Practical JavaScript for Interactive Scholarship (DHSI 2026)

Description

This is a basic introduction to JavaScript, which is the programming language of the web. The class is designed for anyone interested in developing a 2025 site, or creating an interactive data visualization. By the end of this course, you will be able to read JavaScript you find online and adapt it to your needs. You will also have an opportunity to work with common JavaScript libraries/tools and enhance your own research practices.

Instructor(s)

Stephen Zweibel is Digital Scholarship Librarian at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he supports students and faculty in developing digital projects and working with data, individually and through workshops and classes on research skills and tools. Steve earned his MS in Library and Information Science from Long Island University in 2010, and his MA in the DH track of the GC’s Liberal Studies (MALS) program in 2016. He built DH Box, which won a National Endowment for the Humanities Start-Up grant in 2015, and is co-director of DHRIFT, which recently won an NEH Level III Advancement Grant (since canceled!). Stephen sees democratizing computational literacy as a core focus of his service and scholarship.

Zachary Lloyd, Developer, holds an MA in philosophy from The New School. He is currently a PhD student in comparative literature and a Digital Fellow at CUNY Graduate Center. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Brooklyn College and NYU. He hopes to continue building his skills in web development to provide students in the humanities with open-source tools for learning digital skills relevant to their research aims. Through his advocacy for digital literacy, he aspires to help forge scholarly relationships and strengthen interdisciplinary ties among academic communities.

Click here for an example of previous syllabus and course material (2025)