OVERVIEW

The use of new technologies is transversal to many disciplines including the humanities. Literary and artistic works need to be safeguarded and also enhanced with new digital tools. The course thus aims to give students ICT competencies that apply to this aim. No particular previous ICT knowledge is necessary. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course offers a panorama of the main ICT languages and tools at the disposal of humanities in the context of management and enhancement of knowledge aimed at conservation, production and use in the literary and artistic field. The course aims to cover basic concepts of systems and technologies for digital representation of contents, the main instruments of productivity, evolutionary scenarios and relevant case-studies from real applications in artistic contexts and for cultural assets. 

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with the concepts of:

• ICT as scientific discipline;
• Algorithms, cryptography, software and computers
• Hardware architecture of computers
• Principles of Operating Systems
• Computer networks and internet.
• Binary and hexadecimal numeral systems and conversions between different numeral systems.
• Representation, storage and classification of digital text.
• Introdcution to Databases

From a practical perspective, the course will focus on aspects related to ICT technologies such as:

• Operating Systems
• Text processing software (Word, Latex)
• Spreadsheets (Excel)
• Databases and query langauges
• Coding

At the end of the course, the student will be able:

• to use appropriate ICT terms;
• to understand the working principles of hardware and software and to analyze differences between different components;
• to understand the basic notions of algorithms and criptography;
• to design simple algorithms;
• to perform conversions between different numerical systems (binary, decimal, hexadecimal);
• to understand the working principles of computer networks, to analyze costs/benefits/risks associated to different networks;
• to store, to preserve and to classify the digital text;
• to know the main working principles of databases, using the entity-relationship model;
• to use spreadsheets and text processing software.

PREREQUISITES

No prerequisites.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures will provide theoretical and practical contents. During the course additional material will be made available on aulaweb.       

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Programme for students taking the course for 6 cfu:

1. ICT and computers
2. Algorithms and software
3. Introduction to coding
4. Hardware components
5. Computer networks;
6. Introduction to text processing software
7. Representation, storage and classification of digital text.

Programme for students taking the course for 9 cfu:

Additionally to the previous points,:

1. Principles of Operating Systems
2. Introduction to Spreadsheets (Excel)
3. Introduction to Databases and query languages.

All teaching materials will be available on the Aulaweb platform.

For any doubt, please refer to: carmine.recchiuto@dibris.unige.it

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CARMINE RECCHIUTO (President)

DANIELE D'AGOSTINO

ANTONIO SGORBISSA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes will start on 24th February

Class schedule

IT FOR THE HUMANITIES

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is composed of two parts. The first is a written test, in the form of a questionnaire, on the theoretical topics of the course. The second is a practical test, and consists in the elaboration of a text through a word processing software, or in the use of spreadsheets, or in the development of a simple algorithm.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam aims at verifying the student's actual knowledge and acquisition of the theoretical basic competences and expected operational skills. The written test proposes general theoretical questions, both in the form of open answers and true / false questions. Students shoud be able to:

- express themselves with appropriate IT terms and concepts;
- demonstrate understanding of the notion of algorithm;
- describe the operative principles of a computer, its main peripherals and hardware components.

With the practical exercise, students must demonstrate that they have acquired sufficient operational skills.

Exam schedule