SCHC 383 H02 26226

EngLit, Humanities, AIU

Notes:

With the public release of digital versions of major authors like William Shakespeare, as well as with the availability of large-scale datasets like Early English Books Online, it's now possible to study early modern literature and history using quantitative methods. Researchers have used computers to measure the social networks of Shakespeare's tragedies, to show how the English language changed over the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and to map the landscapes of fictional worlds. In this course, students will learn how to perform this kind of research, with special emphasis on the basic principles of literary mathematics. We'll survey concepts from set theory, point-set topology, statistics, matrix and linear algebra, and graph theory, showing in each case how their mathematical principles inform research design in the study of literature. However, this is not a math class. Students will not be asked to take tests or write proofs. Instead, they will be invited to design research projects, to execute simple analyses, and to describe their work using formal expressions. There are no prerequisites for this course. All necessary concepts will be explained in our class meetings, and first-year students are encouraged to enroll. However, students should be comfortable with mathematical abstraction and notation and they must be willing to learn and experiment - and they should be comfortable reading Shakespeare, because we'll dig into a play or two, as well as into some contemporaneous publications. This course is ideal for two kinds of students: 1) STEM majors interested in learning about exciting new applications of quantitative methods, and 2) humanities majors who remember math fondly and would enjoy a new perspective on the works and times of Shakespeare. Requirements will include 3-4 short homework assignments and a final research project.