Over the two most recent decades we have witnessed an increasing reliance on communication and information technologies in knowledge creation and communication processes. Almost every academic discipline has been affected by the ubiquitous and innovative nature of technologies as information and communication technologies (ICTs) become tools for knowledge production, objects of study, or form a new disciplinary domain. Accounts of new media implementations and explorations in the humanities and social sciences are increasingly presented under the digital humanities rubric. This increasingly common catchphrase entails a range of ICT–related initiatives — such as digital libraries, software usage, visualization, text mining, geographic information systems (GIS), multimedia, social networking, and teaching with technology, open access, and digital culture.

The goal of this workshop is to explore the field labeled as ‘digital research tools’ to understand the meanings associated with it from the perspectives of research scholars in social sciences and humanities. It is based on a study that investigated how ICTs support the research and scholarly discourse of humanities scholars as well as how such scholars perceive new media. Within this context, ICTs denote digital content, involving such media as digital collections and databases; search engines for searching, discovering, retrieving, and verifying information; and, communication applications such as e–mail, mailing lists, blogs, and wikis that enable communication and collaboration among research scholars. This workshop focuses on the interpretation of digital humanities and social sciences based on the accounts of the study’s informants. The workshop will start with a tour to INFLIBNET to illustrate the range of ICT–based initiatives that are associated with the domain. Then, it will describe the goals and the methodology of the research that formed the basis for this analysis.

The workshop shall concentrate primarily how use of computer applications has changed research in the humanities and social sciences. Besides creating digitized version of books and journals, it is offering us new opportunities to collect, describe, and interpret information for research in humanities and social sciences. Now we can analyse a large amount of data and examine relationships among variables in this data rather too quickly than before. We can also analyse such data differently using computer applications. For example, we can use text mining, video screen capture, eye tracking technology to analyse data; along with data, other media data can be examined, and even combined with other data. Text on web sites, blogs, and other social networks offers data for social or cultural studies research, and they can be analysed using social network analysis software.

It is believed that such kinds of research require skills and understanding in how data can be collected, organised and interpreted. It is also believed that our researchers currently lack in those skills and understanding; and therefore, they need training; and this workshop aims to develop skills in collecting, repurposing, and organizing data for computer-assisted analysis.

The proposed sessions shall include:

• The role of ICTs in facilitating scholarly communication

• Enabling and constraining structural elements of the social and technical context of ICT appropriation

• The dynamics of digital humanities.

• Interpreting the notion of digital humanities from the informants’ perspectives

• Exploring the meanings based on qualitative methods

• ICT and its holistic use as a component of the rich and diverse social and academic life of scholars.

• ICTs as tools that facilitate scholarly communication and academic practices.

• Extracting relevant text information on the Internet and organizing for analysis

• Capturing and analyzing conversations in social networks

• Eye-tracking research

• Role of new media

• Plagiarism check tools

• Indexing and References

PROGRAMME

Workshop Schedule - Day One
Registration
Inauguration
I session:

• The role of ICTs in facilitating academic communication

• Enabling and constraining structural elements of the social and technical context of ICT appropriation

II Session

• The dynamics of digital humanities.

• Interpreting the notion of digital humanities from the informants’ perspectives

III Session

• Exploring the meanings based on qualitative methods

• ICT and its holistic use as a component of the rich and diverse social and academic life of scholars.

Day II

I Session - Tour to INFLIBNET

II Session

• ICTs as tools that facilitate scholarly same as above communication and academic practices.

• Role of new media

III Session

• Plagiarism check tools

• Indexing and References

Valedictory

Key Faculty:

Shri Husmukhbhai Shah: Opening and Chief Guest

1. Professor Dr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Professor and Head, Political Science department, CCS University, Meerut, UP, India: Chief Guest for Inauguration on ICT

2. Dr Jagdish Arora, Director INFLIBNET : Keynote Speaker at Inauguration

3. Dr Neerja A Gupta: Plenary session

4. Dr Kalyan Chattopadhyay, Assistant Professor (senior) in English, Bankim Sardar College, University of Calcutta, India, and Vice-President of AsiaCALL: Plenary session

5. Professor Kedar Bhatt, Director, Rollwala Computer Center, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad Plenary session

6. Dr Ketan Kotecha, Director, Technical, Nirma University, Ahmedabad Plenary session

Important Dates

• Last date for Registration: October 9th 2013

Registration Fees
Faculty: Rs 900/-
Research Scholars: Rs 600/-
DD or Cheque drawn in favour of The Principal, Bhavan’s Sheth R.A. College of Arts and Commerce, Ahmedabad must reach before 9th October, 2013.

Chief Patrons:

• Shri Rohit Mehta, Chairman, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Ahmedabad kendra

• Shri Mukesh Patel, Hon. Secretary, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Ahmedabad kendra

Patron:

• Principal Dr Neerja A Gupta, Principal, Bhavan’s Sheth R A College of Arts and Commerce, Ahmedabad

Organising Committee:

• Dr Vidya Rao: Convener

• Dr Swati Kapadia: Co-Convener

• Dr Alkesh Patel: Member

• Prof Niranjana Brahmbhatt: Member

• Dr Deepak Bhavsaar: Member

• Prof M. T. Kahar: Member

Bhavan’s Sheth R.A College of Arts And Commerce, Vidyagauri Nilkantha Marg,
Khanpur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat -380001
Phone: 079-25600312/311. Fax: 079-25601314
E-mail: drneerjaarun@yahoo.com, info@bhavancollege.org
www.bhavancollege.org