Integrating the Digital Humanities into the Second Language Classroom by Melinda A. Cro (review)

The digital humanities are (is? as the author mentions, no one can agree whether it is singular or plural) an established part of our current existence. This text, most importantly, gives a thorough definition of the digital humanities: making, building, or sharing information about texts; providing multiple means of approaching the text. The author additionally provides clear examples of what one can create or access via the digital humanities, from a multimodal, interactional resource on Dante's Divine Comedy to a project at Stanford University in which researchers are determining whether a computer-generated algorithm can recognize a literary genre. The goal of the book is to explore the place of such projects in the second-language classroom, given the presence of the digital humanities in the non-English speaking world. Cro provides a guide to integrating the digital levels at multiple levels of inflection. The "weak" inflection uses "Bloom-and-Fade" or isolated assignments that do not account for a significant portion of the final course grade. A "medium" inflection would include multi-step projects that account for perhaps 10–20% of the course grade. A "strong" inflection could be either a full course or a multi-course implementation. An entire course (or sequence of courses) could be "scaffolded into various assignments that culminate in a final DH project" (30). Her suggestions at each level are excellent ideas for implementing the digital humanities, perhaps gradually by moving from isolated assignments to a full course implementation. Alternatively, an instructor looking to completely renovate their course could look to this guide for the full or multi-course implementation. Beginning language course sequences could integrate the digital humanities as a multi-course implementation. This would allow instructors to show students what they can do with their new language and provide the students with a portfolio or other such tangible work for their CVs or résumés. Culture and other content courses could scaffold the course work toward a final digital humanities project. The digital humanities approach as outlined by Cro is content-driven. Students will be creating with the language and interacting with authentic materials. It is task-based in that creating multi-step projects or even isolated assignments present items to accomplish (while using the language). It is collaborative and communicative as the class or group will work together (in the target language) to make, build, and share their work. Each of these aspects allow students to see the language as a means for expression rather than a set of facts (lexicon, syntax, phonology) to memorize and produce on demand. Students can experience the language as a living tool and will have motivation to improve their skills to communicate more effectively. Further, the author articulates the ways in which the digital humanities can increase digital readiness in students and the inclusive/equalizing nature of such an approach. In summary, the ideas presented in this guide are excellent suggestions for the language classroom at any level.