DTC 595 Reflection

In reflecting upon the different projects, presentations, and readings throughout the semester, I've come to really personalize and shape my own literacy within the Digital Humanities. This course is 1 of 3 in order to obtain a graduate certificate in digital humanities and culture which means that my literacy will be an ongoing process as I learn more from Dr. Arola's teaching with technology in the fall as well as the knowledge obtained in both Dr. Arola's 595 as well as our course this semester. To begin, I want to situate my interest in the digital humanities as a scholar who hopes to bridge the gap between Writing Program Administration and Digital Humanities, recognizing primarily visual rhetoric as a necessary discourse in which students use to compose and communicate within and outside of the composition classroom.

The Reading and Analysis Papers and Participation: To help shape my understanding of the digital humanities, the scholarship we've read this semester (primarily Debates in the Digital Humanities and Digital Humanities Pedagogy) have been a strong foundation for me in regards to learning about the conversations within the field of DH, but also situating the iterative approach of theory/method/practice as weaved together and not separate entity's in the direct application of curriculum and classroom pedagogy. 

The Making: 
Final Proposal: With the ever advancing power of technology, my final proposal aims to explore its benefits by looking specifically at SMS platforms and the ways in which emoji's are utilized to maintain and exert deliberate rhetorical cultural practice. I see this proposal as an iterative foundation as I begin to merely scratch the surface of this inherently new visual communicative practice, understanding its use outside of the classroom in order to fully synthesize and understand the pedagogical affordances it offers within academia. For me, the final proposal is a way to put my foundational literacy of DH into practice, weaving together the theory of embodiment with the methodology of using digital tools and making waves in regards to understanding the pedagogical affordances this visual tools can offer within the classroom.

DTC 101 Syllabus: In addition, the DTC 101 syllabus has really been informed by Comparative Textual Media and Digital Humanities Pedagogy in regards to examination of specific DH projects within the classroom and outside in the public sphere. My literacy of DH has expanded based on this project in recognizing the spaces in which DH can be a part of (public, private, and classroom).


Presenting:

Having the opportunity to do multiple presentations in the course has shaped my understanding of Digital Humanities literacy in the very nature of what it means to present information. In asking us to create a presentation of less than 6 words and 12 slides to shape our understanding of DH, it really pushed me to condense and solidify what key concepts and terms were relevant in what I understand the interdisciplinary field of DH to encompass. Each time I received feedback on the presentations, I felt as though my classmates and I were making a transition towards "comp/rhet" type of feedback which focused on the rhetoric and language, to focusing more on the methodology and theory behind our content (which is inherently DH). Though there are multiple intersections with Rhetoric and Composition, DH literacy focuses on how the theory cannot be separated from the practice, and this is something that comp/rhet doesn't have as much difficulty with in regards to isolating these two concepts. 

The blogging:

For me the blogs were a great experience to help shape my DH literacy because it was a place for me to personalize the material I was creating or reading in ways that not only made sense to me, but also ways that I could speak back to or challenge. Having feedback from both my classmates as well as my teacher was exceptionally helpful and was great for me in regards to getting feedback and questions to push me further as I explored what DH meant to me and my research.


In addition, taken from my acknowledgements page from Scalar, I have a couple thank you's in order for those who have helped to shape my literacy in DH:

Dr. Kim Christen Withey: As graduate students within the field of composition and rhetoric, there is a strong connotation for a start of a project or summative seminar paper within a semester and a clear end. Dr. Withey encouraged us to break this mindset and begin to see our scholarship and application as "serious play", encouraging mistakes and start overs in theory, methodology and practice along the way. In asking students to do a proposal where we don't actually "do" the research, it gives us the opportunity to let our minds soar as we envision how our "dream" project would be conducted within the digital humanities. Dr. Withey, thank you for giving us the freedom to exceed our own expectations of ourselves in entering a new field and breaking the mindset of "start to finish" so that we could play, make mistakes, and learn in ways that wasn't so punitive.

The pride I have in my proposal and success in the course wouldn't be possible if I didn't have exceptional colleagues in the seminar with me to encourage, critique, and question my proposal in its progression throughout the semester. Entering a new conversation and field is difficult, and I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to discuss and learn from some of the brightest minds in the fields of digital humanities and composition and rhetoric. Lacy, thank you for your constant critique, always challenging and always yearning to learn more and more each day. Your quest for knowledge and your drive motivates me to remember that we all have our own unique voice in these fields that deserve to be heard. Mark, thank you for your dialogue and analysis in each discussion of readings, theory and practice within the digital humanities. I appreciate your drive to want to do things well and the care and attentiveness you take towards your scholarship. You inspire me that our generation will still be comprised of scholars who care and who want to inspire and push our students in ways that are meaningful and proactive. I learn something new every time you open your mouth to contribute to the conversation. Thank you both for the opportunity to learn so much through your inquiry and optimism.

Thank you so much for taking the time to view my blog throughout the semester and helping to inform my perception and understanding of digital humanities literacy.

Lucy Johnson