Discussion on collaboration

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Jen Shook

I’m chewing on the slippery topic of collaboration, and proposing a general discussion session to brainstorm and compare experiences and ideas. While the digital can facilitate collaboration in the humanities, I’m more interested in how the people work with each other through the tech, than how the tech works (also important, but I think it’s gotten more attention already). What are some best practices for fostering successful collaborations in the digital world, and what are examples of successful collaborative projects – artistic, academic, or otherwise? (Particularly interested in interdisciplinary collaborations.)

Categories: Proposed Sessions |

About Jen Shook

I worked as a theatre administrator, dramaturg, and director in my pre-PhD life, and founded the Chicago company Caffeine Theatre, mining the poetic tradition to explore social questions. I've also made a lot of dance and want to make more puppets. Now I am a doctoral candidate in English interested in Native American studies and working to connect many strands of the humanities. Tech for me is a way to make and a way to communicate. I'm a Twitter-addict and a fan of tech platforms that encourage people to interact with one another. (Technology revolutionized dramaturgy, for instance, because of the way it opens up conversations between theatres and audiences, and allows dramaturgs to collaborate with one another across distances.) I think academics are advocates for knowledge remix, and I think of myself as an advocate for scholarship and for art. I'm also an Obermann (Civic Engagement) Fellow and Twitter correspondent for @UIDSPH, and currently working with my Interpretation of Literature students on a resource guide for interdisciplinary responses to poetry at http://derekproject.wordpress.com/

1 Response to Discussion on collaboration

  1. raquel-baker says:
    March 29, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    I am also interested in this topic. I would love to participate in a session where we might brainstorm best practices for collaboration as instructors and to foster student collaboration–share experiences–talk about on-going projects–network for possible collaborations going forward.

    How do identity issues–such as race, sexuality, gender–influence our ability to collaborate –How can we collaborate across lines of difference?

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