Program Summary

Now in its third and final year (1998-99), this program will introduce a selected group of Princeton and Cornell graduate students, drawn from both the humanities and the sciences, to the resources, methods, and tools for research and teaching made possible by computing and networked communication technologies. The program is not only designed to teach specific and useful computer skills but also to foster intellectual community among graduate students bv providing opportunities to question how these new tools and methods may stimulate interdisciplinary thinking and affect scholarship and teaching. Senior faculty members, from Princeton and other universities and organizations, will be invited to share with partipants what they have learned about the uses -- and the pitfalls -- of technology for teaching and research in the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and natural sciences.

The program has three components:

1. A four-part preliminary training series, to be offered in the two weeks prior to the seminar itself. This series will focus on ensuring that participants have basic skills in operting systems, networks, web authoring, image scanning, and using a web browser.
2. A week-long intensive summer seminar.
3. A monthly series of colloquial to be offered in the following academic year, that extend both the use of these new tools and discussion about the intellectual issues raised by their applications.

Cost

Each graduate student participating in the program will receive a $250 stipend. All costs for the seminar, including written materials and software, lunches and study break refreshments, have been underwritten by a generous donor.

The summer seminar

The Schedule

The seminar will take place on the Princeton campus during the week of June 8 - 12, 1998. The seminar will consist of morning and afternoon sessions each day and some evening sessions for group projects and individual practice. The curriculum will balance hands-on experience using electronic tools for practical tasks with discussions of the intellectual and professional implications of using new technology for academic purposes. Hands-on activities will include building web page collections, working with multimedia databases, using the library's electronic resources, digitizing and manipulating images, sounds and video clips, working with LaTech, and using the document management features of Microsoft Word. Some of the hands-on sessions will be directed toward students in the humanites, others toward students in the sciences, while others will target both groups. Faculty members, both advisors of the participants and faculty members whose work engages with these new tools and methods, will be invited to attend the seminar, eat meals, provide critiques, and engage in discussion with the students.

The seminar will be taught by experts in various aspects of academic computing, with examples of innovative teaching and research being undertaken by the faculty. They will be assisted by Princeton and Cornall graduate students.

The selection process

Princeton graduate students in year one, two or three in a humanities, social sciences or natural sciences discipline are eligible to apply.

Applicants should submit the attached application form along with a no longer than two-page statement of purpose. The statement should include:

• personal goals for participation, related to research, teaching, or both;
• previous computing experience, although prior computing experience is not a prerequisite for acceptance;
• commitment to participate for the full year of the program.

A letter of support from the applicant's advisor, chair, or departmental representative is required.

For questions about the seminar or any aspect of the program, please contact:

David Redman
Associate Dean
The Graduate School