Computing in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Author: Edited by Orville Vernon Burton

Cloth – $44

978-0-252-02685-0

Publication Date

Cloth: 01/01/2002

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About the Book

A lively, hands-on introduction for teachers and scholars in the humanities and social sciences, this book-and-CD package will inspire even the faint-hearted to take the technological bull by the horns and make efficient, informed use of computer and Internet resources.

New technology is changing the very nature of research and teaching in the social sciences and humanities. From specialized online forums to Web-based teaching and distance learning, computers are being used to expand educational opportunities, promote cooperation and collaboration, stimulate creative thinking, and find answers to previously insoluble research problems. Combining interactive projects in a CD-ROM format with informative printed essays, this volume showcases innovations that are revolutionizing the craft of scholarship. More than that, it examines realistically how applicable the new technology is to learning. Contributors clarify some of the difficulties of using computers and address problems with the philosophy and culture of computers, including concerns about intellectual property protection and the potential for creating a technological underclass of electronically disadvantaged schools and universities.

The accompanying CD features multimedia entries such as an interactive project on owls that educates users about forest ecology; RiverWeb, an interactive archive of information on the history, culture, and science of the Mississippi River; and "Global Jukebox," which recreates the context in which the folklorist Alan Lomax made his pioneering field recordings. The CD includes links to many external sites on the World Wide Web. For those with limited Internet access, a collection of relevant sites is integrated into the CD. Minimum System Requirements32 MB available RAM, CD-ROM drive (4x)Some articles and programs also require 256-color monitor and sound capabilityMacintosh®: System 8.5Windows®: Intel Pentium® processor (or equivalent) running Windows® 95 or Windows NT® 4.0

About the Author

Orville Vernon Burton is a professor of history and sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and professor and senior research scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. He is the author of In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina.