Hist 4150/6150: Introduction to
Digital Methods for History
spring 2017
Prof. Pamela Mack, pammack@clemson.edu,
Hardin 006, office hours MWF 10-11, Wed. 1:15-2:15
Prof. Vernon Burton, vburton@clemson.edu,
Hardin 20, office hours Tuesday 2:30-5, Wednesday 5-6 and by
appointment, cell phone number 217-649-0608
class meetings: Wed. 2:30-5:00 in Hardin 024
this syllabus on the web:
http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/syl415-2017.html
Course Description: This course explores the
practice of using digital technologies in the context of
Historical and humanities scholarship. Through readings and
practical, hands-on explorations of digital projects and
resources, students will critically examine the history,
theory, and practice of digital humanities/history.
Technologies that students will be introduced to will
include: geographic and mapping tools, text and image
analysis, website design and digital archives, social
networking and network analysis, and historically-based
gaming. Students will work, either individually or
collaboratively, in the completion of a semester-long digital
humanities project.
Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course
students should be able to:
evaluate the ways historians are currently using
computer and database resources for research and
presentation
be able to use several simple digital methods
analyze the new approaches to history made possible
by digital methods
find and evaluate history-focused websites, including
museum sites, digital archives, and mapping projects
write a review of a website and a digital
history-based book
complete a digital history project
Course Requirements:
attendance and class participation 20% (15% for
graduate students)
blog posts 15%
HTML/CSS Activity 5%
Review of a historical website 5%
project proposal 5%
project 25% These can be group project or
individual projects
project presentation 5%
review of a Digital research based book (required for
graduate students, extra credit for undergrads) 5%
take-home final exam 20%
Class Participation: Come to class prepared to
discuss the assignments and share ideas about the readings
and digital tools or methods you worked with over the course
of the week. Participation points are determined by your
contribution to the discussion, in addition to the
discussion questions you submit. Doing careful readings of
the texts, raising questions about what you’ve read, and
contributing thoughtfully to class discussion will ensure
success
post reactions to the reading every week
before class
post regularly about how your project research is
going
post a reflection at the end of the semester about
your project
Your posts should be more than just a summary of the
readings. Think about the kinds of questions they raised for
you, the themes and issues that emerged across the readings,
and how those readings might relate to the previous week’s
readings.
HTML/CSS: Complete the “Introduction to HTML,”
HTML Structure: Using Lists.” “HTML Structure: Tables, DIVs,
and SPANs,” and “Introduction to CSS” courses at
https://www.codecademy.com/en/ (you will need to sign up for
a free account). .
Final Project: The core of the course will be an
original digital humanities project. The focus of your
project can be on any theme that interests you, but must be
approved in advance. Your project will be substantial
and engage with both the history and the methods learned in
the course. Not all projects will be the same, but a good
model for a your final project might include:
Two maps, including one interactive map
At least one graph from text-mining
An additional visualization that you’ve made yourself
At least 5 primary sources, marked up with metadata
An introductory essay of approximately 1000 words
Notes and a bibliography
A list of contributors, if appropriate
An about page
This is simply an example and we will work together to
develop different types of projects. Find a topic you
are interested in, it can even be a database project (Prof.
Burton has one on what happened to Civil War soldiers
students can work on, for example).
Academic Integrity: As
members of the Clemson University community, we have
inherited Thomas Green Clemson's vision of this institution
as a "high seminary of learning." Fundamental to this
vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and
responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and
respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that
academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson
degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying,
cheating, or stealing in any form.
This includes representing someone else's work as your
own or handing in the same paper to two different courses
without permission of the instructors. Be careful to
avoid plagiarism--text you take from a web site, from a
book, or from the online class notes must be either quoted
with the source given or restated almost entirely in your
own words, with the source given. Note that the
catalog defines as one form of academic dishonesty:
"Plagiarism, which includes the intentional or unintentional
copying of language, structure, or ideas of another and
attributing the work to one’s own efforts." Note the
word unintentional--if you forget to put quote marks or a
reference you can be found guilty of academic dishonesty
even if it was not your intention to cheat.
It is cheating to cut and paste or otherwise copy
portions of a argument paper, exam, or discussion board
posting from a book, web site, or from the online class
notes, even if you change a few words, unless you quote and
give the source. It is poor writing for more than
about 20% of your paper to consist of quotes. In most
cases when you use specific material from any source you
should paraphrase: cite the source and put the ideas into you own
words (generally no more than 5 consecutive words
should match the source but if the words are mostly the same
it could still be plagiarism even if there aren't 5
consecutive words).
