Introduction to Digital History (CDT 30330)
Spring 2016
Jeffrey L. Bain-Conkin
MW 11:00-12:15
DeBartolo Hall B011
Office: B003 DeBartolo Hall
Office Hours: Friday 1:00-5:00 and other times by appointment
E-mail: jconkin@[Link]
Course Website: [Link]
Course Description
Technological tools increasingly provide historians new means of accessing,
organizing, analyzing, and disseminating scholarly research. This course
introduces students to the practice of digital historythe practices and principles
by which historians engage new media conventions. Though primarily a handson class, readings on theories and methods as well as the consequent
discussions make substantial components of the course. Students will read
about and evaluate digital examples as well as produce major digital history
projects. Every element of project management (data collection, organization,
analysis, presentation) will receive attention. Technological knowledge is not
required to take this course though general computer literacy would benefit
students.
Course Objectives
Explore
a. methodological concerns of digital history
b. questions of audience regarding digital history
c. detailed survey of digital history phases
a. access
b. organization
c. analysis
d. dissemination
d. investigation of three major types of analysis
a. Data Visualization
b. Geographic Information Systems
c. Text Analysis
e. understanding of rudimentary web-based software
a. the format of computer coding (with HTML tutorial)
b. understanding of SQL (with php tutorial)
Evaluate
a. scholarship about digital history
b. digital history projects
a. published and scholarly examples
b. peer projects
c. metadata and bibliographic conventions
d. technological software and hardware for digital history
Produce
a. Major project (length, etc TBD)
a. divided into phases with independent grades
b. publicly accessible
c. research-based and argument-driven
b. Essays
a. Critical response to digital history project
b. Book Review/Review Essay of scholarship on digital history
c. Blog Entries (informal writing assignments, bibliographies of print and
web sources, links to examples and resources)
Course Materials (REQUIRED)
A laptop (with wireless capability) or tablet is strongly recommended
Notre Dame email account (checked daily)
Scribd account
[Link] account/blog
Attendance and Participation Policies:
I expect students to attend every class, but understand that sicknesses and other
obligations occur. Therefore, students can miss two (2) class meetings with no
penalty to their participation grade (see below). One (1) point will disappear from
a students participation grade (still below) for each additional absence.
Officially-excused absences do not count for the three class meetings.
I do not accept late assignments. However, students who approach the
instructor more than a week in advance of the due date may receive a negotiated
extension. Due dates for assignments remain as posted for students with
unexcused absences. For excused absences, the instructor and student will
agree upon a new due date.
Participation comprises the subjective aspect of grading. Coming to class,
asking questions, giving evidence of reading the assigned materials, will make
borderline grades more likely to go up. Tardiness, sulking, surliness, lack of
preparation, sleeping in class, will make borderline grades more likely to remain
fixed.
Course Cancellation Policy:
In the unlikely event that the instructor needs to cancel class, he will notify
students via email (or, in emergencies, someone will post a notice on the door).
Ultimately, students should not wait more than ten (10) minutes before leaving in
the classroom. The instructor will provide his completed discussion and reading
notes from the missed class as well as review missed materials upon students
requests.
Academic Honesty Policy:
All Notre Dame students pledge the following at their matriculation and sign
multiple statements each semester, thoughdespite rumorsalmost never
through a blood oath:
As a Member of the Notre Dame community, I will not participate in or
tolerate academic dishonesty.
Depending on the nature of the offense and the extent of dishonesty within an
assignment, penalties will range from a zero of the assignment to failure of the
course.
If a student is unclear on the definition or boundaries of plagiarism, that student
should see this brief but helpful guide or contact the instructor.
Statement on Students with Disabilities:
Any student who has a documented disability and is registered with Disability
Services should speak with the professor as soon as possible regarding
accommodations. Students who are not registered should contact the Office of
Disability Services.
Assignments and Grade Breakdown
*All assignments will be individually completed unless instructor approves
collaboration.
*Instructor will provide assignment sheets for assignments detailing expectations.
Exams: Zero examinations in this course (You are welcome).
Participation: 10%
See above for attendance and participation requirements. This category
also includes participation in the class workshops.
1) Presenting at workshop.
2) Participating in others workshop (attending, contributing).
