Abstract. In this essay Robert Rhoads, Jennifer Berdan, and Brit Toven-Lindsey examine some of the key literature related to the open courseware (OCW) movement (including the emergence and expansion of massive open online courses, or MOOCs), focusing particular attention on the movement's democratic potential. The discussion is organized around three central problems, all relating in some manner or form to issues of power: the problem of epistemology, the problem of pedagogy, and the problem of hegemony. More specifically, the authors raise issues related to the narrow notion of knowledge typically conveyed in the OCW movement, a limited understanding of what constitutes empowering pedagogy, and the lack of treatment of inequities associated with the production of courseware materials. The authors go on to argue that the lack of critical analysis of the OCW movement is tied to its relative alignment with educational reforms driven by neoliberal ideology and that such alignment serves to limit the movement's democratic possibilities.
This provocative and insightful book answers the burning question, "What is digital humanities?" and examines nontraditional modes of humanistic scholarship. The book provides interventions, case studies, and guidelines for evaluating digital scholarship projects and programs. In addition to the new book, Berdan and Drucker discussed how digital humanities currently exists at UCLA with the new certificate program, and how it relates to the mission of InterActions and GSE&IS. The interview has been clustered into a range of themes, from Digital_Humanities the book as it relates to this emerging field, to digital humanities and academia, to student experiences, and potential prospects for method and inquiry. Professor Drucker's interview provides insight into the critical approaches of digital humanities (DH) and its future in the academy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.