Abstract

Realizing Inclusive Student Engagement in the Digital Humanities (RISE-DH) is a new experiential learning and training program for African American students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s IRIS Center for the Digital Humanities (SIUE). The mission of IRIS is to facilitate cross-disciplinary and collaborative projects that involve innovative uses of technology in the humanities and social sciences. Though there are notable exceptions, the digital humanities is not often geared in content or design toward addressing, attracting, or educating people of color. RISE-DH combines the study of Black literature and culture with digital humanities skills to increase access to and interest in the digital humanities among SIUE’s African American students. Twenty RISE-DH fellows will participate in a community of practice and training program while contributing to four projects: The Black Tech Sandbox, Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES), the E-Stories Project, and the Schaefer Edoid Archive. Students will learn skills of programming, cultural remix, archiving, video production, digital storytelling, and data visualization as they collaborate with other Black students in key University programs designed to increase the access of marginalized students to high impact practices. Through the full impact of the program, over 150 Black students will engage with digital humanities tools and methods that will help them develop twenty-first century skills and imagine careers tied to the humanities and social sciences beyond their time at the University.