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The Digital Methods Accelerator kicks off this autumn with a workshop on Computing Programming for Humanities Research: an introduction to Python. 

In a world where research objects are generated, archived and shared in digital format, it is important that researchers know how to understand the computer code that allows these objects to be analysed, transformed and combined in ways that will lead to new learnings and insights. This is also true in the humanities field and this taster session will be a gentle introduction into the world of computer programming for research object analysis (both qualitative and quantitative). It will use Python, an open-source programming language that is designed to be easy to read and get started with, while being super powerful and one of the most used languages world-wide.

The session will take place on 4th December and will be led by Dr Andre Maia Chagas, Lecturer in Open Science and Scientific Office at Sussex Neuroscience, a Centre of Excellence at the University of Sussex. The workshop is open to researchers at all levels at Sussex. No previous knowledge of programming necessary, just bring a laptop.

What is the Digital Methods Accelerator (DMA)?

The DMA is a series of open sessions hosted by the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab (SHL Digital) providing Humanities and Social Science researchers with critical digital and technical skills and insight needed to tackle emerging issues in contemporary society.  

The DMA programme aligns with SHL Digital’s strategic aims to bolster capacity building in critical digital methods. As such is built around two distinct but complementary tracks:

• Track A: Data: Skills related to the data life-cycle - collection, organisation, cleaning, analysis, dissemination, and preservation.
• Track B: Beyond Data: Critical, creative, and collaborative skills including creative and critical making and coding, decolonial methods and co-design.    

Who is the DMA for?

The Digital Methods Accelerator (DMA) programme is open to Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) researchers at Sussex interested in experimenting and developing new digital skills for their research.

The next generation of digital projects require an understanding on the part of HSS researchers of new cutting-edge techniques and technologies in such fields as machine learning (e.g. Large Language Models), automated image analysis, text digitisation, GIS, open- and crowd-sourced information gathering, algorithmic listening and many others. The DMA is offered to researchers in HSS disciplines to develop an understanding of what these techniques and technologies can do and how they might be applied to their own research domain.   

How to participate in the DMA

DMA workshops are in-person events at the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab in Silverstone, Level 2. Places are free but limited. Join our mailing list to receive news of upcoming sessions directly in your inbox, email shl@sussex.ac.uk (subject line “subscribe”), or check our ‘what’s on’ webpage for updates.

Registration is open for the first DMA session on 4th December (Introduction to Python). Book your place now using your @sussex email address.