# Humanities and Anthropology - Skills and Agents Backlog

## Phase 4: Skills and Agents Implementation Backlog

This document defines the skills and agents required to support the processes in the Humanities and Anthropology specialization. Skills represent specialized capabilities that can be invoked by processes, while agents provide autonomous expertise for quality-gated iterative workflows.

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## Skills Backlog

| ID | Skill Name | Description | Priority | Related Processes |
|----|------------|-------------|----------|-------------------|
| SK-HUM-001 | Primary Source Evaluation | Authenticate, date, and critically assess historical documents for provenance, reliability, and bias with systematic source criticism methodology | High | Archival Research Methodology, Primary Source Analysis, Historical Narrative Construction |
| SK-HUM-002 | Ethnographic Coding and Thematics | Code qualitative field data, identify emergent themes, and develop grounded interpretations using NVivo/Atlas.ti methodologies | High | Participant Observation Protocol, Ethnographic Interview Methodology, Visual Ethnography Documentation |
| SK-HUM-003 | IPA Transcription and Phonological Analysis | Transcribe speech using International Phonetic Alphabet and analyze sound systems including phonotactics and phonological rules | High | Phonetic and Phonological Analysis, Language Documentation Project, Corpus Linguistics Analysis |
| SK-HUM-004 | TEI Text Encoding | Encode texts following Text Encoding Initiative standards for digital editions, annotations, and scholarly apparatus | High | Digital Archive Development, Textual Criticism and Editing, Text Mining and Distant Reading |
| SK-HUM-005 | Literary Close Reading | Perform systematic textual analysis identifying patterns in language, imagery, narrative structure, and rhetorical devices | High | Close Reading Analysis, Literary Theoretical Application, Comparative Literature Analysis |
| SK-HUM-006 | Research Ethics and IRB Navigation | Prepare ethics applications, develop informed consent protocols, and navigate institutional review processes for human subjects research | Medium | Ethnographic Fieldwork Planning, Research Ethics Review, Oral History Collection Protocol |
| SK-HUM-007 | Archival Finding Aid Interpretation | Navigate finding aids, catalog systems, and archival hierarchies to locate relevant collections and documents efficiently | Medium | Archival Research Methodology, Primary Source Analysis, Digital Archive Development |
| SK-HUM-008 | Oral History Interview Technique | Conduct life history and testimonial interviews with appropriate prompting, active listening, and trauma-informed approaches | Medium | Oral History Collection Protocol, Ethnographic Interview Methodology, Participant Observation Protocol |
| SK-HUM-009 | Topic Modeling and Text Mining | Apply LDA, NMF, and other computational methods to discover patterns in large text corpora with appropriate parameter tuning | Medium | Text Mining and Distant Reading, Corpus Linguistics Analysis, Network Analysis for Humanities |
| SK-HUM-010 | Citation and Scholarly Apparatus | Format citations, footnotes, and bibliographies following Chicago, MLA, and disciplinary style guides with accuracy | Medium | Scholarly Article Development, Textual Criticism and Editing, Historical Narrative Construction |
| SK-HUM-011 | GIS Mapping for Humanities | Create spatial visualizations and geographic analyses for historical and cultural research questions using QGIS/ArcGIS | Low | Spatial Humanities Mapping, Data Visualization for Cultural Research, Network Analysis for Humanities |
| SK-HUM-012 | Morphosyntactic Analysis | Parse word structure and sentence patterns to document grammatical systems for language description and typology | Low | Language Documentation Project, Corpus Linguistics Analysis, Phonetic and Phonological Analysis |
| SK-HUM-013 | Critical Theory Application | Apply theoretical frameworks (postcolonial, feminist, Marxist, post-structuralist) to cultural texts and phenomena | Low | Literary Theoretical Application, Comparative Literature Analysis, Close Reading Analysis |
| SK-HUM-014 | Metadata Standards Implementation | Apply Dublin Core, METS, MODS, and other metadata schemas for digital collections and archival materials | Low | Digital Archive Development, Data Visualization for Cultural Research, Spatial Humanities Mapping |
| SK-HUM-015 | Grant Narrative Writing | Compose compelling research narratives for NEH, ACLS, and foundation funding proposals with clear significance statements | Low | Grant Proposal Development, Scholarly Article Development, Research Ethics Review |

