Computational Literacy for the Humanities: Mathematics and Programming in Context

Computational Literacy for the Humanities provides an introduction to mathematics and programming that is specifically designed for use by those engaged in the humanities. Linking mathematical concepts and computational skills, the chapters in this book explore humanistic questions from diverse fields, such as art, history and literature.

The book helps to advance computational and digital literacy by showing that each mathematical concept has a history, and each technique has a meaning. Rather than viewing mathematics and computer programming as purely instrumental, they are integrated into the process of achieving greater understanding of humanistic phenomena. Algorithms, data, statistics and networks are taught critically within the book, whilst the authors also make a concerted effort to expose the internal biases of these tools. They also demonstrate the applicability of quantification and computation for the promotion of diversification and inclusivity within the humanities. All exercises are designed as an opportunity to gain hands-on mathematical and computational experience, whilst critically exploring and interpreting humanistic phenomena.

Computational Literacy for the Humanities shows readers how to engage with data in a way that is challenging, yet meaningful and empowering. It will be of interest to scholars and students working across the humanities and should be of particular interest to those working in digital humanities.

Zef M. Segal is senior lecturer at the School of Media Studies at the College of Management Academic Studies. His research centers on 19th-century mobility, space, and communication, with a particular focus on the historical analysis of journals and maps. A strong advocate for the digital humanities and social sciences in Israel, he spearheaded the development of the Digital Humanities track at the Open University and was among the founding faculty members of the first Israeli bachelor’s degree in Digital Humanities at the University of Haifa. His most recent publications include Motion in Maps, Maps in Motion (2020), and The Political Fragmentation of Germany (2019). His forthcoming book, Culture in the Age of the Enlightenment: Reshaping the Private Sphere, will be published in Hebrew by the Open University of Israel.

Nurit Melnik is a senior lecturer in linguistics at the Open University of Israel. Her studies focus on diverse topics: constructions and the relationship between form and meaning, agreement variations in Modern Hebrew, lexical and syntactic flexibility and "frozen" expressions, grammar engineering and the cognitive aspects behind language change. Her work is situated at the intersection of theoretical linguistics, computational linguistics and corpus linguistics.