We hope that this charter functions as a way to document our digital humanities goals while also displaying our growth over time. We are currently in the process of uncovering our presuppositions about digital humanities and confronting our fears about learning these new skills and modes of thinking. As the year progresses, we hope to return to this document with new insight into the ways that our individual and collaborative thought processes have changed.

The strength of our cohort lies in our interdisciplinarity, our eagerness to learn from each other, and our willingness to think beyond boundaries. To visualize this collaborative relationship and process, we collectively drew a scene of a budding flower. Each individual contribution to the drawing, varying in style and color, adds a new dimension to the overall image.

Goals & Aspirations

Collaborate Together

Given the diversity of disciplines within our cohort, we welcome the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration, in which all must be equally invested. Having different work styles is a strength we will recognize and utilize. We each have experienced collaboration in similar and separate ways, and we embrace the perspectives that each of us brings to Praxis. We recognize that compromise is not a bad word, and we will be open to all ideas no matter how absurd, and explore all possibilities presented. We will work and collaborate as equal partners. We aspire to learn how to collaborate with each other in many different ways in order to broaden our individual experiences and create projects that allow us to go even farther as a group. We will work on harnessing the variety across our backgrounds, skills, and interests to enhance and deepen the work we do together and the connections we form in our cohort.

Relate to Each Other

As we become acquainted, we plan to approach our work with Praxis together in a relaxed and friendly way. We will be accountable to each other to ensure that everyone is engaged during conversations. We vow to be interested in what our fellow cohort members have to say. While valuing our time together with Praxis, we also plan to check in with one another outside of work (such as through non-Praxis-related icebreakers), and hang out when we can. Similarly, we aspire to make a commitment to hanging out when we can. For example, we plan to schedule movie nights, and a tour the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection with Emmy! We also aspire to make the Fellow’s space our own. We want it to be a place where we can go to work or simply enjoy each other’s company!

Embrace Our Failures and Setbacks

We expect the work with Praxis at times to be challenging and outright frustrating at times. We embrace the statement made in the Student Program Charter that failure is a virtue, and mistakes are a portal for discovery. Embracing failure will also require redefining what success means for ourselves: does it mean the absence of failure, or something else? When we fail, we will fail as a team and not allow anyone to suffer in silence. In encountering problems and setbacks, we will work together to find solutions to build momentum on the road to progress. We will use these failures and setbacks as learning opportunities to grow within the digital humanities. Finally, embracing our failures means being compassionate about our emerging skills.

Apply Praxis to Our Individual Work

We have all expressed apprehension about diving into new and unfamiliar technologies, but we are determined to face these fears head-on! In collaborating and being open to innovative ideas, we believe our collaborative efforts will reinforce our own individual research endeavors. We welcome the opportunities to learn new and existing skills and pedagogy within the digital humanities. We are appreciative of the opportunities of the program and plan to take advantage of the resources that Praxis and the Scholar’s Lab provide.

Prioritize Generosity and Care

We acknowledge that Praxis is only one dimension of our busy lives. Therefore, we will prioritize flexibility in order to foster a collaborative and supportive environment. External reasons might sometimes make it hard to collaborate as a group. Should that happen, we will make sure to inform one another (for instance, in our shared stress calendar) and make catching up with the group and our group project(s) a priority. We aspire to be willing to ask each other for help, even when it may feel difficult to put ourselves in vulnerable positions by admitting we need guidance or help. Finally, we aspire to give credit where credit is due, and to think critically about the ethics of giving credit and making acknowledgments.

Make Learning a Playful Process

We embrace the anxieties, fears, but also the excitement that comes with exploring the world of the digital humanities. We will approach serious work in lighthearted ways. We maintain that playfulness and fun are in themselves serious endeavors. As reflected in our Charter design, we aspire to enjoy the playfulness of the process!