scholarly journals Historical Research Techniques: Teaching with Database Exercises on the Microcomputer

1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vernon Burton ◽  
Robert Blomeyer ◽  
Atsushi Fukada ◽  
Steven J. White
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Computer Users ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Liberal Arts Education ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Liberal Arts Majors

Critical analysis is the basis of the liberal arts education, and computer analysis is so much a part of contemporary society that liberal arts majors need to learn to assess the veracity of computer-derived information just as they do the sources for a historical monograph. It is increasingly clear that humanists should acquire basic understandings of the use of the computer. Jobs for traditionally trained liberal arts majors are scarce, and computer skills will make history graduates more competitive in the job market. We are not necessarily suggesting that all historians understand “computerese,” or the way some computer users talk to one another. What is important for the historian, or for any humanistic scholar for that matter, is the ability to understand the algorithm, or in the language of the humanist, the logic of how a computer program operates to produce output. This is also essential if scholars in the humanities are to be able to understand and evaluate the new social science research.

The methodological identity of shadowing in social science research

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Bartkowiak‐Theron ◽  
Jennifer Robyn Sappey
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Research Participant ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Technique ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Interviewing Techniques

PurposeThe research technique of shadowing is the most in‐depth type of systematic, direct observation in situ of behaviours within a particular organisational or social setting, and yet, it crucially lacks documentation and critical analysis. The origins of the under‐documenting, coupled with the mutation of the scientific method of shadowing through its adoption by many industries as a means of on‐the‐job training, have led to a misunderstanding of shadowing as a scientific technique. This is problematic at several levels for academics deeply involved in qualitative methodology. The purpose of this paper is to address, in part, this gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approachBy defining shadowing, considering the reasons why shadowing has had little critique from social science scholars and then exploring the problems of it as a research technique, particularly within the current context of ethics regimes, the authors wish to proactively help to avoid unintentional yet delicate fieldwork situations, in which misunderstanding may happen due to the lay use of “shadowing” as a passive (non‐obtrusive) observation.FindingsThe authors argue that the research practice of shadowing implies specific systematic techniques and extensive self‐discipline by the researcher. It also caters for a need in data collection that oversteps traditional observation‐and‐interviewing techniques, by adding a new hermeneutical layer to the information gathered. It becomes an essential tool in the evaluation of public policy initiatives and programmes and in the understanding of not only the mechanics, but of the motivations behind actions and behaviours.Originality/valueThis paper addresses part of a gap in the literature and paves the way for more critical analysis of the dynamics that emerge during the shadowing of a research participant.

Masculinities, practices and meanings: A critical analysis of recent literature on the use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs among men

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Moore ◽  
Aaron Hart ◽  
Suzanne Fraser ◽  
Kate Seear
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Departure Point ◽  
Feminist Analysis ◽  
Men 2 ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Steroid User ◽  
Image Enhancing

The use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) has been a topic of considerable research interest since the 1980s, with the vast majority of PIED consumers being men. In this article, our departure point is a 2005 article by Helen Keane, in which she critically analyses ‘the discursive constitution of male steroid users’ as psychologically disordered subjects. We extend Keane’s insightful feminist analysis by examining the constitution of masculinity in post-2005 social science research on PIEDs. We ask (1) to what extent do the discursive trends identified by Keane persist in the more recent literature on PIED use among men? (2) how have her insights been taken up in the post-2005 literature, and (3) to what extent does this work attend to the specificity and varied meanings of steroid practices? We argue that men who use PIEDs continue to be pathologised as insecure, inadequate and vulnerable, and marked by ‘obsession’, ‘compensatory behaviours’ and crisis. In some of the analysed texts, the male steroid user becomes doubly disordered as both insecure in his masculine body and at risk of drug dependence. Of the articles that engage with Keane’s work, only two recognise the value of her insights. The others misinterpret or apply Keane’s argument in inconsistent or incoherent ways. Finally, in some of the post-2005 texts, we begin to see attention to the wide variety of practices and meanings encompassed by the term ‘PIED use’ although much remains to be learned.

scholarly journals Development of “Digital Humanities” as a Liberal Arts Class at University

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
Ki-In Chong ◽  
Sang woo Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Digital Humanities ◽  
Engineering Majors ◽  
Liberal Arts Education ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Group A ◽  
Liberal Arts Majors ◽  
Educational Contents

The purpose of this study is to explore the curriculum and educational contents of four Korean universities that are educating or plan to educate their students in the Digital Humanities, as well as to find and develop Digital Humanities classes suitable for one semester within their liberal arts education classes. As a result of the survey, the four universities were classified according to the affiliation of the students’ subject at each school and the level of programming related to data processing. A and B universities’ Digital Humanities major students were predominantly from liberal arts majors, C universities students consisted both of liberal arts and science and engineering majors, and D universities students’ majors were science and engineering. Universities from group A used basic Google apps and Excel, but D universities used higher-level programming languages. However, Digital Humanities classes at these universities are based on a three-step course: First, education involving basic concepts for Digital Humanities and basic tools for data analysis. Second, search for applicability to Digital Humanities through existing majors. Third, the practical application and creation of the Digital Humanities project. Accordingly, this study sought ways to effectively convey this three-step process in the short period of one semester and devised a detailed lecture outline.

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