TXTDS Graduate Students Present at the Textual and Digital Studies Capstone Colloquium
We’re extending a huge congratulations to the TDS Certificate students who presented this past week at the annual Textual Studies Capstone Colloquium! On Tuesday, June 10th, students completing the Graduate Certificate in Textual and Digital Studies presented their Capstone work at the UW Libraries Open Scholarship Commons. The Capstone is a culmination of the TXTDS grad certificate program that brings together the student’s primary research interests with their work in Textual Studies courses. Every year during spring quarter, the Textual Studies Program hosts a Capstone Colloquium that allows certificate students to showcase their work and celebrate their achievements. Join us in celebrating this year’s Textual and Digital Studies Graduate Certificate recipients and read on to find out about their research.
Computing with Classics by Suh Young Choi
The first presenter was Suh Young Choi, a Masters student in Classics, whose work focused on designing instruction in computer science and programming for those working in humanities fields. Presenting on their “Computing with Classics” workshop series, Choi’s talk centered around the promotion of interdisciplinarity, digital literacy, and computational thinking for those working in Classics and other humanistic fields that incorporate digital methods or use digital tools in their research.
The Impacts of Gender on Language and Vocabulary in Tang Dynasty Poetry by Stephanie Liu
Stephanie Liu, a PhD Student in Chinese, presented on the influence gender has on the use of metaphorical language and emotional vocabulary in poetry of the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) in China. Using a computational method to explore this question, Liu compared two sets of data that included over 650 poems from both female and male poets as they sought to uncover the influence of gender on distinct stylistic patterns. Ultimately, their research presented a challenge to male-centric literary narratives and argued for the value of integrating sociolinguistic methods into the study of classical Chinese literature.
Indigenizing Research Guides: A Toolkit by Ian Diedrich
Next, we heard from Ian Diedrich, a Master of Library and Information Sciences student, whose presentation showcased a collaboratively-made research guide and digital toolkit designed to highlight the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives into contemporary information resources. Walking listeners through the basics of a research guide, its significance, and the process undertaken to develop their toolkit, Diedrich’s work explored effective ways to incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives into library and information sciences scholarship through the adaptation of established library tools.
Profiling Poets from Spanish Sonnets by Alysa Meng
The next presenter was Alysa Meng, an Masters Student in Computer Science and Engineering, who spoke about how machine learning techniques (SVM, Bi-LSTM, BERT) can capture authorial metadata from Spanish sonnets. Their research analyzed specific poetic features and word embeddings in order to explore how computational models can reveal information about authorship, including the time period of their writing, their gender, and their region. They wrapped up their discussion with an examination of the biases within poetic data and AI models, reflecting both on cultural representations in Spanish literature and the limits of AI in textual studies.
Making Connections: How Textual Studies and the MA in French Studies Come Together by Madeleine Poole
Madeleine Poole, a Masters student in French Studies, presented on the connections between the research they’ve undertaken in their primary graduate program and their coursework in the Graduate Certificate in Textual and Digital Studies. Ending with a reflection on the way in which the skills and learning goals of the TDS certificate translated into their French Studies Master’s Project, this student showcased how Textual Studies classes prepared them to work with primary and archival evidence and complimented their degree through its attention to hands-on coursework and interdisciplinary methodologies.
“Day In, Day Out: The First Five Years of On Kawara’s Today Series” by Nicolas Staley
Nicolas Staley, a PhD Student in Art History, presented on the Today series or Date Paintings from artist, On Kawara. As the name suggests, these paintings (which range in size from 8×10 inches to 61×89 inches) are a series of canvases, monochromatic in color, that depict a date inscribed in white. The works were produced in over 130 countries and span nearly five decades of the painter’s life. In their research, Staley approached these paintings from a data-analytical standpoint, presenting a new approach to the artist and his works. Uncovering hidden habits and patterns buried within this series, Staley analyzed the first 821 paintings completed from 1966 to 1970, and introduced new methodologies to studies of On Kawara and his work.
The Evergreen Radio Reading Service Archives: Periodicals and Literary Culture for the Blind and Print-Disabled by Alina Weseloh
Alina Weseloh, an Masters of Library and Information Sciences student, presented on their efforts to digitize the Evergreen Radio Reading Service (ERRS), which operated out of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) from 1973 to 2011. For 24 hours a day, this service read newspapers, ads, stories, and other resources to the blind and print-disabled community. Weseloh, alongside a team of other MLIS students, has worked to launch a digitization of the program’s records, which have been stored in WTBBL’s audio archive since the program’s end. In their presentation, they discussed accessibility in the context of periodical studies, the technology and copyright exemptions that made the ERRS possible, and their group’s initiative to preserve the program records as digital media.
The Jacob Lawrence Mapping Project by Kailani Wright
Next, we heard from Kailani Wright whose research focused on tracing the presence and legacy of American Artist, Jacob Lawrence across the University of Washington campus and the broader Seattle community. During the course of the presentation, Wright talked about how this project catalogs Lawrence’s public artworks at UW and collects oral histories from individuals who knew the artist, addressing interpretive and historical gaps in the scholarly record of Lawrence’s time and work in the Pacific Northwest.
Textual and Narrative Constructions in Campaign Modules for Dungeons & Dragons by Megan Piccirillo
Megan Piccirillo, a Masters of Library and Information Sciences student, presented on the narrative elements of the improvised story-telling game, Dungeons & Dragons. Exploring the intermodal textual construction of a third-party campaign module, Historica Arcanum: The City of Crescent, Piccirillo discussed its combination of ludic and narrative elements, arguing that it functions as a crafted text, containing space for player ownership and authorship.
Genji Mihara’s Diaries by Karino Wada
Karino Wada, a Museology Masters student in the UW iSchool, presented on a textual translation of Genji Mihara’s diaries, which Wada has been using to assist and provide quotes and context to a virtual exhibition video their undertaking during their internship at the Japanese Community and Cultural Center. Specifically, Wada discusses their examination of Genji Mihara diaries from his time at the Manzanar Internment camp and their process of finding and digitizing the materials.
Please join us in congratulating these students on their presentations and achievements! You can find out more about the Graduate Certificate in Textual and Digital Studies by exploring our programs page. Questions about the TXTDS program, upcoming courses for the AY25-26, and all other inquiries can be directed to text@uw.edu.
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