Marlene Schilling was awarded a bursary to attend the Digital Humanities Oxford Summer School in 2024. To join the mailing list and learn about the next summer school sign up here. Read about Marlene's experience at the summer school here:
In early August of this year, I had the pleasure of participating in the Digital Humanities at Oxford Summer School, joining the strand "Introduction to TEI." While I had previously worked with Oxygen and TEI for a very brief time, most of that knowledge had faded by the time we began the first day in a very hot third-floor room in the Humanities Building on Woodstock Road. By the end of the week, I left that room (very tired but also very happy) with a thorough understanding of TEI as a vocabulary for using XML to standardize text descriptions and how we can apply it in our research.
Our group consisted of participants from diverse fields across the Humanities and from all over the world, with the farthest travels being from Australia and Hong Kong. We consisted of undergraduate students, PhD students, archivists, librarians, and heritage curators. And while we all worked on or with texts in some form, naturally, we had a wide range of ideas on how to use TEI and different aspirations for what to gain from the course.
The structure of the course was very thoughtfully organized by our wonderful convenors Huw, Yasmin, and Matthew. Mornings were dedicated to learning new aspects of TEI and related skills and always included practical training in which we could apply our newly acquired knowledge. In the afternoons, after a refreshing lunch break at St. Anne’s College, a guest speaker would present their research project and demonstrate how they used TEI to address their research questions. These presentations provided us with a broad insight into the practical applications of what we were learning, often leading to ‘Eureka’ moments for our own projects.
Overall, the Summer School was a fantastic experience that allowed me to revisit and enhance previously learned but somewhat forgotten skills, acquire new and relevant knowledge, and meet many new people with fascinating research interests.
For anyone interested in Digital Humanities in any form, here are my top tips for future DHOxSS participants to make the most out of your week:
- If something is unclear, just ask! This may seem obvious, but it’s a good reminder. It’s perfectly fine not to grasp something on the first attempt. Just ask for help, and you will receive it. Our wonderful teachers reminded us of this again and again and always took the time to provide individual assistance if something was unclear.
- Be open to the new and unfamiliar. Since participants come from literally all fields within the Humanities, you will hear things that may not align perfectly with your interests, areas of expertise, or what you hope to get out of the course. However, these were often the talks and conversations where I learned the most. Similarities can be found in the most unexpected places.
- Don’t forget to socialize. One of the great aspects of the Summer School is that you’re not learning new skills alone in a room; you’re surrounded by like-minded people with interesting projects and interests. While you will learn a lot from your teachers and presenters, you will learn just as much from your fellow students and their diverse expertise. The Summer School encourages this through its social events.
- And last but not least, try to avoid having your Summer School during one of the hottest weeks of the year! Of course, this is impossible to control, but if it happens, like it did to us, come prepared: bring a water bottle and a small fan (manual or electric, whichever you prefer). With a room full of people and laptops, I guarantee it will get hot!
