B5079 - Digital Humanities and Data Management for Cultural Heritage

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student is familiar with the main theories, methodologies, and techniques belonging to the fields of Digital Humanities and Linked Open Data. Furthermore, they are able to apply the acquired knowledge to represent and manage data in the humanities and to produce, manage, and publish digital resources related to cultural heritage following the principles of open science.

Course contents

The course aims to introduce students to the topics of Digital Humanities (DH) and Data Management (DM).

During the course, particular attention will be given to the use of digital tools and methodologies for the proper management of humanities data throughout the entire life cycle of a DH project, with a focus on bibliographic, archival, documentary, and artistic domains.

Students will acquire both theoretical and practical knowledge of the languages, models, tools, and principles necessary to conceive, design, and implement a digital resource based on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data management, capable of enhancing cultural heritage.

Readings/Bibliography

The lecture notes, bibliography, and any other additional materials will be made available to students free of charge on the institutional Virtuale platform; further materials will be uploaded to the course's GitHub repository. Specifically, the bibliography consists of freely accessible texts and web resources, also in English, recommended to students for preparation before, during, and after the lectures.

Attending students:

1. Introduction and chapters 1, 14, 19, 31, and 36 of Schreibman, S., Siemens, R., & Unsworth, J. (Eds.). (2008). A Companion to Digital Humanities. John Wiley & Sons. http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/
2. University guidelines for research data management. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Lineeguidaricerca_v4_HR.pdf/@@download/file/Lineeguidaricerca_v4_HR.pdf
3. Tomasi, F. (2020). Digital Humanities e organizzazione della conoscenza: una pratica di insegnamento nel LODLAM. AIB Studi, 60 (2). https://aibstudi.aib.it/article/download/12068/11652?inline=1
4. Benvenuti, N. (2003). L'importanza dei metadati nella costruzione della rete globale. Bollettino AIB (1992-2011), 43(3), 331-350. http://bollettino.aib.it/article/view/5032
5. Tammaro, A. M. (2017). Data literacy: formare docenti e studenti alla gestione dei dati di ricerca. Biblioteche oggi, 35, 19-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3302/0392-8586-201707-019-1

Non-attending students:

1. Introduction and chapters 1, 14, 19, 31, and 36 of Schreibman, S., Siemens, R., & Unsworth, J. (Eds.). (2008). A Companion to Digital Humanities. John Wiley & Sons. http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/
2. University guidelines for research data management. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Lineeguidaricerca_v4_HR.pdf/@@download/file/Lineeguidaricerca_v4_HR.pdf
3. Dataset: select and organize data. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Dataset.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Dataset.pdf
4. Research data: types, formats, methods. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Datidellaricerca.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Datidellaricerca.pdf
5. Copyright and research data. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Dirittodautore.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Dirittodautore.pdf
6. Managing software. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Gestireilsoftware.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Gestireilsoftware.pdf
7. Metadata and documentation. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Metadati.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Metadati.pdf
8. The FAIR principles. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_PrincipiFAIR.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_PrincipiFAIR.pdf
9. Repositories for data deposition. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Repository.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Repository.pdf
10. Respecting privacy in research data management. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Rispettodellaprivacy.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Rispettodellaprivacy.pdf
11. Using different types of standards. https://www.unibo.it/it/allegati/Scheda_Tipidistandard.pdf/@@download/file/Scheda_Tipidistandard.pdf
12. Tomasi, F. (2020). Digital Humanities e organizzazione della conoscenza: una pratica di insegnamento nel LODLAM. AIB Studi, 60 (2). https://aibstudi.aib.it/article/download/12068/11652?inline=1
13. Benvenuti, N. (2003). L'importanza dei metadati nella costruzione della rete globale. Bollettino AIB (1992-2011), 43(3), 331-350. http://bollettino.aib.it/article/view/5032
14. Tammaro, A. M. (2017). Data literacy: formare docenti e studenti alla gestione dei dati di ricerca. Biblioteche oggi, 35, 19-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3302/0392-8586-201707-019-1

Teaching methods

The course, with a total duration of 30 hours, will adopt an innovative teaching strategy aimed at enhancing students' learning potential through the use of various approaches and tools:

• Video recordings of the lessons (both theoretical and practical), available online and downloadable: useful for attending students as a support for reviewing classroom content; for non-attending students, they represent an always-accessible resource that allows for autonomous course participation without compromising the quality of learning.

• Lecture slides, also available online and downloadable: a useful reference for all students, to consult at any time to review or deepen the topics covered during the lessons.

• Micro-learning through exercises (mini case studies aligned with the course topics): offered via open and accessible platforms, these tools allow students to put into practice what they have learned, either independently or with guidance.

• Cooperative Learning in person, through practical and collaborative activities: students will work together to solve problems related to a case study introduced during the course, used as a didactic lab to integrate theory and practice and to develop skills useful for the final exam.

Assessment methods

The final exam is based on the evaluation of both practical and theoretical activities. Specifically, students will be required to develop a data management project, which will be presented during an oral exam (and published on GitHub).

The project will follow specific guidelines that will be presented and discussed during the course and made available on Virtuale and in the GitHub repository. Students may work on the project individually or in groups (maximum of 3 people).

Each person's individual contribution and understanding of the course topics will be assessed during the oral exam. The evaluation method will be based on the following criteria:

• Design of a digital resource that documents data management in a Digital Humanities context, with particular attention to: description of the methodological approach (objective of the resource and type of data used) using appropriate domain-specific technical language; knowledge of the standards used; completeness of the required project levels according to the provided guidelines.

• Development of a prototype of the designed resource, with particular focus on: use of technologies covered in the course, and the quality of the project implementation.

The project must be published online, and the URL must be submitted to the instructor no later than 12:00 PM (noon) on the day before the exam, under penalty of exclusion from the exam.

Based on the score, the following grades will be assigned:

• <50% (failing grade): inadequate preparation in all aspects of the project;

• 51–70% (sufficient): acceptable preparation in at least one aspect of the project (score between 18/30 and 23/30);

• 71–90% (good): adequate preparation in all aspects of the project (score between 24/30 and 27/30);

• 91–100% (excellent): outstanding preparation in all parts of the assessment and demonstrates significant critical thinking skills regarding the covered topics (score between 28/30 and 30/30).

Teaching tools

The lessons take place in a classroom equipped with personal computers connected to the intranet and the internet.

Theoretical lessons will always be accompanied by practical sessions.

All course materials – including lecture notes and slides – will be made available on Virtuale and in the GitHub repository.

Students who, due to disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD), require compensatory tools are encouraged to inform the instructor of their needs so they can be directed to the appropriate contacts and arrangements can be made to adopt the most suitable measures. For more information: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Links to further information

https://github.com/dhdmch/2025-2026

Office hours

See the website of Sebastian Barzaghi