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Symmetrical Speech: Qualitative Textual Analysis In Humanist Digital Design

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2017, MFA, Kent State University, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design.
There is a widely held colloquialism that iPhones have more computing power than NASA's Apollo mission control systems. How a person sorts out the technicalities of this assertion is beyond the point; most people can agree that modern computers provide dynamic opportunities for a range of applications. One such application is research and inquiry in the field of the Humanities including history, literature, and culture. Specifically, academics studying textually based, artifacts past and present. People may now input a body of text such as a speech or poem into a digital tool that will output a reading of minuscule detail. During the interaction the researcher can easily discover: the frequency of certain words, recurring parts of speech, and even emotional sentimentality. The new offerings of digital tools challenge both the role and approach of researchers in relationship to their work. For example, If a person knew the frequency of specific verb tenses in Romeo and Juliet, would they understand Shakespeare’s writing more clearly. Some suggest that the influence of data driven methods reveal insights that are otherwise painstaking in acquisition, while others assert that flatly evaluating cycles of syntax will only lead to a faulty overconfidence in perceived accuracy. This tension has led to the emergent field of Digital Humanities. Simply put, The Digital Humanities seeks to do humanities research in the digital environment. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the value of Digital Humanities research retaining the aspects of subjectivity and openness in the digital environment through prototyping a digital tool for use in text analysis. As a result others might have a theoretical and tangible example on which to base further research. Furthermore design practitioners might have a case study on which to evaluate an approach to user interface and participatory design that considers the process of user experience beyond a task based utilitarian model.
Jessica Barness , MFA (Committee Member)
Ken Visocky O'Grady, MFA (Committee Member)
Aoife Mooney, MA (Committee Member)
53 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Walker, A. (2017). Symmetrical Speech: Qualitative Textual Analysis In Humanist Digital Design [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1492772935620825

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Walker, Alan . Symmetrical Speech: Qualitative Textual Analysis In Humanist Digital Design. 2017. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1492772935620825.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Walker, Alan . "Symmetrical Speech: Qualitative Textual Analysis In Humanist Digital Design." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1492772935620825

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)