New PhD Studentship: Digital Resource of Palaeography

With apologies for cross-posting. Please note that this is *not* the post-doctoral position which was announced in December but is a new PhD studentship on the same project.

The Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King’s College London, is pleased to announce a PhD studentship in digital methods in palaeography funded by a European Research Council project, the ‘Digital Resource of Palaeography, Manuscripts and Diplomatic’. The studentship is to be held in CCH as part of a PhD in Digital Humanities.

Context

The aim of Digital Resource of Palaeography is to bringing the methods and resources of digital humanities to bear on palaeographical exploration, citation and teaching of late Anglo-Saxon script. It involves a web resource which will allow scholars to rapidly retrieve digital images, verbal descriptions, and detailed characterisations of the writing, as well as the text in which it is found and the content and structure of the manuscript or charter. It will incorporate different ways of searching, using images, maps, timelines and image-processing as well as conventional text-based browsing and searching. The palaeographical content will focus on a case-study of vernacular English script from the eleventh century, but the project will allow scholars to test and apply new general developments in palaeographical method which have been discussed in theory but which have hitherto proven difficult or impossible to implement in practice. Some further details of the project are av!

ailable on the KCL news pages.

The studentship

Applicants should propose a research project which can benefit from and contribute to the Digital Resource in Palaeography project but which remains distinct from it. Possibilities may include the detailed study of a particular manuscript or small group of manuscripts. A comparative study could apply the research methodologies of the ERC project to a different corpus, perhaps focusing on the products of a single scriptorium or scribe, looking at variance and variation in script; or focusing on a corpus (such as manuscript fragments) that has proven difficult to manage with conventional approaches. Another possibility may be more methodological, focusing on the possibilities and limits of Digital Humanities in palaeographical scholarship.

The student will be based at King’s College London, in the Centre for Computing in Humanities and will benefit from the CCH PhD Seminar. A second supervisor will be assigned according to the requirements of the project. It is also expected that the student will maintain contact with other departments in King’s, such as History or English. The student will also have access to resources and seminars across the University of London more widely, including Senate House Library and its Palaeography Room, the Institute of Historical Research’s seminars and library, and seminars and expertise at the Institute of English Studies.

Value

For the three years of the studentship (starting no later than October 2011) the grant is c. £14,000 per annum. Students liable to pay fees at the overseas rate are welcome to apply, but should make sure that they can cover the difference between the award and the full overseas fee. The studentship must be held full-time.

Eligibility, Timetable & Application Process

Applicants for these awards are expected to begin PhD study on 1 October 2011. Applicants should hold (or have nearly completed) a Master’s degree or equivalent in Old English, Anglo-Saxon/early Anglo-Norman history, or another relevant area of medieval studies. A good knowledge of the language(s) of the manuscripts under study is required (Old/Middle English and/or Latin), and a background or demonstrable interest in manuscript studies is highly desirable.

Applicants must submit the following documentation by the deadline of 1 March 2011:

1. An Admissions Application form & all supporting documents – submitted to the Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA) via the online admissions portal at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/apply/
2. A one page statement of interest including a description of the proposed research, submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk
3. A one-page statement of your research training, background and suitability to the project, submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk
4. A sample of written work (3000-5000 words), submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk

An interview will be arranged with shortlisted applicants, either face to face or by teleconference, after the closing date.

Enquiries

Please email Dr Peter Stokes at peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk or telephone him on +44 (0)20 7848 2813 in the first instance with any queries about this studentship.

Posted by: Marjorie Burghart (Marjorie.Burghart@ehess.fr).