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## Agents Backlog

| ID | Agent Name | Role | Expertise | Related Skills |
|----|------------|------|-----------|----------------|
| AG-HUM-001 | Archival Research Specialist | Guide archival investigation methodology and source analysis | Archive navigation, paleography, diplomatic analysis, source criticism, document authentication | SK-HUM-001, SK-HUM-007, SK-HUM-010 |
| AG-HUM-002 | Ethnographic Methods Advisor | Support ethnographic research design and qualitative analysis | Participant observation, interview design, field ethics, qualitative coding, thick description | SK-HUM-002, SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-008 |
| AG-HUM-003 | Documentary Linguist | Conduct language documentation and linguistic analysis | Phonetic transcription, grammatical analysis, language endangerment, corpus development, elicitation methods | SK-HUM-003, SK-HUM-012, SK-HUM-009 |
| AG-HUM-004 | Literary Critic and Theorist | Apply theoretical frameworks to textual analysis | Close reading, critical theory, comparative analysis, literary history, genre studies | SK-HUM-005, SK-HUM-013, SK-HUM-010 |
| AG-HUM-005 | Digital Humanities Technologist | Implement computational methods for humanistic inquiry | Text mining, TEI encoding, network analysis, data visualization, GIS mapping | SK-HUM-004, SK-HUM-009, SK-HUM-011, SK-HUM-014 |
| AG-HUM-006 | Oral Historian | Collect and preserve personal testimonies with professional standards | Interview technique, memory studies, trauma-informed practice, audio preservation, community protocols | SK-HUM-008, SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-002 |
| AG-HUM-007 | Historical Narrator | Construct scholarly historical arguments and narratives | Historiography, evidence synthesis, causal analysis, scholarly writing, peer engagement | SK-HUM-001, SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-007 |
| AG-HUM-008 | Research Ethics Consultant | Navigate IRB processes and community-based research ethics | Human subjects protocols, informed consent, indigenous methodologies, sensitive materials, data protection | SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-008, SK-HUM-015 |
| AG-HUM-009 | Grants and Publications Advisor | Support competitive funding applications and scholarly publishing | Grant writing, proposal development, peer review navigation, publication strategy, budget justification | SK-HUM-015, SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-014 |
| AG-HUM-010 | Cultural Heritage Specialist | Manage heritage documentation and preservation projects | Intangible heritage, repatriation, community engagement, digital preservation, heritage impact assessment | SK-HUM-014, SK-HUM-004, SK-HUM-011 |

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## Process-to-Skill/Agent Mapping

### Ethnographic Research Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Ethnographic Fieldwork Planning | SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-002 | AG-HUM-002, AG-HUM-008 | [x] |
| Participant Observation Protocol | SK-HUM-002, SK-HUM-008 | AG-HUM-002, AG-HUM-006 | [x] |
| Ethnographic Interview Methodology | SK-HUM-008, SK-HUM-002, SK-HUM-006 | AG-HUM-002, AG-HUM-006, AG-HUM-008 | [x] |
| Visual Ethnography Documentation | SK-HUM-002, SK-HUM-014 | AG-HUM-002, AG-HUM-010 | [x] |

### Historical Research Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Archival Research Methodology | SK-HUM-007, SK-HUM-001, SK-HUM-014 | AG-HUM-001, AG-HUM-007 | [x] |
| Primary Source Analysis | SK-HUM-001, SK-HUM-007, SK-HUM-010 | AG-HUM-001, AG-HUM-007 | [x] |
| Oral History Collection Protocol | SK-HUM-008, SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-002 | AG-HUM-006, AG-HUM-008 | [x] |
| Historical Narrative Construction | SK-HUM-001, SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-005 | AG-HUM-007, AG-HUM-001 | [x] |

