Digital Humanities Commons^™

Language In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Axel Ahdritz

CMC Senior Theses

AI language models can now produce text that is indistinguishable from our own, forcing us into a confrontation with the romantic assumptions underlying ‘natural language’ in the West. In this thesis, I will conduct a genealogy of the ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’ qualities of language through the literary, philosophical, and mathematical texts in which our ideas of authorship are premised. My hope is that this discussion will deepen our understanding of the language produced by AI models, answer why we feel compelled to anthropomorphize these machines, and situate readers in the reality of our present linguistic moment.

‘Big’ And ‘Little’ Quo Vadis? In The United States, 1913–1916: Using Gis To Map Rival Modes Of Feature Cinema During The Transitional Era, Jeffrey Klenotic

Faculty Publications

This article emanates from a geospatial database of over 600 premieres of the Cines company’s Quo Vadis? (1913), an eight-reel film distributed by George Kleine, and nearly 250 premieres of the Quo Vadis Film Company’s Quo Vadis? (1913), a three-reel film of ambiguous origins distributed by Paul De Outo. By mapping local premieres of both films across the United States from 1913 through 1916, the data show with spatiotemporal precision the spread of Quo Vadis? as one of cinema’s early blockbuster titles. Yet within this national phenomenon, the two films’ footprints reveal differing cultural geographies served by competing efforts to …

Gameplays Versus Playstyles: The Social Construction Of Transmediated Communities Among Filipino Children Gamers In Minecraft And Roblox, Cheeno Marlo Sayuno

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The children of today’s generation are considered as digital natives, which means that they have the capacity to navigate technological terrains to the best of their abilities and create online communities in new storyworlds. Minecraft and Roblox, two sandbox open-world mobile games, are manifestations of such ability to create worlds, survive in difficult gaming situations, face opponents in combat, and interact with players within a community. Even more so, such transmedia engagements allow the child participants, as evidenced in this study, to transact with players and the app itself to introduce new playstyle strategies that complement or subvert the gameplays …

Fraternity, Martyrdom And Peace In Burundi: The Forty Servants Of God Of Buta, Jodi Mikalachki

Journal of Global Catholicism

During Burundi's 1993-2005 civil war, students at Buta Minor Seminary were ordered at gunpoint to separate by ethnicity—Hutus over here, Tutsis over there! They chose instead to join hands and affirm their common identity as children of God. The forty students killed were quickly proclaimed martyrs of fraternity. Their costly solidarity defused the cry for reprisals and continues to inspire Burundians and others on the path of reconciliation. Drawing on fifty interviews with survivors, parents of martyrs, neighbors, religious leaders and other Burundian intellectuals, this essay examines how Burundian Catholics understand the significance of the Buta martyrdom to their …

Girlpwrd: Amplifying Silenced Voices Of Women Through Digital Storytelling, Brooke Schumann

English Theses

Drawing on data from a multi-month digital storytelling community project, this qualitative case study offers portraits of three marginalized women who re-author pivotal moments of silencing in their lives. The foundational framework blends scholarship on rhetorical silence, rhetorical listening, and semiotics of multimodal expression. These cases demonstrate how digital storytelling allows women a space to form and give voice to their silence, where they are the empowered agents of their own stories. The digital platform elevates these underrepresented narratives by creating new pathways for listening.

The Devotees To Disconnection, Keith Paul Medelis

Capstones

The richest and most connected people are paying to log offline, leaving the rest of us tethered to our devices. We want in on their secret. But at what cost?