Midterm and Exit Interviews: 5%
This course is brand new for the instructor and the University of Notre
Dame. In addition to the official feedback mechanism (CIFs), students will
have individual opportunities to reciprocate feedback on the course.
Attendance is the primary measure for the grade.
Informal Writing and Class Activities: 20%
1. Blog entries, of which students will choose three (3) for grading.
Grades determined by thoughtfulness and relevance to topic.
2. Annotated Bibliography of 8 works about digital history.
3. Annotated compendium of 4 examples of digital history.
Formal Writing: 20%
1. Review essay (1000 words)
2. Project review (1000 words)
Final Project: 45%
Course Schedule
Note: Due Dates (**) apply to 11:59 pm (South Bend time) of the noted date,
even for those students with unexcused absences. The student is responsible
for posting her/his materials (and double-checking availability).
Week One: Introductions
13 January
Week Two: What is Digital History?
18 January NO CLASS (MLK)
20 January (Discussion)
Week Three: Digital History Defined and Discovered
25 January (Discussion)
Read: E. Ayers The Pasts and Futures of Digital History
Read: Interchange: The Promise of Digital History
27 January (Lab)
Digital History Examples, discovery and evaluation
Week Four: Access to Historical Materials (General Public)
1 February (Discussion)
Read: T. Hangen Historical Digital Literacy
Read: S. Graham The Wikiblitz
Read: J. Barlow Historical Research and Electronic
Evidence (esp. 205-225)
3 February (Lab)
Wikipedia Exploration
5 February
** Potential Topic Due
Week Five: Access to Historical Materials (Scholars)
8 February (Discussion)
Read: S. Ramsay The Hermeneutics of Screwing Around;
or What You Do with a Million Books
Read: R. Rosenzweig Scarcity or Abundance?
10 February (Lab)
Finding materials
12 February
** Project Proposal Draft Due
Week Six: Organizing and Evaluating Sources
15 February (Discussion)
Read: W. Turkel, K. Kee, and S. Roberts A Method for
Navigating the Infinite Archive
Read: J. Presnell History and the Internet
17 February (Lab)
Bibliographic Managers
** REVIEW ESSAY DUE
Week Seven: Organizing Data
22 February (Discussion)
Read: A. Erikson Historical Research and the Problem of
Categories
Read: R. Rosenzweig and D. Cohen Appendix
24 February (Lab)
Databases and file formats
26 February
** Project Proposal Second Draft Due
Week Eight: Textual Analysis
29 February (Discussion)
Read: T. Underwood Seven ways humanists are using
computers to understand text
Read: D. Cohen From Babel to Knowledge: Data Mining
Large Digital Collections
2 March (Lab)
Text analysis tools
Spring Break (6-11 March)
Week Nine: Geographic Information Systems
14 March (Discussion)
Read: E. Ayres Turning Toward Place, Space, and Time
16 March (Lab)
GIS tools
Week Ten: Data Analysis and Visualization
21 March (Discussion)
Read: B. Ferster Introduction to Interactive Visualization
** PROJECT REVIEW DUE
23 March (Lab)
Data tools
25 March
** Final Project Proposals Due
Week Eleven: Copyright (yours and others)
28 March NO CLASS (Easter Monday)
30 March (Discussion)
Read: R. Rosenzweig and D. Cohen Owning the Past?
Week Twelve: Disseminating Historical Scholarship
4 April (Discussion)
Read: L. Madsen-Brooks Digital History Practice and
Malpractice around Black Confederate Soldiers
Read: Doughtery, Nawrotzki, Rochez, Burke Conclusion:
What we Learned from Writing History in the Digital Age
6 April (Lab)
Presentation, publishing, and curation tools
Week Thirteen: Synthesis
11 April (Discussion)
Read: S. Dorn Is (Digital) History More than an Argument
about the Past?
Read: D. Thomas and V. Johnson New Universes or Black
Holes: Does Digital Change Anything?
13 April (Lab)
Troubleshooting/Project work
15 April
** Final Projects Due
Week Fourteen: Workshops
18 April
20 April
Week Fifteen: Workshops
25 April
27 April
Final Exam Period (time, date, place, and content: TBA)