Some Reflections on Studies in Humanities Computing
K. de Smedt · Literary and Linguistic Computing · 2002
In any academic field, research advances tend to percolate naturally to higher education in that field. In recent years, there has been a slow but steady increase in the number of courses and degree programmes in humanities computing. This paper presents some reflections on the status of humanities computing in higher education, in terms of curricula, degrees, and international student and staff mobility. The most important issue is the question of what a humanities computing degree should offer, in view of the wide interdisciplinarity of the field. Different institutions have coped with this question in very different ways. With potentially far‐reaching consequences on methodology in the various relevant disciplines, humanities computing is bound to change both what and how humanities students learn. Curriculum innovation that aims to integrate computing in the humanities is a difficult process that requires reflection, co‐operation, teacher training, and other supporting actions.