Summer School 2024 Digital Humanities and Digital Communication: Challenges and opportunities of interacting with and through technology Host Institution: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia Coordinating Institution: Department of Studies on Language and Culture Website: https://www.summerschooldigitalhumanities.unimore.it/ Dates: 3 June 2024—7 June 2024 Location: Modena, Emilia Romagna, Italy
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS We are happy to announce the 6th edition of our Summer School in Digital Humanities and Digital Communication, which will be hosted by the Department of Studies on Language and Culture of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in collaboration with the Fondazione Marco Biagi. As part of the Doctoral Programme in Human Sciences, the Summer School aims to provide PhD students and young researchers with methodological tools for the study of digital communication and data analysis. This year’s focus is on challenges and opportunities of interacting through technology, with topics ranging from digital resources for research in the humanities to the use of new information technologies for data analysis; from tools for analysing communication in new media to ways of processing, accessing, and disseminating knowledge.
SUMMER SCHOOL THEMES The digital world in which we live opens up numerous opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In recent years the impact of technology has been profound and far-reaching and the speed at which innovations have been introduced has radically changed the landscape of research and communication. New forms of media have transformed our working and social habits and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Digital technology has also facilitated the production, storage and access to information. Research, especially in the humanities, has benefited from increasingly complex digital archives, the flexibility and the multimodality of digital publishing, the wealth of tools for the compilation, annotation and analysis of corpora etc. The object itself of research has changed, often including digital data or focusing on digital communication and user- generated content in particular. Dissemination of knowledge has expanded its potential with the use of augmented reality and gaming. Indeed, generative AI is opening the whole field of the humanities to new methods and new research questions. However, these trends often pull in opposite directions, creating paradoxes and contradictions. For example, whilst an infinite amount of information is guaranteed, the reliability, trustworthiness and source of that information is unknown, with AI in the background and the legal issues associated with it (data leaks, misrepresenting information, unintended uses etc.). Access to global systems of communication bring potentially an infinite number of people into contact, but at the same time, alone with our computers or mobile phones, we can become detached and solitary. Contemporary forms of communication have blurred the distinction between what is real and what is virtual. What kind of demands do the new forms of technology pose on researchers in the humanities? What role does literacy play in fostering ethical understanding and critical thinking in today’s technologically evolving society? Is there a risk of undermining the active role of human agents with AI? May too much trust be placed on the machine? The summer school will try to discuss the challenges and opportunities of interacting with and through technology, considering new fields of study, new tools and resources, new forms of collaboration in research, while at the same time allowing participants to explore some of the recent advances in the field of digital humanities in hands-on workshops.
APPLICATIONS AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES https://www.summerschooldigitalhumanities.unimore.it/application/
IMPORTANT DATES Deadline for applications: March 28, 2024 Notification of acceptance: April 10, 2024 Conference website: https://www.summerschooldigitalhumanities.unimore.it/ For any inquiry, please contact the organisers at: digitalhumanities@unimore.it