More Than Meets The Eye: Proximity To Crises Through Presidential Photographs, Laurie J. Bonnici, Brian C. O'Connor

Proceedings from the Document Academy

We look at three photographs, each made at a time of profound crisis, in order to tease out notions of proximity. Vision gives us proximity at a distance. Photographs may give us a similar proximity. Human vision depends on experience built up from individual events of seeing. Can a photograph made in a fraction of a second by someone else at some other time and some other place provide anything more than data about some surfaces in front of the lens? Can words and other images from the photographers enhance the viewer’s proximity to the original? Can we make use …

Introduction To Using Python In The Digital Humanities, Elisabeth Shook

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

The materials here are from the Python for Digital Humanities Workshop taught on December 13, 2021 for the Boise State University Digital Humanities Group. This 3-hour workshop was created to provide both a very brief introduction to the various capabilities of Python and a small lesson in using Python to pull meaningful insight out of text files.

Defining And Detecting Toxicity On Social Media: Context And Knowledge Are Key, Amit Sheth, Valerie Shalin, Ugur Kursuncu

Publications

As the role of online platforms has become increasingly prominent for communication, toxic behaviors, such as cyberbullying and harassment, have been rampant in the last decade. On the other hand, online toxicity is multi-dimensional and sensitive in nature, which makes its detection challenging. As the impact of exposure to online toxicity can lead to serious implications for individuals and communities, reliable models and algorithms are required for detecting and understanding such communications. In this paper We define toxicity to provide a foundation drawing social theories. Then, we provide an approach that identifies multiple dimensions of toxicity and incorporates explicit knowledge …

Multimodal Expertise Training For Writing Center Tutors, Erin E. A. O'Day

English Department Theses

As digital technology becomes more common on college campuses and multimodal compositions are assigned by more instructors, writing centers must incorporate support for multimodal projects into their tutoring. However, no method for training writing center tutors to understand the basic principles of multimodal compositions is currently available. This thesis, therefore, proposes a method for training multimodal expert tutors in writing centers which focuses on both the importance of rhetorical choices in communicating a message in different media and on the basic principles of design for four primary areas: visual, audio, video, and web design. Example tutor training handouts for these …

Bibliometric Analysis Of Open Access Digital Humanities Publications, Deep Kumar Kirtania

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The main purpose of this paper is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the open access digital humanities scholarly literatures during 2001 to 2020. This paper examines the distribution of year wise growth, authorship pattern, identifies the most productive authors, countries, publication source and institutions and most trusted research areas. The bibliographic data required for this present study has been collected through the Lens database and analyzed on the basis of various indicators of bibliometrics assessment. The study found that digital humanities research on open access platforms is growing rapidly. The study showed that that the developed countries such as …

Amjambo Africa! (December 2021), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Film: .......................................2/3

Le Intersection/Le Carrefour Zamzam Elmoge Black Owned Maine/Amjambo Holiday Gift Guide. ...........4/5

Editorial......................................6

Healthcare in Chad ...................8

French • Kinyarwanda Portuguese • Somali • Spanish Swahili

Poetry: My version of the American dream ......................13

Hermenegildo Paulo and Mathilde Micomyiza...............14

Diversity Calendar project.....16

Finance/All about cars............18

Columns. ............................18/19

Preble Street • MIRC • ILAP Maine Equal Justice • IntWork

5 New Mainers celebrate holidays...............................20-29

French • Kinyarwanda Portuguese • Somali • Spanish Swahili

Community Health Workers/CHOWs....................28

New Voices...............................29

Rupal Ramesh Shah • Roseline Souebele

Humanitarian crisis in Maine.31

Textq—A User Friendly Tool For Exploratory Text Analysis, April Edwards, Marylyn Sullivan, Ezrah Itkowsky, Dana B. Weinberg

Publications and Research

As the amount of textual data available on the Internet grows substantially each year, there is a need for tools to assist with exploratory data analysis. Furthermore, to democratize the process of text analytics, tools must be usable for those with a non-technical background and those who do not have the financial resources to outsource their data analysis needs. To that end, we developed TextQ, which provides a simple, intuitive interface for exploratory analysis of textual data. We also tested the efficacy of TextQ using two case studies performed by subject matter experts—one related to a project on the detection …

Shopping For A Cause: Social Influencers, Performative Allyship, And The Commodification Of Activism, Emily Mckellar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Since the early 2010s, social media has been a powerful tool for protestors and activists throughout the world. In times of crisis and political uprisings, users have pulled out their phones and taken to platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and, more recently, Instagram, to capture “the revolution” in real time. Although originally intended for networking purposes, social media has provided people with a digital space to share their stories, disseminate resources, and broadcast live, allowing them to share their efforts with millions.