From Ancient manuscripts to the digital era. Readings and Literacies, 23-25 August 2011

« Des manuscrits antiques à l’ère digitale. Lectures et littératies »
(Lausanne – CH, 23-25 août 2011)
From Ancient manuscripts to the digital era. Readings and Literacies,
Lausanne – CH, 23-25 August 2011

With the support of :
• Institut Romand des Sciences Bibliques (IRSB, FTSR, Unil)
• Fonds National Suisse (FNS)
• Anthropos (Unil)
• Formation doctorale interdisciplinaire (FDi, Unil)
• CUSO Théologie
• CUSO EDOCSA
• Association pour l’histoire du livre et de la lecture en Suisse Romande

Organisation
Claire Clivaz (IRSB, FTSR),
Jérôme Meizoz (FDi, Arts and Humanities)
François Vallotton (SHC, Arts and Humanities)

This conference in Arts and Humanities seeks to demonstrate the major impact of the Digital Era on knowledge, by studying the history of cultural technologies. The present evolution of the ancient manuscript allows one to detect this turning-point, notably with the digital editions of Homer and the New Testament. The notions of authorship and critical edition are questionned : modern history and contemporary analysis have to be enrooted in ancient memory to reflect upon the digital turn. Details on :

http://www.unil.ch/digitalera2011

Conferences : Giovanni Bazzana (Harvard, USA), David Bouvier
(Unil , CH), François Bovon (Harvard, USA), Claire Clivaz (Unil ,
CH), Michel Fuchs (Unil , CH), Christian Grosse (Unil , CH),
Kim Haines-Eitzen (Cornell, USA), Philippe Kaennel (Unil , CH),
Frédéric Kaplan (EPFL, CH), Thomas Kraus (independant researcher),
Rudolf Mahrer (Unil , CH), Leonard Muellner (Brandeis
University, USA), David Parker (Birmingham, UK), Holt Parker
(Cincinnati, USA), Lukas Rosenthaler (Basel, CH), Ulrich Schmid
(Münster, DE), Paul Schubert (Unige, CH), François Vallotton
(Unil , CH), Christian Vandendorpe (Ottawa, CA),
Joseph Verheyden (Leuven, BE).

Call for papers for scholars and PhD students in Sciences of Antiquity, New Testament and Early Christianity, Biblical Sciences, Modern History, French and English Literature.
Deadline : 30th April 2011.

The colloquium will be concluded by a public evening, on august 25th with posters, editors’ booth, artistic animations and a round table discussion, bringing together publishers and scholars and led by a journalist from Radio-télévision Suisse : “What Will Come After the Book ?”

Posted by: Marjorie Burghart (Marjorie.Burghart@ehess.fr).

Digitising Rylands Arabic MS 42, The Giant Qur’an of Kansuh al-Ghuri

The digitisation of the giant 500 year old Koran at the John Rylands Library, Manchester UK is now complete.

There has been much speculation to the age of the Koran, and now through digital imaging, we hope to solve this riddle. The manuscript measures H: 876mm x W: 592mm x D:184mm and weighs approximately 52kg, and is beautifully illuminated throughout.

944 images were created, photographing the Koran in its entirety. The manuscript will be available online, through the John Rylands Unviersity library, using Turning the Pages, which will create a virtual version. All information and progress of the project can be found online on our blog;

http://www.gatewaytothekoran.wordpress.com

Posted by: James Robinson (james.robinson-3@manchester.ac.uk).

PhD Studentship: Digital Resource of Palaeography

The Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King’s College London, is pleased to announce a PhD studentship in digital palaeography funded by a European Research Council project, Digital Resource of Palaeography. The studentship is to be held in the CCH as part of a PhD in Digital Humanities.

Context

The aim of Digital Resource of Palaeography is to bringing the methods and resources of digital humanities to bear on palaeographical exploration, citation and teaching. It involves a web resource which will allow scholars to rapidly retrieve digital images, verbal descriptions, and detailed characterisations of the writing, as well as the text in which it is found and the content and structure of the manuscript or charter. It will incorporate different ways of searching, using images, maps, timelines and image-processing as well as conventional text-based browsing and searching. The palaeographical content will focus on a case-study of vernacular English script from the eleventh century, but the project will allow scholars to test and apply new general developments in palaeographical method which have been discussed in theory but which have hitherto proven difficult or impossible to implement in practice. Some further details of the project are available on the KCL news page s.

