Over the past decade, data science has influenced the humanistic disciplines in a variety of ways.
Historians use network analysis to discover previously unknown historical connections, literary scholars utilize sentiment analysis, natural language processing, and text mining to identify genres and other stylistic patterns, and media studies scholars use web scraping to develop digital archives.
While data science has proven its analytical prowess, its potential for storytelling is often overlooked in many data-driven projects. This course aims to examine the philosophical foundation of data-driven storytelling and explore how data is incorporated into contemporary transmedia storytelling. The course will also explore how data can provide not only an analytical but also an experimental mode of scholarship. Topics covered may include data visualization, database aesthetics, game studies, and pattern recognition/discrimination, among others.
Founded as a graduate program in 1904 and joining with the undergraduate Literature Concentration in 2007, Harvard’s Department of Comparative Literature operates at the crossroads of multilingualism, literary study, and media history.
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