About

We are pleased to announce the first THATCamp Jewish Studies, to be held during the Association for Jewish Studies 44^th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois. THATCamp Jewish Studies will run from 9:00am-12:30pm on Sunday, December 16^th at the Sheraton Chicago.  Registration is free if you are already registered for the AJS Annual Conference. Registration is $15 if you are not attending the AJS Conference.

What is a THATCamp?

THATCamp stands for “The Humanities and Technology Camp.” It’s a small, informal meeting where humanists, social scientists, and technologists of all skill levels can explore issues related to Jewish Studies, technology, and digital media.  There are no formal presentations or prepared lectures; rather, THATCamp attendees create sessions, ideas, and collaborations on the spot and learn directly from one another.  Amanda French, THATCamp Coordinator and Research Assistant Professor at George Mason University, will assist participants with the session planning process both before and during THATCamp Jewish Studies.  Sessions topics may include any question, theme, or project related to Jewish Studies, technology, and digital media.  THATCamp is a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.  Learn more about THATCamps across the humanities by clicking here.

Who should attend?

You should attend if you are:

• a Jewish Studies professor, graduate student, or independent scholar who is interested in or already using new technologies (social media, blogs, websites, text-mining programs, digital exhibits, etc.) in your classroom, research, or program building,

• a librarian, archivist, or museum professional who would like to share or learn more about digital research or exhibit tools,

• anyone with an interest in Jewish Studies and technology, such as social media; blogs; digital research tools; online publishing; digital teaching tools; crowdsourcing and so much more!

Where’s the schedule?

The schedule for THATCamp Jewish Studies is decided upon entirely by attendees, through a collaborative online process.  Sessions can be proposed by anyone, whatever your skill or experience level and topics can range from introductory to highly technical.  Participants will make suggestions and discuss their ideas online before the meeting and then the schedule and topics will be finalized at a brief gathering at 9am on December 16th.

What should I propose?

That’s completely up to you.  See the list of sample sessions at thatcamp.org/go/proposals/ for some ideas.  Discussion topics can include anything from how to use social media to promote your institution’s Jewish Studies program, to how to set up a course blog that will help promote discussion among your students,  to a discussion on using digital research tools to keep track of references, images, documents etc.

How do I sign up?

Registration for THATCamp Jewish Studies is now open – just complete the registration form!