While social media has helped assemble protests, amplify marginalized voices, and educate the public, it has also become a …

Exploring The Digital Humanities Research Agenda: A Text Mining Approach, Soohyung Joo, Jennifer Hootman, Marie Katsurai

Information Science Faculty Publications

Purpose

This study aims to explore knowledge structure and research trends in the domain of digital humanities (DH) in the recent decade. The study identified prevailing topics and then, analyzed trends of such topics over time in the DH field.

Design/methodology/approach

Research bibliographic data in the area of DH were collected from scholarly databases. Multiple text mining techniques were used to identify prevailing research topics and trends, such as keyword co-occurrences, bigram analysis, structural topic models and bi-term topic models.

Findings

Term-level analysis revealed that cultural heritage, geographic information, semantic web, linked data and digital media were among the most …

Embedded Humanities In Data Systems, Atilio Barreda Ii

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Amjambo Africa! (November 2021), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Afghanistan................................2

Anti-racism. ...............................3

Wabanaki Alliance. ...................5

Allan Monga. .............................6

Translations .......9-13, 30/31, 33

French • Kinyarwanda

Portuguese • Somali

Spanish • Swahili

Africa/COVID.........................13

Banyamulenge....................13/14

Burundi/UN. ...........................14

Tigray........................................14

Rebels........................................14

Market Basket..........................15

Azerbaijani women.................18

Health & Wellness. ............20-29

Diabetes | COVID In English & translation

Columns .......................19, 32/33

Maine Equal Justice

ILAP – IntWork

Let’s Talk • Beautiful Blackbird

New Voices ..................34/35/37

Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed

Rupal Ramesh Shah

Nsiona Nguizani

Coco McCracken

Gashi

Kifah Abdulla

Financial Literacy. ...................36

Tips & Info ...39

Early Modern Scottish Metrical Psalmody: Origins And Practice, Timothy Duguid

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Non-literate societies are often dependent on music for transmitting news and ideas because of music’s ability to enhance memory. Sixteenth-century reformers were aware of this, but they had to compete with secular and Roman Catholic music that often contradicted Reformed doctrine. Highly influenced by the Strasbourg-based Martin Bucer and the writings of Saint Augustine, John Calvin insisted that Biblical Psalms, set in vernacular poetry, were most appropriate for both corporate worship and private devotion. The result was a series of metrical psalters that were intended to be performable by everyone. Some editions had explicitly liturgical designs, but most were intended …

Using Digital Libraries To Engage The Whole Student: Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, Trauma-Informed Classrooms, And Project-Based Learning, Alejandra Torres

Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship

Engaging students with an online library does not have to be limited to research purposes only. This essay includes lesson plan ideas that use the Louisiana Digital Library to engage middle and high school students in ways that help amplify their curiosity and explore their identities. To ensure the lesson plans engage the whole student, I ground them in three components (culturally sustaining pedagogies, trauma-informed classrooms, and project-based learning) and seven core values. These lessons could be used alone as writing workshops or can be used to introduce or make connections to other concepts. The activities are adaptable to fit …

Listening, Care, And Collections As Data, Jacqueline Wernimont

Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship

This paper takes the sonification (the translation into sound) of data from sterilization recommendations made under eugenic laws in the United States as a case study in navigating the terrain between a commitment to caring for and with impacted communities and the potential affordances and perils of using sensitive collections as data. The author discusses ways that feminist care ethics and collections as data research intersect in a digital humanities project.

