ELEMENTS OF DIGITAL PUBLISHING

The module offers a basic knowledge of digital (scholarly) editing, semantic mark-up and cultural heritage information integration, and the study of paper-based as well as digital source material, which are cross-cutting competences. More specifically, it aims at enhancing knowledge and understanding in digital philology.

The aim of the present module is to analyse the role played by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within the context of contemporary Textual Scholarship.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO):
- to acquire knowledge and understanding in the main topics of digital philology by being exposed to the current theoretical debate and its applications in the field of DH. The module will also provide a basis for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context;
- to apply their knowledge and understanding, and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader contexts related to (a) text encoding; (b) digital scholarly editions; (c) semantic encoding and external representations; (d) the materiality of the text in a digital age;
- to have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity, and formulate judgments with incomplete or limited information about their object of study. The ability to formulate judgements will include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge (e.g. the educational and social impact of editorial procedures, privacy dilemmas);
- to be able to communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously, using the appropriate language register;
- to acquire the learning skills that should allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous (e.g. through individual independent reading on editorial issues, as well as practice exercises on editorial digital tools).

No specific prerequisites are required. BA knowledge in the editorial-philological field is deemed to be fully sufficient.

An introduction to ecdotics and textual criticism. XML mark-up language; TEI standard for text encoding (TEI P5); Main XML schemas. Interlinking between XML encoded documents and cultural heritage databases and ontologies. All these topics will be dealt with within the broader field of digital scholarly editions.

A) Notes taken in class.

B) Compulsory bibliography:
Driscoll, Matthew James, and Elena Pierazzo, eds. 2016. Digital Scholarly Editing: Theories and Practices. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers. http://www.openbookpublishers.com/reader/483

TEI P5: Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange, http://www.tei-c.org/Guidelines/

Ciula, A., et al. (2008). Expressing complex associations in medieval historical documents: the Henry III Fine Rolls Project. Literary and Linguistic Computing 23(3): 311-325. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqn018

Eide, Ø. (2015). "Ontologies, Data Modeling, and TEI." Journal of the Text Encoding Initiative (8). https://journals.openedition.org/jtei/1191

Spadini, E. (2019). Exercises in modelling: textual variants. International Journal of Digital Humanities 1(2): 289-307.

C) For absolute beginners in ecdotics we suggest one of the following:

Luiselli Fadda, Anna Maria (1994 o ristampe succ.), Tradizioni manoscritte e critica del testo nel Medioevo germanico, Roma-Bari, Laterza, Parte terza: Il recupero storico del testo (capp. VI-VII-VIII).

Chiesa, Paolo (2012), Elementi di critica testuale. Bologna: Pàtron.

West, Martin L. 1973. Textual Criticism and Editorial Technique applicable to Greek and Latin texts. Stuttgart: Teubner.

D) Extra-book for non-attenders:
Pierazzo, Elena. 2015. Digital Scholarly Editing: Theories, Models and Methods, London: Routledge.

Either four (4) or five (5) open questions, to which a specific mark will be assigned, making a total of 30/30 (cum laude). The exam lasts one and a half hours.
- Open questions allow to test the acquisition of knowledge, critical thought, as well as specific skills (i.e. how to encode a text).
- More specifically:
- Knowledge and understanding: checked through content questions;
- Applying knowledge and understanding: checked through practical exercises, such as the encoding in XML-TEI of a short text;
- Making judgements: checked through methodological questions;
- Communication skills: checked through open questions (whether students communicate their conclusions clearly and unambiguously, as well as the knowledge and rationale underpinning these);
- Learning skills: evaluation of the students' autonomy of judgement.

written

Lectures delivered by the teacher; practical mark-up exercises.(both in presence and online).

The course will be taught in English.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development