Annotated Bibliography

Summarize: In the article, Bordalejo and Risam provide an insightful explanation of the significant role played by intersectionality in digital humanities. They emphasize that when considering digital humanities subjects and scholarship, it is crucial to discuss the role of race, class, gender, social and historical contexts, sexuality, etc, in order to improve the inclusivity of diverse voices. In this case, researchers can avoid replicating and strengthening the existing institutional inequalities in society and within various projects. 
Access: With an emphasis of the need for inclusivity and critical engagement in digital humanities, Bordalejo and Risam provide valuable views to integrate other fields of studies and various perspectives into the digital humanities field. They construct this article in clear structure of why intersectionality is significant, and how to approach an intersectional digital humanities, with clear and sufficient examples of integrations with race, feminism, sexuality, etc. Therefore, it is a crucial, credible, and reliable source for us to create our project, proposing a comprehensive consideration of various fields and contexts when considering digital humanities.
Reflect: This theory will help us explore how various social identities (such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status) intersect and influence the experience and reporting of UFO sightings. We will analyze how different demographic groups report UFO sightings differently and what this reveals about societal attitudes. For instance, certain communities might report fewer sightings due to cultural stigmas or limited access to reporting channels, helping us understand broader social implications.
 

Summarize: Cowles explains the theory of Reader-Response Criticism that texts only exist through the interactions with and interpretations of readers. By comparing this theory with formalism, Cowles explains how Reader-Response Criticism was constructed as a reaction to the way of viewing meanings as inherent in the text itself. He outlines different explanations of this theory from various scholars, covering the various historical and social contexts affecting its changes. Overall, this article stresses the significant, active role played by readers in constructing meanings. 
Access: Compared with other sources in the bibliography, this article provides an unique perspective of the relationship between texts and readers. Cowles outlines various perspectives of scholars comprehensively and unbiasedly, with sufficient information and quotations as well as clear explanations to support each perspective.  Cowles structures this article with clear sections for further enhancing reader’s understanding of Readers-Response Criticism comprehensively. Therefore, this source is useful, and it is reliable to be applied in our project. 
Reflect: Reader response criticism is particularly useful since it would help us understand how different audiences might interpret and engage with the UFO sightings data and narratives. The reactions of interpreters are significant when we analyze the effect brought by UFO sightings to society and science. In this case, we would consider the interpretations of UFO sightings from the perspective of witnesses of UFOs, reporters recording the sightings, as well as audiences receiving such information. We plan to gather feedback from users to see how they perceive and interact with the information presented, which will help us refine the site’s content and design to better meet their needs.
 

Summarize: In this article, Williams emphasizes the intersectionality of disability studies and digital humanities, proposing “universal design principles” that benefit all users. He points out that the idea of universal design is not only improving the accessibility of people with disabilities, but also reducing the cost of designers for reconstructing a site specifically for a group of people. If, in the beginning, there exist principles that suit the needs of everyone, it will create reciprocal advantages for both designers and all the users.
Access: Compared with other sources in the bibliography, this article shares a similar viewpoint as intersectionality theory, that is an emphasis of a more comprehensive representation and consideration of users. Williams highlights an often overlooked aspect of accessibility, that is a consideration of people with disabilities. The “universal design” he proposes with clear evidence and examples from credible sources does not only benefit people with disabilities, but it also brings convenience and accessibility to all the users. Therefore, it is a useful source to be applied into the construction of our project. 
Reflect: This reading will guide our understanding of designing for inclusivity when we design our mini-site. The universal design principle is important to us in reconsidering our role of creating accessibility to our users, promoting a high inclusivity not only in the case of disability but also in the case of representations of minority groups. We will learn to incorporate comprehensive accessibility features to ensure our project is usable by people with disabilities. 
 

Summarize: Manovich introduces the concept of information visualization, abbreviated infovis, by discussing its distinctions from related fields such as scientific visualization and information design. Informational visualization, as defined by Manovich, means a mapping between data and visual representations. Through exploring the historical and theoretical contexts and foundations of visualization, Manovich compares the differences between scientific visualization and information visualization, as well as direct visualizations with the former two methods, emphasizing the usefulness of visualizations such as graphs in the case of improving comprehensions and effective analysis. 
Access: Compared with other sources in the bibliography, this article explores and suggests a method that can help structuralize discrete, unstructured data for a better comprehension of the data. Manovich lists several different visualizations: direct visualization, scientific visualization, information design, and information visualization, and provides examples and detailed explanations to distinguish between them, including their various functions, advantages, and limitations. By providing the historical context of visualization’s evolutions and asking questions of “What is Visualization”, Manovish emphasizes the interactions between data, art, and space, stressing the importance of incorporating different visualization, such as direct visualization, into digital humanities projects. Therefore, with considerable insight into histories, categories, functions, and differences of visualization methods, this article provides useful and comprehensive information for us when we select visualization methods to explore, digitize, and showcase our data and its pattern.
Reflect: In the beginning, we never thought about the different categories of data visualization except simple differentiation between graphs and their functions in our statistics classes. This article provides us a comprehensive view of data visualizations, not only in the case of what they are, but also in the case of how to select them. Since our project relies heavily on visualization to tell a compelling story, this reading will help us learn from professional experiences. We will be better prepared to use visualizations to identify patterns and narrate our findings effectively.