Introduction
Let me begin this new adventure into the world of webdesign by introducing myself. My name is Charlie Barth, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Utah, majoring in English and Mathematics. I have lived my entire life in Utah, mostly in a tourist-infested beautiful resort town named Park City, which achieved fame as the site of many events of the 2002 Winter Olympics and as the headquarters of the annual Sundance Film Festival. Despite this, I never developed an intense interest in either winter sports or independent film-making, but I at least have an understanding and appreciation of the devotion and effort which each necessitates. Rather, my interests have lied in three primary areas: music, mathematics, and literature (providing an explanation for how I chose my majors).
Interests
In terms of music, I have played the cello for ten years, mostly focusing on classical repertoire (although, I performed with a fiddle band in middle school). I am currently working on Elgar’s Cello Concerto (knowing I will never even approach performing it with the same virtuosity as Jacqueline du Pré), and I greatly enjoy listening to early twentieth-century Russian music.
As a mathematician, I find the realm of pure math quite interesting (despite the rather pretentious sounding name), especially the field known as representation theory (which involves representing abstract algebraic structures using well-researched mathematical tools). While I understand that topics in mathematics can intimidate many individuals, who may also perceive the mathematics community as elitist and exclusionary, I believe that all people can find value and beauty in the subject if given the proper opportunity.
My interest in literary studies spans the world of fiction, in all forms, and I usually try to find something to value in everything I read. If I had to give a favorite genre, I would likely say metafiction (but I would also argue it is less of a genre and more of a style found in most literature), and I would say my favorite novel at the moment is Italo Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveler (but this will likely change the next time someone asks me). One facet of this topic which greatly interests me is the ways in which a reader interacts with a text, especially when the text appears to interact back.
The Digital Humanities
Accordingly, any type of interactive fiction fascinates me, and possibly provides an explanation for why I chose to take a course in Digital Humanities. Computers and digital software furnish an unprecedented ability to change how we approach storytelling, through their methods of interfacing with users. While I greatly admire traditional modes of storytelling (such as novels, short stories, etc.) and do not think we should ever abandon these mediums, the digital world presents an opportunity to expand how we approach literary pursuits. Ultimately, what I hope to learn from this course is an understanding of the innovative ways individuals use computers to develop interactive stories, and other forms of fiction not possible through traditional printed-page media, as well as how literary scholars approach and analyze these works. I already have a partial understanding of narrative studies when applied specifically to video games, but I know that that is only a small subset of a much larger theory.
From what I have read so far about Digital Humanities, I would likely define it as follows: Digital Humanities is a field of study through which people develop methods to explore the ways human philosophies, histories, and ideologies interact with technological advancements and computer system, and through which people analyze and interpret these methods and interactions. Initial readings on the subject emphasize the methodological approach of the field, as well as its interdisciplinary and collaborative aspects supported by the interconnectivity of computer networks.
Another Digital Humanities Blog 