Centering The Margins In Digital Project Planning, Dorothy Berry

Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship

This paper uses the example of the development of a digital collections program at Harvard University’s Houghton Library to provide an introduction to building programmatic and equitable collections online. Focusing on why, how, and what goes into programmatic digital collections through examples of ongoing project workflows and special projects workflows, the paper introduces methods for digital project planning that center diverse histories.

It Matters Who Does This Work: An Interview With Tonia Sutherland, Sophia Ziegler

Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship

Tonia Sutherland (she/her) is assistant professor in the Library and Information Science Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She serves on the SAA Council, and is author of the forthcoming book Digital Remains: Race and the Digital Afterlife. Dr. Sutherland holds a Ph.D. and an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Computing and Information, as well as a BA in history, performance studies, and cultural studies from Hampshire College. Her work focuses on the interactions of technology and culture, and emphasizes critical work within the fields of archival studies, digital studies, and science and technology studies. …

Editors' Introduction, Sophia Ziegler, Leah Powell Duncan, Gina Costello

Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Humans Of Ua: A University Of Akron Unclass 2020, Kaylie Yaceczko

Student Projects from the Archives

No abstract provided.

Taking A Different Look At The University Of Akron: Researching In The Archives, Katelynn Olsen

Student Projects from the Archives

No abstract provided.

From Bankers To Farmers: Finding A Sustainable Model For An Undergraduate Summer Dh Program, R.C. Miessler, Kevin Moore

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Librarians R.C. Miessler and Kevin Moore provide an overview of how summer Digital Humanities programs at Musselman Library entered their last year of grant funding with an eye toward securing a commitment of institutional support. The presenters will reflect upon the overall sustainability of Musselman Library’s Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship program and share their plans for ongoing management of the program.

Underpinnings And Equal Terms: Using An Exhibit As An Entry Point For Engaging Undergraduate Students In The Research Process, Rebecca Fitzsimmons

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Studying exhibits offers students many entry points for critically evaluating information and images. They are also effective tools for engaging students in research to better understand how to refine their research questions and construct compelling narratives. This poster focuses on the use of the online women’s suffrage themed exhibit Underpinnings and Equal Terms to teach undergraduate students visual and information literacy skills and engage them in archival research. Using this exhibit curated from archival and special collections materials as a starting point, students in an introductory Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies course explored how the overarching theme and subnarratives were …

Civichon 1.0: City In A Village, Catalogue For Civichon Exhibition In Vienna Biennale 2021, Albert L. Park, Kyong Park, Annie Pedret

EnviroLab Asia

No abstract provided.

Amjambo Africa! (October 2021), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Afghanistan................................2

Refugees......................................3

Freedom & Captivity...........3/39

Election special. .....................4-7

Editorial/Xenophobia ...............8

Translations...............9-13/30-31

News from Burundi ................14

Fishermen feeding Mainers...15

Beautiful Blackbird Festival ...17

Hope Acts.................................17

Education............................18/19

Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed

Valerie Laure Bilogue

Bez Mendelsohn

Health&Wellness ...............20-28

Substance abuse & addiction Covid and Delta In English & translation

New Voices columns ...16/34/35

Rupal Ramesh Shah (16),

Roseline Souebele

Nsiona Nguizani

Coco McCracken

Shay Stewart-Bouley

Zabrina Richards

Columns ............................29/32

Maine Equal Justice ILAP• MIRC

Business Insurance

Financial literacy... ............33

ProsperityME ....................36/37

Reducing Fraud, Waste, And Abuse In International Aid Supply Chains Using Blockchain, Ilana Blackwood

IPHS 300: AI for Humanity

Supply chains are an integral part of manufacturing, disaster management, charity, as well as many other sectors. Currently, supply chains are susceptible to many potential inefficiencies. For example, supply chains are prone to be affected by fraud, waste and abuse. Hence, this project seeks to explain how the implementation of smart contracts and block coupled with Internet of Things (IoT) to solve the inefficiencies currently existing within the supply chain, using development aid as an example.