The 3rd Annual “SII Research Methodology Development” PhD Course Series
1. Topics in IC Research 2: Online Hermeneutic Methods (new course listing)
Dates: Tuesday afternoons, 3:20-7:30 (4 times 5 periods), Mar 28, April 11, 18, 25
Instructors: Dr. Inge van de Ven & Dr. Tom van Neunen, Tilburg University, Netherlands
Course Description: A key strategy for scholars in the humanities is the close reading of cultural objects: reading to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension. Close reading involves carefully reading and reflecting on a cultural object, in which we pay special attention to things like characterization, the pace of the plot, the symbolism and imagery found throughout a work. It can also be put to use to uncover and engage critically with power relations that are inherent to each cultural object.
The current digitization of old texts and imagery, and the birth of a whole range of new, digitally native genres, however, poses new questions for the practice of close reading. This is exacerbated in the context of big data and superdiversity, in which it seems increasingly problematic to make inductive statements based on the contingent cultural objects that we study. It simply isn’t possible to read everything. Distant reading, in this context, refers to a reading method that relies on computer programs. The strategy represents an attempt at utilizing big data analytics for the purposes of literary scholarship.
In this course, we investigate the possibilities and pitfalls of a negotiation between these two approaches, and compare the different types of knowledge they foster. Students get to apply both methods to a selected case study, the results of which are discussed in class.
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