Getting Started

This guide walks you through the software installation, GitHub setup, and basic skills you need for this course. Complete these steps before the first class.

Before the First Class

Please complete the following installations before our first session so you are prepared for hands-on work:

1. Install R and RStudio - The programming environment for R tutorials
2. Install Swirl - Interactive R tutorials that run inside RStudio
3. Install Orange Data Mining - Our primary analysis tool for text-as-data work

Detailed instructions for each are below.

Software Installation

R and RStudio

R is a programming language for statistical computing. RStudio is the application you will use to work with R. You will not do anything sophisticated with R in this course, but you will be introduced to it through guided tutorials.

Installation steps:

1. Go to posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop
2. Download and install R for your operating system (follow Step 1 on the page)
3. Download and install RStudio Desktop (follow Step 2 on the page)
4. Open RStudio to verify the installation works

Swirl

Swirl is an interactive tutorial system that runs inside RStudio. It provides hands-on R lessons directly in the console.

Installation steps:

1. Open RStudio
2. In the console (bottom-left panel), type the following and press Enter:

   install.packages("swirl")
   

3. Load swirl by typing:

   library(swirl)
   

4. Install the required courses by typing:

   install_course("R Programming")
   install_course("Exploratory Data Analysis")
   

5. To start a lesson, type swirl() and follow the prompts

For more information, see swirlstats.com/students.html

Orange Data Mining

Orange is our primary analysis tool. It is a visual, drag-and-drop platform for data analysis that makes computational methods accessible without programming.

Installation steps:

1. Go to orangedatamining.com/download
2. Download the installer for your operating system (Windows or macOS)
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts
4. Open Orange Data Mining
5. Install the Text add-on:
   • Go to Options in the menu bar
   • Select Add-ons
   • Find Text in the list and check the box
   • Click OK and restart Orange when prompted

The Text add-on provides the widgets we will use for text analysis throughout the course.

GitHub Setup

You will use GitHub to manage and submit your coursework. GitHub is a platform for version control and collaboration that is widely used in research and industry.

Creating Your Repository

1. Create a GitHub account at github.com if you do not have one
2. Create a new private repository named: DH-TopicalReading-<Surname>
   • Replace <Surname> with your last name (e.g., DH-TopicalReading-Kim)
3. Add the instructor as a collaborator:
   • Go to your repository’s Settings
   • Select Collaborators from the left menu
   • Click Add people
   • Enter the instructor’s username: scdenney
   • Send the invitation

Repository Structure

Organize your repository with the following folder structure:

DH-TopicalReading-<Surname>/
├── assignments/
│   ├── week01/
│   │   ├── week01-deliverable.md
│   │   └── screenshots/
│   ├── week02/
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── week06/
│   │   └── ...
│   └── final-project/
└── README.md

Guidelines:

• Create a folder for each week’s assignment (e.g., week01/, week02/)
• Place your deliverable markdown file and any screenshots in the appropriate folder
• Use the README.md file to introduce yourself and describe what your repository contains
• Keep the repository private unless you explicitly choose to share it

Submitting Your Repo Link

At the start of the course, submit the URL of your repository to the instructor via the shared Google Sheet (link provided in class). This allows the instructor to access your work for grading.

Working with Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup language for formatting plain text. It allows you to create structured documents with headings, lists, links, and tables using simple syntax. Markdown files use the .md extension.

Markdown is widely used for documentation, GitHub repositories, and research workflows. Learning it is a transferable skill.

Creating Markdown Files

You can create Markdown files in any plain text editor. Here are instructions for the default editors on each platform:

On macOS (TextEdit):

1. Open TextEdit (press Cmd + Space, type “TextEdit”, press Enter)
2. Switch to plain text mode: Format then Make Plain Text (or Shift + Cmd + T)
3. Write your content using Markdown syntax
4. Save with a .md extension: File then Save, enter a filename like deliverable.md

On Windows (Notepad):

1. Open Notepad (press Windows + R, type “notepad”, press Enter)
2. Write your content using Markdown syntax
3. Save with a .md extension: File then Save As, enter the filename in quotes like "deliverable.md", set Save as type to All Files, set Encoding to UTF-8

Markdown Syntax

Here are the most common Markdown elements you will use:

Headings:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

Text formatting:

**bold text**
*italic text*

Lists:

- Item one
- Item two
- Item three

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Links:

[Link text](https://example.com)

Images:

![Alt text](path/to/image.png)

Code:

Inline `code` looks like this.

For a complete reference, see markdownguide.org/basic-syntax

Previewing Markdown

Plain text editors show only the raw Markdown. To see the formatted output:

Visual Studio Code (Recommended):

• Open the .md file
• Press Cmd + Shift + V (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows) to preview
• Press Cmd + K, V (macOS) or Ctrl + K, V (Windows) for side-by-side view

Other options:

• macOS: MacDown, Marked 2
• Cross-platform: Obsidian, Typora
• Browser-based: markdownlivepreview.com

On GitHub:

• GitHub automatically renders Markdown files when you view them in the browser

• This is the easiest way to check how your deliverables will look

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