Reflection on Digital Humanities Teaching in a German University's Chinese Studies Classroom
As Digital Humanities (DH) Teaching has increasing significance in the field of Chinese Studies, the three authors lectured in the course "Digital Humanities Methods of Literary and Cultural Research for Sinologists" at the University of Heidelberg. The course caters to students of both the Master in Transcultural Studies program of the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS) and the "Continuing Education Program 'Digital Humanities'" program of the Heidelberg Center for Digital Humanities (HCDH). The course aims at preparing students of Chinese Studies with DH concepts, methods, and paradigms for their current and future research on materials and sources of Chinese. With a focus on literary and cultural analysis, the course consists of six modules covering topics of DH concepts, data management, distant reading, DH infrastructure, Computer-assisted translation, and critical reflection. This paper documents the design, practice, and challenges of teaching, wishing to offer first-hand experience and reflection to peers endeavor to such practice in international universities. Upon the three lecturers' teaching experience in the 22/23 winter semester and feedback from students, this paper reflects on the specific issues in integrating DH into the Chinese studies curriculums for overseas students, wishing to provide a practical reference for DH teaching not only in the field Chinese Studies but also in area studies and transcultural studies with a global scope.
[1]Allington, Daniel. "The Place of Computation in the Study of Culture." The Bloomsbury Handbook to the Digital Humanities, November 3,2022,373–84.
[2]Brett, Megan. "Topic Modeling: A Basic Introduction Journal of Digital Humanities." Journal of Digital Humanities 2,no.1(2012). https://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/2-1/topic-modeling-a-basic-introduction-by-megan-r-brett/.
[3]Chen, Jing, and Lik Hang Tsui. "Debating and Developing Digital Humanities in China: New or Old?" In Global Debates in the Digital Humanities,71–86. University of Minnesota Press.2022.
[4]Digital Humanities Pedagogy: Practices, Principles and Politics.1st ed. Vol.3. Open Book Publishers.2012.
[5]Drucker, Johanna.The Digital Humanities Coursebook: An Introduction to Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship.1st ed. Routledge.2021.
[6]Goldstone, Andrew. "Teaching Quantitative Methods: What Makes It Hard (in Literary Studies)." Debates in the Digital Humanities 2018. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,2018. https://doi.org/10.7282/T3G44SKG.
[7]Mahony, Simon, and Elena Pierazzo. "Teaching Skills or Teaching Methodology?" In Digital Humanities Pedagogy,edited by Brett D. Hirsch,1st ed.,3:215–26. Practices, Principles and Politics. Open Book Publishers.2012.
[8]Arnold, M., Paterson, D. & Xie, J. Procedural challenges: the FAIR principles and PRC electronic resources - a case study of Chinese republican newspapers. International Journal of Digital Humanities4,147–170(2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42803-022-00055-6
[9]Moretti, Franco.Distant Reading. London; New York: Verso.2013.Ramsay, Stephen. "9. Programming with Humanists: Reflections on Raising an Army of Hacker-Scholars in the Digital Humanities". Hirsch, Brett D. Digital Humanities Pedagogy: Practices, Principles and Politics. Cambridge:Open Book Publishers,2012.
[10]Ramsay, Stephen. "9. Programming with Humanists: Reflections on Raising an Army of Hacker-Scholars in the Digital Humanities". Hirsch, Brett D. Digital Humanities Pedagogy: Practices, Principles and Politics. Cambridge:Open Book Publishers,2012.
[11]Spence, Paul Joseph, and Renata Brandao. "Towards Language Sensitivity and Diversity in the Digital Humanities." no.1.Digital Studies / Le Champ Numérique11, no.1(December 24,2021). https://www.digitalstudies.org/article/id/8098/.