Season 1, Episode 0: Intro

12.09.2019

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Voice: Experimental Humanities

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Maria Sachiko Cecire: Hello and welcome to Experimental Humanities Out Loud. The podcast where we investigate how technology mediates what it means to be human. I am Maria Sachiko Cecire, director for the center of Experimental Humanities and an Associate Professor of literature here at Bard College.

Krista Caballero: Hi, I’m Krista Caballero; the Associate Director at the Center for Experimental Humanities and a practicing artist working across media. We’re really thrilled to welcome you to our inaugural season of Experimental Humanities Out Loud.

Maria Sachiko Cecire: Absolutely. And in case you don’t know what Experimental Humanities is, EH is an academic concentration and center at Bard that engages with media and technology forms from across historical periods. We combine experimental research methods with critical thinking about how such forms function as a part of cultural, social, and political inquiry. EH encourages the reconsideration of older media in light of today’s technologies and looks ahead to developments on the horizon.

Krista Caballero: So Maria, maybe you can share with us a little bit on how EH is distinct from its cousin, the Digital Humanities.

Maria Sachiko Cecire: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, well, DH typically employs digital tools and research methods to investigate humanities subjects. Experimental Humanities does that, but we also really, additionally, emphasized critical thinking about media and technology and their productive intersections, the relationship between digital methodologies and humanities scholarship in all its forms, collaboration between traditionally disparate disciplines like computer science, literature, and the arts, and especially the role of experimentation which is often associated with the sciences and the arts, but thinking about what might that do for us in humanities research and really interdisciplinary work. So, Krista this podcast is your brain child, so are what are some of the things that people can expect in each season of Experimental Humanities Out Loud?

Krista Caballero: So we’re really excited that each season of our podcast will include episodes that explore feature projects that come out of the Center for Experimental Humanities. So for example, in our first season, you’ll have the chance to learn about vultures, a unique keystone species that have a strong presence on the Bard campus. We’ll also look at ways that vultures connect to human ecological and technological landscapes. We’ll also have some featured EH courses like your Woman as Cyborg class, which we’ll be hearing about in season one as well. There will be spotlights on what students are researching, creating, and thinking about, and of course much more. We always just have so much going on in the center, and we’re really thrilled to be able to share some of the exciting work and unexpected collaborations that are taking place in EH through this podcast series.

Maria Sachiko Cecire: Yes, absolutely, and we’re so excited that you all are here listening with us and we hope you’ll keep listening and stay with us as we continue on this really exciting new chapter in EH work. If you’re interested in finding out more about us, you can go to our website at eh.bard.edu or stop by the center in New Annandale House on the Bard College campus at any time.

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