“The Role of the Scholarly Associations in Humanities
Education”
Harold
Short
King's College London, UK
Elisabeth
Burr
University of Duisburg, Germany
László
Hunyadi
University of Debrecen, Hungary
Susan
Hockey
University College London, UK
Stuart
Lee
Oxford University, UK
Lisa
Lena
Opas-Hänninen
University of Joensuu, Finland
Allen
Renear
Brown University, USA
David
Robey
Reading University, UK
Chair: Harold Short
Elisabeth Burr
László Hunyadi
Susan Hockey
Stuart Lee
Lisa Lena Opas-Hänninen
Allen Renear
David Robey
The use of computer-based resources and techniques in higher education in the
humanities disciplines is growing rapidly. Scholarly associations such as ALLC
and ACH have played and continue to play a part in this, although the main
imperatives are, of course, much more broadly based.
This session aims to provide a forum for open discussion of the role or roles,
formal and informal, that scholarly associations such as ALLC and ACH could
and/or should have in the future development and practice of learning and
teaching in higher education in the humanities, specifically with reference to
the inclusion of advanced computing, both as part of the curriculum and of
teaching methodology.
From an ALLC perspective, this question has an immediate and direct relevance.
The ALLC has been formally a partner in the ACO*Hum Project, and indeed has
played a leading role in it, with a number of members of the ALLC Committee
serving on one of the main working groups of the project, concerned with
'Textual Scholarship and Humanities Computing'. ACO*Hum is a 'thematic network'
funded by the European Union as part of its SOCRATES programme. It is now
approaching the end of its funding, and discussions are in progress about what
should happen next. The ALLC is taking an active part in these discussions,
including at national and European Union level.
Members of the panel will report on the work of ACO*Hum and will give their
perspectives on the future development of computing in humanities education.
They will address specifically (but briefly) the questions surrounding what
role(s), if any, should be played by scholarly associations such as ALLC and
ACH. A number of possible roles have been suggested, from continuing support for
initiatives and projects such as ACO*Hum through to a formal role in the
validation or accreditation of courses and diplomas. Allen Renear will present
North American and ACH perspectives on the issues raised.
The brief presentations by each of the panelists will be followed by open
discussion in which all those attending will be invited to comment on what the
panelists have had to say, or to raise any additional issues they believe to be
relevant. From the ALLC perspective, the session is a significant opportunity
for dialogue on a range of issues that are important to the associations, and on
which the coming months will offer opportunities and the need for decisions.
Viewed in a wider context, now is a critical time for fundamental thinking, and
for initiatives to be taken unless the associations decide they have no role to
play.