As global communities become increasingly immersed in and reliant on digital technologies, Carleton University is contributing important insights on how digital media impacts society and how digital tools can help answer questions about the human experience.<\/p>\n
Carleton University\u2019s\u00a0College of the Humanities<\/a>\u00a0and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) are pleased to announce the creation of StudioDH, a reimagination of the professionalization component of the Master of Arts (MA) in\u00a0Digital Humanities program<\/a>, whose faculty and students engage in innovative research often employing progressive scholarly tools to explore the evolving and intensifying influence of digital technologies on culture, identities and communities.<\/p>\n StudioDH is envisioned as a public focused, inside-out community-based research and art collective that will allow students to work closely with public- and private-sector partners via a physical \u2018pop-up\u2019 style laboratory, located in the community and open to the public. Identified partners will be organizations that rely heavily on digital media, including those in the art and entertainment, media production, library and archives, museums and gaming sectors.<\/p>\n Student projects will cover a breadth of cross-disciplinary topics and will seek to identify community needs and present creative solutions. Past student research projects in Carleton\u2019s digital humanities program have included: a\u00a0creative representation<\/a>\u00a0of the environmental history of the\u00a0Ottawa River through data \u201csongs,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a scholarly digital edition of a notorious 18th<\/sup>\u00a0century publication about \u2018pyrates,\u2019 a video game about historical memory, and a game to teach principles of philosophical reasoning for use in under-resourced schools.<\/p>\n StudioDH has been created thanks to a $2.2M gift from a generous Carleton donor. This donation will support StudioDH activities and related experiential learning through the creation of three funds: a Student Experience Fund, which will provide students with opportunities to learn from experts in the field and network with peers from other institutions by attending national and international conferences and events; a Student Support Fund, which will provide financial aid to students participating in the Digital Humanities program and; an Equipment Fund, which will bolster research activities. The gift will also enable the creation of a post-doctoral fellowship in community-based digital humanities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled to announce StudioDH, which will enhance how Carleton carries out humanities research and teaching,\u201d says Jerry Tomberlin, interim president and vice-chancellor. \u201cStudioDH will offer meaningful experiential learning opportunities that prepare students to make a positive impact while also directly benefitting our community. We are grateful to the generous donor who has made this initiative possible, and to the partners who will help make it a success.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy taking an entrepreneurial approach to their projects, students will develop skills like problem-solving, tenacity and adaptability that will allow them to make a difference in their chosen fields in the future,\u201d adds Laura Banducci, associate professor in the Greek and Roman Studies program and coordinator for Carleton\u2019s Digital Humanities program.<\/p>\n The study and practice of digital humanities (DH) is crucial in our modern era of digital disruption. Today, there are few disciplines that remain untouched by digital media and technologies. The ubiquity of such technologies has both altered the way we navigate the world around us and provides new means of exploring and understanding our past, present and future. DH involves both using digital technologies to do historical and sociological research and applying humanistic lenses to digital tools to understand their histories and impact.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n