place since 2017; BALADRIA summer school in Digital Humanities was first given in 2019. The University of Helsinki is offering a module in Digital Humanities for several years now and starting a master programme in 2020 working together with social sciences as well who are developing their own MA track as well. At the same time, at other universities, courses in digital methods and topics have been integrated as a part of existing and new programs as specific compulsory and elective modules, or by including Digital Humanities related topics and perspectives as a part of other courses.

However, what a dedicated course, module or program in the field of Digital Humanities and Social Sciences should cover is not always clear. There is a considerable variation between different offerings including diverse content and approaches. The vast range of disciplines, fields, areas and topics relevant to Digital Humanities and Social Sciences present a challenge as to what to include in a dedicated program, how to address the different challenges related to bringing together different disciplinary traditions and methods, and how to accommodate professional, infrastructural and academic requirements for such initiatives.

Moreover, there are several challenges associated with what is expected from the outcomes of these new educational programs and efforts. Which job positions and tasks could a graduate Digital Humanist take on after completion of a Digital Humanities program? What kind of practices and training do the students need to be prepared for the job market or for a PhD programme? Is there a need for Digital Humanists or Social Data Scientists as such or should education in all humanities subjects be more inclusive of digital technology-related, cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral topics? If the latter is the case, do we need entire programs or could the alternative of focusing on dedicated modules or individual courses address existing and emerging needs of both the academic and the non-academic spheres? Furthermore, if both approaches were deemed to have their merits, how do they differ, overlap and complement each other in the context of educating future researchers and professionals for different sectors of the society?

The aim of this proposed workshop at DHN 2020 is to bring together scholars, educators and others interested in different aspects of Digital Humanities and Social Sciences education to explore the current potential and challenges and opportunities related to the teaching and learning in these fields. The workshop will provide an opportunity to share experiences, discuss existing programs, modules and courses, research, training and development activities, evaluation approaches, lessons learned, and findings. A further objective is to systematically engage in discussions in common areas of interest with selected related communities and to investigate potential co-operation and concrete collaborative activities.

The workshop will allow major established programs and initiatives to report results, newcomers to interact with established people in the field in order to allow the entire community to critically discuss topical issues. The DHN venue encourages participation by teachers, researchers and developers from different perspectives (reflecting the different conference threads). As the fourth workshop on education at DHN, it is envisioned as part of a workshop series taking place at annual DHN conferences in order to establish and provide a regular forum for discussions on education in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences in Nordic countries and beyond.

The workshop will take place in two parts, a closed discussion by invitation only, lasting 3 hours, and an open part, covering approximately 4 hours. The latter has the following indicative agenda structure:

Session 1: Welcome, introduction, mutual presentations (30 min duration)
Session 2: Presentations on the main themes (90 min duration)
Session 3: Directed discussion emerging from the main session (30 min duration)
Session 4: Presentation and discussion of submitted papers on timely and related topics according to the CfP (60 min duration)
Session 5: Concluding discussion, including options for co-operation (30 min duration).

Supporting material for the workshop will be available via the workshop website, including abstracts of presentations and plans for the workshop before the conference. After the workshop, copies of the presentations will be made available at the website. Authors presenting significant results at the workshop will be encouraged to submit papers for consideration in future issues of relevant journals.

The intended audience include: Teachers and managers at existing and developing Digital Humanities and Social Sciences programs; researchers working with topics in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences education; professionals who are interested in taking a Digital Humanities and Social Sciences program, modules, or courses. About 20 participants are expected to attend.