Get involved

Digital Humanities Research Network

The DHRN is a group of staff and students who share an interest in Digital Humanities research. The network meets monthly for seminars, workshops, and more informal discussions, with the aim of sharing ideas, skills and experience. The network also has a Teams space, which is used for discussion outside the monthly meetups, plus notices about upcoming events and opportunities. To join the DHRN, contact Chris Thomson or Kaspar Middendorf.

Research Assistants

Many of our projects employ students as part-time Research Assistants. As an RA, you’ll be a part of the research team, collaborating on real research, and expanding your digital skills along the way. We encourage our Research Assistants to be “research alongsiders”, and there are often opportunities for RAs to co-author papers under the leadership of established academics.

Although many of our RAs are postgrads, there are some opportunities for undergraduates as well. The specific skills needed will depend on the project, but most important are a strong academic record and a willingness to learn. If that sounds like you, you can register your interest by emailing the ADL Manager, Kaspar Middendorf, enclosing your CV and the name of a UC lecturer who is willing to act as a referee.

Student projects

You can learn how to develop your own digital projects in the Honours-level course DIGI 403. You will acquire valuable transferable skills, learn how to apply digital tools and methods to research questions, and understand how scholarly knowledge can be delivered through digital channels. Head to the UC Digital Humanities page to see a showcase of projects from some of our past students.

Arts Digital Project Volunteers

If you want to get a taste of working on a digital project, but don’t know where to start, why not sign up as an Arts Digital Project Volunteer? Volunteering in the ADL is a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) activity, so you’ll be able to get recognition for the skills and attributes you’ve demonstrated and developed. Plus you’ll be contributing to real research projects and gaining valuable experience. Past volunteers have worked on a variety of digital projects, helping out with things like writing descriptions for digital objects, testing apps, extracting metadata from files, proofreading, and fact checking.

You only need to commit to 12 hours of volunteering, so you can easily fit it around your studies. To sign up, visit the CCR page.

Internships

You can put your learning to use in the real world while earning academic credit by enrolling in the PACE Internships programme. For internships with a digital component, the ADL can work with you and your academic supervisor to find the right digital tools and methodolgies for your project.

Past internships have included:

• Canterbury Roll
  Building a database of people and places mentioned on the Canterbury Roll, and exploring ways of incorporating biographical and geographic data into the digital edition.
• Macmillan Brown Library Digital Content Curator
  Exploring ways to connect the 6000+ items in the Macmillan Brown’s Theatre and Concert Programme and Ephemera Collection to potential audiences, using digital technology.
• ‘Women’s Unheard Voices’
  Working with the National Council of Women New Zealand (NCWNZ) to document women’s experiences surrounding the Christchurch earthquake, resulting in a collection of stories in the QuakeStudies archive.
• Christchurch Arts Centre Applications Developer
  Research into the viability of various apps for use by the Arts Centre to promote itself to the broader Christchurch community and tourists
• Environment Canterbury CEISMIC Collection
  Working with ECan to collect and prepare their organisational content for the CEISMIC digital archive. A collection was created in QuakeStudies so that the content could be made publicly available.