The studentship

Applicants should propose a research project which can benefit from and contribute to the Digital Resource in Palaeography project but which remains distinct from it. Possibilities may include the detailed study of a particular manuscript or small group of manuscripts from the corpus of eleventh-century vernacular English script. A comparative study could apply the research methodologies of the ERC project to a different corpus, perhaps focusing on the products of a single scriptorium or scribe, looking at variance and variation in script; or focusing on a corpus that has proven difficult to manage with conventional approaches, such as manuscript fragments. Another possibility may be more methodological, focusing on the possibilities and limits of Digital Humanities in palaeographical scholarship.

The student will be based at King’s College London, in the Centre for Computing in Humanities and will benefit from the CCH PhD Seminar. A second supervisor will be assigned according to the requirements of the project. It is also expected that the student will maintain contact with other departments in King’s, such as History or English. The student will also have access to resources and seminars across the University of London more widely, including Senate House Library and its Palaeography Room, the Institute of Historical Research’s seminars and library, and seminars and expertise at the Institute of English Studies.

Value

For the three years of the studentship (starting no later than October 2011) the grant is c.£14,000 per annum. Students liable to pay fees at the overseas rate are welcome to apply, but should make sure that they can cover the difference between the award and the full overseas fee. The studentship must be held full-time.

Eligibility, Timetable & Application Process

Applicants for these awards are expected to begin PhD study on 1 October 2011. Applicants should hold (or have nearly completed) a Master’s degree or equivalent in Old English, Anglo-Saxon/early Anglo-Norman history, or another relevant area of medieval studies. A good knowledge of the language(s) of the manuscripts under study is required (Old/Middle English and/or Latin), and a background or demonstrable interest in manuscript studies is highly desirable.

Applicants must submit the following documentation by the deadline of 1 March 2011:

1. An Admissions Application form & all supporting documents – submitted to the Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA) via the online admissions portal at www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/apply/
2. A one page statement of interest including a description of the proposed research, submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk
3. A one-page statement of your research training, background and suitability to the project, submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk
4. A sample of written work (3000-5000 words), submitted to peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk

An interview will be arranged with shortlisted applicants, either face to face or by teleconference, after the closing date.

Enquiries

Please email Dr Peter Stokes or telephone him on +44 (0)20 7848 2813 in the first instance with any queries about this studentship.

Posted by: Peter Stokes (peter.stokes@kcl.ac.uk).

InterFace 2011: 3rd International Symposium for Humanities and Technology

Forwarding on behalf of the organisers:

SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCEMENT

With apologies for cross posting.

InterFace 2011 — 27-29 July 2011, University College London

InterFace is a symposium for humanities and technology. In 2011 it is being jointly hosted by colleges across London and will be an invaluable opportunity for participants to visit this active hub of digital scholarship and practice.

The symposium aims to foster collaboration and shared understanding between scholars in the humanities and in computer science, especially where their efforts converge on exchange of subject matter and method. With a focus on the interests and concerns of Ph.D students and early career researchers, the programme will include networking activities, opportunities for research exposition, and various training and workshop activities.

The details of the workshops and training sessions are still in preparation but they are expected to include hands-on work with:

* bibliographic software;
* sound analysis for speech and music;
* data visualisation;
* user studies and social research;
* discourse analysis in the sciences, technology and the humanities; * applying for research funding;
* getting work published;
* computer modelling.

A core component of the programme will be a lightening talks session in which each participant will make a two-minute presentation on their research. The session will be lively and dynamic. Each presentation must be exactly two minutes long, making use of necessary,
interesting, appropriate, or entertaining visual or sound aids, and condensing a whole Ph.D’s worth of ideas and work into this short slot.

Finally, the symposium will conclude with an unconference; a participatory, collaborative, and informal event in which the form and content is decided on by participants as it unfolds and in which discussion and production is emphasised over presentation and analysis. Participants may wish to share their own skills, learn a new skill, establish and develop a collaborative project, or hold a focused discussion.

In January we will be seeking applications for participation in this symposium. An announcement and call for papers will be issued in the New Year.

For any general enquiries related to the symposium please email:

enquiries@interface2011.org.uk

or see the website:

http://www.interface2011.org.uk/

Posted by: Simon Mahony (s.mahony@ucl.ac.uk).