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:

• Binary and hexadecimal numeral systems and conversions between different numeral systems.
• Algorithms and cryptography.
• Hardware architecture of computers.
• Operating systems.
• Computer networks and internet.
• Design of web pages.

For the students taking the course for 9 CFU, the course also aims to provide students with the concepts of:

• Representation, storage and classification of digital text.
• Databases and query languages.

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

• to perform conversions between different numerical systems (binary, decimal, hexadecimal);
• to understand the basic notions of algorithms and criptography. Furthermore, the student will be able to replicate some algorithms for encrypting texts.
• to understand the working principles of hardware and software and to analyze differences between different components.
• to understand the working principles of computer networks, to analyze costs/benefits/risks associated to different networks and understand the history of internet and its working princples.
• to understand the main principles of web design and to create a web site using free tools.

For the students taking the course for 9 CFU, at the end of the course, the student will be able:

• to store, to preserve and to classify the digital text, to obtain basic knowledge of markup languages, in particular, of XML.
• to know the main working principles of databases, to use the entity-relationship model, to use the relational model, and to create queries on existing databases using SQL.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures will provide theoretical and practical contents. Additionally analytical exercises will be assigned to be carried out individually with collective correction during lectures. During the course additional material will be made available on aulaweb.       

EXAMS

The exam will be an obligatory written exam and, if this is passed with a mark above or equal to 18/30, an additional optional oral exam may be held. Alternatively, the mark obtained in the written exam will be valid in all respects.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Programme for students taking the course for 6 cfu

The course gives a general introduction to IT.

The first part of the course focuses on the following themes:

• ICT and computers;
• representation of information;
• hardware architecture of processors;
• software;
• software to elaborate texts and documents.

The second part analyses the following aspects:

• operating systems;
• computer networks;
• internet and web technology.

During the course additional material will be made available on aulaweb. This material will be the object of the exam also for students who do not attend.

For any further clarification students can contact teaching staff by mail (dodaro@dibris.unige.it).

Programme for students taking the course for 9 cfu

The course gives a general introduction to IT.

The first part of the course focuses on the following themes:

• ICT and computers;
• representation of information;
• hardware architecture of processors;
• software;
• software to elaborate texts and documents.
•  

The second part analyses the following aspects:

• operating systems;
• computer networks;
• internet and web technology.

In the final part of the course students will analyse the connections between the internet and current web technologies and the so-called digital humanities.

During the course additional material will be made available on aulaweb. This material will be the object of the exam also for students who do not attend.

For any further clarification students can contact teaching staff by mail (dodaro@dibris.unige.it).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

DANIELE D'AGOSTINO (President)

MARCO MARATEA

ALESSIO MERLO

LESSONS

Class schedule

COMPUTERS FOR HUMANISTS

EXAMS

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Assessment method for students taking the course for 6 cfu

The obligatory written exam will examine the topics tackled during lectures. The exam will be divided into two parts that will assess competencies acquired for the first and second part of the course. This assessment method will be valid for students who do not attend also.

Assessment method for students taking the course for 9 cfu

The obligatory written exam will examine the topics tackled during lectures. The exam will be divided into three parts. The first two parts will assess competencies acquired for the first and second part of the course. The third part will assess competencies relative to the connections between web technologies and digital humanities. This assessment method will be valid for students who do not attend also. 

Exam schedule