Recently, the School of Information Resource Management at Renmin University of China has launched a master program in digital humanities, the first in mainland China. The school has started the enrollment from fall 2020.

The program was certified at the Digital Humanities Expert Forum held on May 9, 2020. The expert group was chaired by Professor Xia Lixin, a member of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Vice President of Central China Normal University.

Professor Zhang Bin, the Executive Vice Minister of the Organization Department of the Party Committee of Renmin University of China, delivered a welcome speech on behalf of the school, where he introduced the development of the digital humanities scholarship at the university and school, and how this program fits into the strategies and development goals of the school.

Professor Xia presided over the expert review session of the review meeting. Professor Yan Hui, the Vice Dean of the School of Information Resource Management, introduced to the plan of the establishment of this program, a second-level research field under the Department of Library, Information, and Archives Management at the school.

All attended experts discussed issues related to this program. They put forward suggestions on the definition of digital humanities, the relationship between digital humanities and traditional research fields in this domain (e.g. library science, information science and archives), what courses should be included in the program, what skills are needed for a graduate student from this master program and how such skills match with the job market, and other issues addressed in in the proposed plan.

has one of the best iSchool in mainland China and has formed an interdisciplinary research team that is composed of researchers from fields like archives, information science, information analysis and library science. More significantly, it has a long and dedicated commitment to digital humanities research and initiatives. The school established the Digital Humanities Research Center in 2019. It was the first school in China to open an honorary minor degree in digital humanities at the undergraduate level. It also founded the journal “Digital Humanities Research,” the first Chinese academic journal on digital humanities. The expert group praised these efforts and agreed that they have prepared the School of Information Resource Management to offer this master program.

Professor Feng Huiling, the Director of the Digital Humanities Research Center of Renmin University of China, gave a concluding speech. She highlighted the strategic importance of digital humanities in the field of library, information, and archive sciences and the development of the School.

The new digital humanities program will integrate resources of the School of Information Resource Management, the School of History, the School of Chinese Studies, the School of Art, the School of Law, and the School of Environment. The training plan will combine education, research, and practice, an important approach to cultivating the next generation of researchers and professionals in digital humanities and liberal arts.