I am twice an an alumnus of the University of Alberta, located in Edmonton, Alberta.

Master of Arts (Humanities Computing)

In Fall 2013, I successfully defended my Masters thesis in Humanities Computing. Humanities Computing, also called the Digital Humanities, is an interdisciplinary field within the Humanities drawing on a diverse range of technologies and technology-based skills in the service of Humanities research.

In my case, this entailed:

  • Web development (server-client concepts, FTP, site management and design, HTML and CSS)
  • Basic database design and querying via MySQL and phpMyAdmin
  • Basic programming with a focus on PHP
  • Using PHP for modular, dynamic web development with includes, arrays and loops
  • Querying, inserting and manipulating data from MySQL databases with PHP
  • System-level thinking, particularly in perceiving how combining available technologies with research methods and human resources can best fulfil project goals
  • Project management principals, including iterative development, project proposal development, environmental scans and hands-on project development via a Community-Based Learning partnership
  • Hands-on learning via Research Assistantships in active Digital Humanities academic projects (please see my Portfolio for more information on these).

In addition, I have taken courses in:

  • Research methods, focusing on qualitative and quantitative practices from a library and information studies perspective
  • Post-humanism and the Digital Humanities, exploring the space between how technology is often understood in our broader culture, and the role of the Digital Humanist as an intermediary between users and technology
  • Middle English protest literature, relating the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt to the Lollard movement, popular outlaw tales (such as the Robin Hood ballads) and major works contemporary to the Peasant’s Revolt such as Piers Plowman.

For my thesis, HTML5, Tablet Computers and the Emerging Web Paradigm, I elected to include a case study in web development and stylesheet-based device detection to expand and reinforce my web development skills. Please see my case study page for more information about this project.

Bachelor of Arts (maj. English, min. Classics)

In 2006, I completed my Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and minoring in Classics (emphasizing history). As a Humanities-exclusive degree, it most notably entailed:

  • Textual research methods, from both a literary and a historic perspective
  • Research-based writing and concept synthesis
  • Critical thinking and evaluation
  • System-level interactions, from intertextuality, to the interplay between history and literature, to broader international/intercultural views of history

Other Stuff

In addition to my formal education, I have taken: