by Gail Hairston

 

Jim Ridolfo of the University of Kentucky and co-editor William Hart-Davidson of Michigan State University (MSU) were recently awarded the Computers and Composition Distinguished Book Award for their book “Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities.”

 

The distinguished book award is given once a year at the Computers and Writing Conference by the Conference on College Composition and Communication for book-length works that contribute in substantial and innovative ways to the field of computers and composition.

 

Ridolfo is an associate professor and director of composition at the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies. His second book, "Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities," was published by University of Chicago Press in January 2015.

 

Hart-Davidson is associate dean of graduate studies in the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State and senior researcher at Matrix, a digital humanities and social sciences research center at MSU. Ridolfo is an associate researcher at Matrix.

 

Computers and Composition is an international journal devoted to exploring the use of computers in writing classes, writing programs and writing research. It provides a forum for discussing issues connected with writing and computer use. It also offers information about integrating computers into writing programs on the basis of sound theoretical and pedagogical decisions and empirical evidence.

 

The digital humanities is a rapidly growing field that is transforming humanities research through digital tools and resources. Researchers, for example, can now quickly trace every one of Issac Newton’s annotations, use social media to engage academic and public audiences in the interpretation of cultural texts, and visualize travel via ox cart in third-century Rome or camel caravan in ancient Egypt. Rhetorical scholars are leading the revolution by fully utilizing the digital toolbox, finding themselves at the nexus of digital innovation.

 

“Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities” is a timely, multidisciplinary collection bridging scholarship in rhetorical studies and the digital humanities. It offers guidance on how the theories and methodologies of rhetorical studies can enhance all work in digital humanities, and vice versa. Ridolfo and Hart-Davidson assembled a broad group of more than 30 accomplished scholars representing the cutting edge of research, offering guidance that will energize and inspire future collaborations.

 

Ridolfo is a recipient of the 2012 Middle East and North Africa Regional Research Fulbright for the West Bank and Israel and the 2014 Richard Ohmann Award for Outstanding Article, which recognizes excellent scholarship in the field of rhetoric, published by the professional journal College English. His work has also appeared in the journals JAC; Enculturation; Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy; Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition and Culture; and Rhetoric Review. For more information about Ridolfo, visit https://pa.as.uky.edu/fruitful-divergence-jim-ridolfo. His full curricula vitae is available at http://rid.olfo.org/doc/ridolfocv.pdf.

 

 

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