North-West University: NWU academics visit Utrecht University to explore integrating more digital humanities methods

NWU academics visit Utrecht University to explore integrating more digital humanities methods
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities management recently visited the Centre for Digital Humanities (CDH) at Utrecht University, Amsterdam.

The main aim was to explore the possibility of integrating more digital humanities methods within several education tracks at the NWU.

The delegation from the NWU included Prof Dumi Moyo, executive dean of the faculty, Prof Ndivhoniswani Aaron Tshidzumba, deputy dean for community engagement and stakeholder relations, and Prof Mirna Nel, deputy dean for research and innovation.

During the team’s visit, Hugo Quené, director of the CDH, discussed the structure, aim, and activities of the centre. In addition, Digital Humanities (DH) Lab developers showcased the different tailormade DH apps they are working on. The NWU team also met with the University Library’s DH support group, and Mirko Schäfer talked about the entrepreneurial research being conducted at the Utrecht Data School.

Prof Tshidzumba says they want to include more digital approaches into their course curriculum to ensure that humanities students are better prepared to keep up with society’s datafication.

“Another key factor is expanding work options for humanities graduates. The delegation is now investigating the establishment of a Centre for Digital Humanities at the NWU, and we are looking forward to future CDH digital humanities efforts,” he added.