Affordances and limitations of algorithmic criticism

Humanities scholars currently have access to unprecedented quantities of machine-readable texts, and, at the same time, the tools and the methods with which we can analyse and visualise these texts are becoming more and more sophisticated. As has been shown in numerous studies, many of the new technical possibilities that emerge from fields such as text mining and natural language processing can have useful applications within literary research. Computational methods can help literary scholars to discover interesting trends and correlations within massive text collections, and they can enable a thoroughly systematic examination of the stylistic properties of literary works. While such computer-assisted forms of reading have proven invaluable for research in the field of literary history, relatively few studies have applied these technologies to expand or to transform the ways in which we can interpret literary texts. Based on a comparative analysis of digital scholarship and traditional scholarship, this thesis critically examines the possibilities and the limitations of a computer-based literary criticism. It argues that quantitative analyses of data about literary techniques can often reveal surprising qualities of works of literature, which can, in turn, lead to new interpretative readings

Media panic : the duo media - youth as problem for didactic and teaching plan

Relacja: młodzież i nowe media jest przedmiotem sprzecznych interpretacji, pełnych utopii lub wypełnionych niepokojami i lękami. Debaty o nowych mediach powodują rozgrzanie reakcji emocjonalnych. W tym przypadku mamy do czynienia z tym, co może być określane jako panika medialna. Panika przechodzi i jest zapominana, z wyjątkiem pamięci zbiorowej, innym razem powoduje zmiany o charakterze prawnym i społecznym. Moda na nowe media odsyła starsze media na drugi plan. K. Drotner twierdzi, że nowe media służą jako mentalne metafory do dyskutowania i debatowania o szeroko pojętych zagadnieniach społecznych. Autor podziela poglądy, że poprzez tworzenie sloganów określających konkretne pokolenie zwalniamy od odpowiedzialności wychowawców, nauczycieli i rodziców za dzieci i uczniów, w kwestii ich korzystania z nowych mediów. Jednocześnie firmy informatyczne bronią swoich pozycji w debacie publicznej.The relation between the modern media technologies and youth is extremely problematic because their debates are polarized. There is a view which emphasises benefits provided by new technologies and the genius of young digital natives; on the other hand, there is a point on the downside which is destructive and crumbles potentials. Therefore, youth and new media are subjects of contradictory representations full of utopia or full of anxieties and fears. In some cases, a debate of a new medium brings about heated, emotional reactions. In that case we have what may be defined as a media panic. The panic passes over and is forgotten, except in collective memory; at other times it has repercussions and might produce such change as those in legal and social policy. Like this the intense preoccupation with the latest media fad immediately relegates older media to the shadows of acceptance. K. Drotner argues that new media serve as mental metaphors for discussing and debating wider social concerns. We argue, with an approach close to S. Hall et al., that through the creation of slogans to indicate a specific generation, we give alibis to educators, teachers and parents not to feel their responsibilities for their children and students when they approach new media. At the same time, publishing and information technology companies are able to feed public debate about concerns or idealization inherent to new media, in order to defend their advantageous position

On the Applications of Computer-Assisted Language Learning in a Military English Context

This paper critically reviews the pedagogical benefits and obstacles to applying CALL to military English learning in terms of the theories associated with CALL. The obstacles that hinder effective CALL practice in military settings can be attributable to a) a long-held behavioristic tradition for language learning such as rote memorization and repetitive drilling; b) the antithesis of traditional military sentiment against the shift of learning responsibility from the military to individuals; and c) military instructors who may be incapable of implementing effective CALL practice because of their own preconceptions, backgrounds and established skill sets. However, properly implemented CALL not only prepares learners linguistically and culturally for participating in multinational military operations, but also provides learners with peer support opportunities where they can cooperate with their peers to achieve more than what they are capable of and enhance their interpersonal communication required in the military. CALL also benefits learners by enabling them to monitor their progress and promoting critical thinking.<br/

Legal Information and the Development of American Law: Writings on the Form and Structure of the Published Law

Robert C. Berring\u27s writings about the impacts of electronic databases, the Internet, and other communications technologies on legal research and practice are an essential part of a larger literature that explores the ways in which the forms and structures of published legal information have influenced how American lawyers think about the law. This paper reviews Berring\u27s writings, along with those of other writers concerned with these questions, focusing on the implications of Berring\u27s idea that in the late nineteenth century American legal publishers created a conceptual universe of thinkable thoughts through which U.S. lawyers came to view the law. It concludes that, spurred by Berring and others, the literature of legal information has become far reaching in scope and interdisciplinary in approach, while the themes struck in Berring\u27s work continue to inform the scholarship of newer writers

Application of Qualitative Methods in Health Research: An Overview

Qualitative research is type of formative research that includes specialized techniques for obtaining in-depth responses about what people think and how they feel. It is seen as the research that seeks answer to the questions in the real world. Qualitative researchers gather what they see, hear, read from people and places, from events and activities, with the purpose to learn about the community and to generate new understanding that can be used by the social world. Qualitative research have often been conducted to answer the question “why” rather than “what”. A purpose of qualitative research is the construction of new understanding. Here, we present an overview of application of qualitative methods in health research. We have discussed here the different types of qualitative methods and how we and others have used them in different settings/scenarios; sample size and sampling techniques; analysis of qualitative data; validity in qualitative research; and ethical issues

Adolescent Literacy and Textbooks: An Annotated Bibliography

A companion report to Carnegie's Time to Act, provides an annotated bibliography of research on textbook design and reading comprehension for fourth through twelfth grade, arranged by topic. Calls for a dialogue between publishers and researchers

The Blurring of Boundaries in Bioscientific Discourse

New technologies have revealed previously unknown and invisible parts of the human body and made it visible at the molecular level, revealing in turn more detailed structures and arrangements than those which were previously available. In doing so, in many ways they refine, expand, and even completely overturn forms of contemporary knowledge. This book maps the shifts and blurring of boundaries in contemporary bioscientific discourse. The authors of its chapters trace the shifts of boundaries in terms of the gradual blurring of the validity of established concepts, interpretive frameworks, and standards of judgment, which are analysed from ontological, gnoseological, ethical, and social perspectives. At the same time, they also map the blurring of boundaries in terms of the interdisciplinary crossing of boundaries between various scientific and artistic disciplines. The shifting of boundaries ultimately forms a part of these boundaries’ definition; upon the basis of a rationally guided discussion, these shifts can be guided and corrected so as to avoid any irreversible damage. Jana Tomašovičová is a philosopher with a special interest in contemporary philosophy and bioethics. She analyses the impact of biotechnology on traditional social, ethical, and anthropological concepts and their relevance in new conditions. She is an associate professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia. During her bioethics research, she conducted short research stays at the universities of Bonn, Heidelberg, Tübingen, and Zürich

Special Libraries, April 1961

Volume 52, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1961/1003/thumbnail.jp