Sexual Harassment: Clemson University is
committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons
and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy,
national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, genetic
information or protected activity (e.g., opposition to
prohibited discrimination or participation in any complaint
process, etc.) in employment, educational programs and
activities, admissions and financial aid. This includes a
prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence as
mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
This policy is located at http://www.clemson.edu/campus-
life/campus-services/access/title-ix/. Mr. Jerry
Knighton is the Clemson University Title IX Coordinator. He
also is the Director of Access and Equity. His office is
located at 111 Holtzendorff Hall, 864.656.3181 (voice) or
864.565.0899 (TDD)
Laptops and Cell Phones: Use of laptops,
tablets and cell phones during class for purposes not related
to this course is disrespectful to the instructor and
distracting to other students. You may use your devices
to take notes during class or to look up further information
on a topic being discussed. Students using their devices
during class may be called on to share what they are learning
with the rest of the class.
Required reading is mostly online, as linked in
the schedule. Note that some readings require you to
be logged into the Clemson network to access journal
articles. If you are away from campus, you can start
from the library page and find the article or log into
Novell using a Virtual Personal Network (VPN), which creates
the appearance your computer is on the campus network.
Starting page for setting up a VPN: https://cuvpn.clemson.edu/+CSCOE+/logon.html.
More info from CCIT: http://www.clemson.edu/ccit/atoz/viewServiceOffering.php?serviceID=25
and https://2fa.app.clemson.edu/
notes for fall 2017: Weller, History in the Digital Age,
Writing History in the Digital Age by Kristen Nawrotzki;
Jack Dougherty
Schedule:
Jan. 11: Introduction and What is Digital History?
Jan. 18: What can you do with digital tools?
Guest: Gabe Hankins at 3 pm. Read:
grad students should also read: William G. Thomas,
“Computing and the Historical Imagination.” found in A
Companion to Digital Humanities. Blackwell
Publications, 2994, 56-68. http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion
grad students should also read: Lara Putnam,
"The Transnational and the
Text-Searchable: Digitized Sources and the Shadows They
Cast," The American Historical Review (2016) 121
(2): 377-402. http://ahr.oxfordjournals.org/content/121/2/377.full.pdf
start on the HTML/CSS assignment: Complete
the “Introduction to HTML,” HTML Structure: Using Lists.”
“HTML Structure: Tables, DIVs, and SPANs,” and
“Introduction to CSS” courses at
https://www.codecademy.com/en/ (you will need to sign up
for a free account).
15 minute interviews about someone’s
experiences that tie to history
Do two, as interviewer and as subject
Record them
Transcribe two pages
Save the audio in a form you can put on a web page using
Audacity
Mar. 8: Organizing
archival research and project
peer discussion. Come prepared to discuss your
progress on your project and give your classmates
suggestions on theirs. Write a blog post about
what are the current frustrations and successes of
your project.
Kirklin Bateman, Sheila Brennan, Douglas Mudd, and
Paula Petrik, "Taking a Byte Out of the Archives: Making
Technology Work for You," From the Archives and Reasearch
column of the January 2005 Perspectives, http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2005/0501/0501arc1.cfm
grad students should also read: “Cyberinfrastructure
for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences,” in ECAR
(Educause Center for Applied Research) Bulletin 9: 1
(January 13, 2009): 2-11. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0901.pdf
in class: pick a kind of web presence
important for public history, argue for it and
demonstrate an example
Mar. 29: Social Media and the Listening Lab. Meet
in 304 Daniel. Meet in regular
classroom. Read:
Apr. 12: Meet in 304 Daniel.
After that makeup presentations are first priority, then if
we have time we will get to Commemoration. Web site review due. Read:
Apr. 19: Democratizing History and Shared
Historical Authority. Project
due. Read:
Doug Seefeldt and William G. Thomas, “What is Digital
History? A Look at Some Exemplary Projects.” Perspectives
on History 47 (5), May 2009. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/historyfacpub/98/
Robert C. Post, "A Narrative for our Time: The Enola
Gay 'and after that, period," Technology and Culture 45,
Apr. 2004, pp.373-395.
http://mwbdvjh.muse.jhu.edu/journals/technology_and_culture/v045/45.2post.pdf
