loyola's textual studies INITIATIVE
Building on our strength in textual scholarship, Loyola's Department of English department recently inaugurated an interdisciplinary program in Textual Studies, spearheaded by the distinguished scholar Peter Shillingsburg, our new Martin J. Svaglic Chair in Textual Studies. This initiative provides students with opportunities to participate in conferences and symposia with Loyola faculty and prominent visiting lecturers, to work with faculty on research projects, and to take new courses and perhaps pursue research of their own in this exciting interdisciplinary area.
Scholarship in Textual Studies investigates original documents, whether manuscript, print, or electronic, and studies the processes of composition, revision, editing, printing, production, distribution, and reception. Interdisciplinary by its very nature, its activities are central to all periods of literary criticism, as well as to disciplines such as philosophy, history, music, theology, and media studies. Today it serves as the foundation of digital humanities--the study of digital texts and media and the application of computing to humanities research. Growing out of the department's initiative, a new multidisciplinary Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities has been established within the College of Arts and Sciences, co-directed by Steven Jones (English) and George K. Thiruvathukal (Computer Science). It sponsors research and special events, including symposia, lectures, and conferences. In 2008-09 research at the center received a $20,000 stimulation award from Loyola's Associate Provost for Research and Centers and a $50,000 start-up grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. See the CTSDH website at http://www.ctsdh.luc.edu/ for research projects, news and announcements.