The teaching intends to provide students with a basic knowledge of the theoretical foundations of the digital ecosystem, and to introduce the use of computers and digital tools in the humanities, with special reference to text encoding, analysis and representation.
The main aim of the teaching is to allow students to understand the principles underlying the digital devices they use every day, acquiring the core notions required to understand the relevance of the research and debate in the field of Digital Humanities.
At the end of the course, participants will understand the basic principles of the theory of information, as well as the main ideas allowing for the use of digital tools and information in the humanities.
The main aim of the teaching is to allow students to understand the principles underlying the digital devices they use every day, acquiring the core notions required to understand the relevance of the research and debate in the field of Digital Humanities.
At the end of the course, participants will understand the basic principles of the theory of information, as well as the main ideas allowing for the use of digital tools and information in the humanities.
teacher profile teaching materials
Section A - The digital world: A basic introduction. The concepts of information and digitization. Turing machine. Von Neumann machine. Computer. Networks: history, topology, protocols. Introduction to the world wide web and to mark-up languages; Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Strong and weak AI, Turing test, connectionism, neural networks. Internet as global medium and features of online communication.
Section B - Introduction to digital humanities: the definition of DH; forms of digital textuality; Introduction to textual encoding; Basic notions of Digital publishing; Digital tools for school and learning.
Section A is propedeutic to section B.
Section B: - Fabio Ciriaci, Informatica per le scienze umane, McGraw Hill Italia 2012
- Gino Roncaglia, L'età della frammentazione, Laterza 2020 (second edition)
Not-attending students are also required to read
- Mirko Tavosanis, Lingue e intelligenza artificiale, Carocci 2018
It is always possible to contact the Professor in order to substitute the required Italian textbooks with English textbooks.
Programme
The course is organized into two main sections:Section A - The digital world: A basic introduction. The concepts of information and digitization. Turing machine. Von Neumann machine. Computer. Networks: history, topology, protocols. Introduction to the world wide web and to mark-up languages; Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Strong and weak AI, Turing test, connectionism, neural networks. Internet as global medium and features of online communication.
Section B - Introduction to digital humanities: the definition of DH; forms of digital textuality; Introduction to textual encoding; Basic notions of Digital publishing; Digital tools for school and learning.
Section A is propedeutic to section B.
Core Documentation
Section A: - Fabio Ciotti e Gino Roncaglia, Il mondo digitale, cap. I-IX, Laterza 2000 (14a edizione, 2013)Section B: - Fabio Ciriaci, Informatica per le scienze umane, McGraw Hill Italia 2012
- Gino Roncaglia, L'età della frammentazione, Laterza 2020 (second edition)
Not-attending students are also required to read
- Mirko Tavosanis, Lingue e intelligenza artificiale, Carocci 2018
It is always possible to contact the Professor in order to substitute the required Italian textbooks with English textbooks.
Type of delivery of the course
Online learning and - if possible given the COVID-19 pandemic - in-presence lessons and seminars.Attendance
Attending the online and in-presence activities is suggested but not compulsory. Specific indications for non-attending students are included in the section on course textbooks and materialsType of evaluation
Due to the pandemic, the evaluation will be probably based on an oral exam, with the possibility of a written preliminary test and/or of on-line project works.