PATS Postgraduate Advanced Training Seminar – Call for expressions of interest

The committee of ANZAMEMS 2019 is delighted to call for expressions of interest in the Postgraduate Advanced Training Seminar (PATS), which will precede the ANZAMEMS 2019 conference on February 4-5, 2019 at the University of Sydney.

No prior digital or manuscript studies skills are required for participation in these PATS.

ORGANISER

Professor Louise D’Arcens, Macquarie University

CONFIRMED GUEST SPEAKERS

Professor Elaine Treharne, Stanford University
Dr Francesco Borghesi, University of Sydney

STRAND 1: Digital Editing and the Medieval & Early Modern Manuscript

This two-day PATS strand will address the following topics:

  • The Paleography and Codicology of Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts
  • The Basics of Manuscript Transcription and Scholarly Editing
  • Introduction to the Digital Edition: Challenges and Best Practices
  • Collaborative Editing
  • Text Encoding Fundamentals: XML and the TEI Schema
  • Using Digital Editing Tools: The Graphical XML Editor oXygen

This PATS strand has been developed from a Yale-based graduate workshop series in digital manuscript studies, which takes as its focus non-standard manuscript materials such as rolls and fragments. As in its model, the work of our seminar focuses on learning digital and manuscript skills through the act of creating a digital edition.

Building a digital version of a manuscript, with accompanying searchable transcription and commentary, is thus our energizing goal. This fast-paced PATS emphasises input from participants as we work to build an online edition.

Training goals include the paleography and codicology of medieval and early modern manuscripts, digital editing and TEI markup, the use of XML editing tools, and project-based collaboration in the digital arena.

These goals combine in the design of the seminar: participants will work closely with one another to transform newly learned skills into a concrete digital artifact, and so prepare themselves to take on future digital collaborations.

Learning in this workshop is driven by participants themselves, through their active role in the process of edition creation.

Instructors:

Dr Katherine Hindley, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore, and Dr Anya Adair, Hong Kong University.

STRAND 2: Doing Digital Humanities: From Project Planning to Digital Delivery

This two-day PATS strand will address the following topics:

  • Digital Project Planning and Project Management
  • Building Collaboration Networks in the Digital Humanities
  • Gaining Funding for (DH) Research Projects: Potential and Challenges
  • Introduction to Current Digital Tools: Digital Editions, Digital Texts, Digital Databases, and other Digital Approaches
  • Developing your own Digital Project
  • Working with Digital Texts; Working with Digitised Artefacts

This PATS strand is aimed at developing the skills of digital humanities through working closely with participants’ own projects and ideas.

In this course, instructors will provide an overview of some of the tools and models available for undertaking digital humanities work; they will also discuss the practical challenges of undertaking and funding digital scholarship. But beside and in application of this new information, participants will be asked to bring their own project ideas and research questions: time in the workshop will be given to developing these projects into their second stage.

One particular focus will be on the digital research potential of manuscript materials housed in the university collections: participants will be introduced to many of these manuscripts

The energising foundation of this strand will be the participants’ own project ideas, which we will collectively work to develop and refine; the PATS will include several funding opportunities to work towards.

By applying the ideas of the PATS directly to project development – either in the form of project proposals, PhD chapter methodologies, or beginning the work of digital development itself, participants will leave the workshop having taken concrete steps towards furthering their own digital research.

Instructors:

Dr Mitchell Harrop, University of Melbourne, and Dr Anya Adair, Hong Kong University.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please go to https://anzamemsconference2019.wordpress.com/pats/ and complete the online application form 31 August 2018. You will need to provide:

  • Your name, institutional affiliation, and year of HDR candidacy (MA, MRes, PhD) or ECR status (within two years of PhD completion).
  • Your field of research
  • A 250-word statement explaining your interest in participating in the PATS and how you believe participation will assist your research and/or career development.

A limited amount of financial assistance is available, to be distributed according to demonstrated need. Please indicate any such circumstances in the space provided in the online application form.

FURTHER INFORMATION

To keep up to date with full information on the ANZAMEMS 2019 conference and PATS, including keynote speakers, venue, and registration details please visit https://anzamemsconference2019.wordpress.com/