Presentations

Upcoming Talks and Presentations

2015-04-23. Keynote speaker for PSU’s “Mapping Matters: Space and Place in the Humanities.” “Wayfinding in Shakespeare’s London: MoEML’s Literary GIS and Interactive Map.” Penn State University. Description.

After the spatial turn in the humanities, we are seeking ways to map the texts we read. What are the capacities and limits of literary GIS? What is mappable and what is not? What kind of maps and technologies best serve humanities data? The Map of Early Modern London continues to wrestle with a map-like object that does not lend itself to georeferencing, toponyms that defy localization, and the tension between humanities methodologies and quantitative tools. Ultimately, the challenges of humanities data help us build better tools for further analytical work. Janelle Jenstad will document the building of the gazetteer, explain the stand-off georeferencing technique we have, and demonstrate the pedagogical value of the Agas map and its new interface. This talk is free and open to the public. No registration required.

2015-04-23. Workshop on “Mapping in the Humanities Classroom” (with Diane Jakacki). Penn State University. Register here.

How do human beings interact with their physical space? What kinds of value (social, political, philosophical, symbolic, aesthetic) have been attributed to cityscapes, and landscapes more generally, throughout history? How have writers chosen to represent these interactions between human beings and their urban environment? Such questions exemplify – and can familiarize students with – the “spatial turn” characteristic of much contemporary humanities research. Moreover, these questions invite multiple perspectives on human experience, drawn from literary studies, history, art history, philosophy, geography, and urbanism, among other disciplines, that inform inquiry in the humanities broadly.

In this workshop, Janelle Jenstad (U of Victoria) and Diane Jakacki (Bucknell U) will lead a group of scholars and instructors interested in incorporating cartography, space, and place into the humanities classroom. In addition to introducing some of the tools and technologies used, the workshop will focus on the value of mapping in the humanities, research and learning outcomes, and designing projects/assignments/assessments.

Participants are encouraged to bring their projects, assignments, or ideas for group workshopping exercises. We hope to have a wide range of expertise and project stages represented in the workshop. Depending on need, the leaders are happy to address questions about technology and platforms: do we need full GIS implementation? Will GoogleMaps do? What about Neatline or OpenLayers 3.0? How do I work with a historical map? Where can I get geocoordinates? Do I have to georectify my map? We encourage workshop participants to share their expertise. Every project has unique challenges and we all have expertise to share. To register, please complete the registration form.