STLHE 2016 SAPES

“Digital Humanities” (DH) has become a buzzword in the last decade. Numerous articles address its perils and promises, and a wave of academic job advertisements for PhDs with DH expertise began appearing in 2012. Beyond anecdotal evidence, however, there is little proof that DH methodology makes graduates better scholars or more marketable. In 2015-2016, we conducted a survey of graduate alumni in History at one Canadian University regarding their experience with digital history methods and practice during and after graduate training. Digital history is one branch of the Digital Humanities, and it refers to the use of computers, software, and other electronic technologies to teach, simulate, preserve, access, research, present and publish interpretations of the past. (We use “DH” to refer to the broader field of Digital Humanities only.) This session will present the results of that survey, explore their implications for future practice, and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the study’s design. Initial data indicate that many alumni report very high job satisfaction, are working in history-related employment, and believe that digital history courses were valuable components of their education. This presentation will also address whether digital history methods empower graduate students as learners, teachers, and scholars. In the midst of what appears to be a major methodological turn, it is vitally important to assess whether new DH methods strengthen students’ education and career prospects or not.