### Literary Analysis Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Close Reading Analysis | SK-HUM-005, SK-HUM-010 | AG-HUM-004 | [x] |
| Literary Theoretical Application | SK-HUM-013, SK-HUM-005, SK-HUM-010 | AG-HUM-004 | [x] |
| Textual Criticism and Editing | SK-HUM-004, SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-005 | AG-HUM-004, AG-HUM-005 | [x] |
| Comparative Literature Analysis | SK-HUM-005, SK-HUM-013, SK-HUM-010 | AG-HUM-004 | [x] |

### Linguistic Analysis Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Language Documentation Project | SK-HUM-003, SK-HUM-012, SK-HUM-006 | AG-HUM-003, AG-HUM-008 | [x] |
| Phonetic and Phonological Analysis | SK-HUM-003, SK-HUM-012 | AG-HUM-003 | [x] |
| Sociolinguistic Survey Methodology | SK-HUM-002, SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-009 | AG-HUM-003, AG-HUM-002 | [x] |
| Corpus Linguistics Analysis | SK-HUM-009, SK-HUM-003, SK-HUM-012 | AG-HUM-003, AG-HUM-005 | [x] |

### Digital Humanities Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Text Mining and Distant Reading | SK-HUM-009, SK-HUM-004 | AG-HUM-005 | [x] |
| Digital Archive Development | SK-HUM-004, SK-HUM-014, SK-HUM-007 | AG-HUM-005, AG-HUM-010 | [x] |
| Spatial Humanities Mapping | SK-HUM-011, SK-HUM-014 | AG-HUM-005 | [x] |
| Network Analysis for Humanities | SK-HUM-009, SK-HUM-011 | AG-HUM-005 | [x] |
| Data Visualization for Cultural Research | SK-HUM-011, SK-HUM-014, SK-HUM-009 | AG-HUM-005 | [x] |

### Publication and Peer Review Processes

| Process | Recommended Skills | Recommended Agents | Status |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|--------|
| Scholarly Article Development | SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-015 | AG-HUM-009, AG-HUM-007 | [x] |
| Peer Review Evaluation Protocol | SK-HUM-010, SK-HUM-005, SK-HUM-001 | AG-HUM-009, AG-HUM-004 | [x] |
| Research Ethics Review | SK-HUM-006, SK-HUM-015 | AG-HUM-008, AG-HUM-009 | [x] |
| Grant Proposal Development | SK-HUM-015, SK-HUM-010 | AG-HUM-009 | [x] |

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## Summary Statistics

| Category | Count |
|----------|-------|
| Total Skills | 15 |
| High Priority Skills | 5 |
| Medium Priority Skills | 5 |
| Low Priority Skills | 5 |
| Total Agents | 10 |

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## Implementation Notes

### Skill Implementation Guidelines
- Skills should be implemented as reusable modules that can be composed by multiple processes
- Each skill should include validation criteria for quality assessment
- Skills should support both synchronous invocation and asynchronous workflow integration
- Documentation should include example inputs/outputs and edge case handling

### Agent Implementation Guidelines
- Agents should be implemented with specialized system prompts reflecting domain expertise
- Each agent should have defined handoff protocols for multi-agent collaboration
- Agents should incorporate relevant disciplinary standards and ethical guidelines
- Quality gates should be configured based on process requirements and scholarly standards

### Priority Rationale
- **High Priority Skills**: Core methodological capabilities required for fundamental research processes
- **Medium Priority Skills**: Specialized capabilities for common but not universal workflows
- **Low Priority Skills**: Advanced or specialized capabilities for specific research contexts

### Cross-Specialization Integration
- SK-HUM-009 (Topic Modeling) integrates with Data Science specialization
- SK-HUM-011 (GIS Mapping) integrates with Geographic Information Systems capabilities
- SK-HUM-004 (TEI Encoding) integrates with Software Development for digital publishing
- AG-HUM-005 (Digital Humanities Technologist) bridges humanities and technical domains
