Tuesday, January 26
The History of #DH
In this unit, we will explore:
- the origins and evolution of historians’ usage of digital technology
- the specific methods historians tend to use
- “digital history” as a subfield within the larger practice of digital humanities
Reading
- Vannevar Bush, “As We May Think.” The Atlantic, July 1945.
- Amanda Visconti, “Digital Humanities: What, Why, & How”
- Seth Denbo, “On Being a Historian Today: The Importance of Digital Literacy ” American Historical Association Perspectives blog
Thursday, January 28
What Are Different Ways of “Doing” Digital History?
In this unit, we will explore:
- a taxonomy of digital history projects
- criteria for assessing quality and effectiveness of digital projects
Reading
- Jeff McClurken, “Categories for Digital History Reviews” Journal of American History (2015)
- National Council on Public History (NCPH) “Digital Project Review Guidelines” The Public Historian
In-class work: Digital History Reviews (You may visit any of these ahead of time; I will assign you a site to review in class)
- Plateau Peoples’ Project, http://plateauportal.wsulibs.wsu.edu/
- Photogrammar, http://photogrammar.yale.edu/
- Cleveland Historical, http://clevelandhistorical.org
- Baltimore Uprising 2015, http://baltimoreuprising2015.org/
- The Spread of US Slavery, 1790-1860, http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/slavery/
- Remembering Lincoln, http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/
- Journal of the Plague Year COVID-19 Archive, https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/page/welcome
- Slave Voyages, https://www.slavevoyages.org/
- Old Fulton NY Postcards http://fultonhistory.com/
- New York Public Library Oral History Transcript Editor, http://transcribe.oralhistory.nypl.org/
- Electing the House of Representatives https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/congress/
- The Well-Read President https://definingteddy.wordpress.com/the-well-read-president/
- Educating Harlem, http://educatingharlem.cdrs.columbia.edu/omeka/
- The American Yawp, http://www.americanyawp.com/
- Valley of the Shadow, http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/
- Surviving History: The Fever!, http://theappendix.net/special/the-fever/
- National Parks: America’s Best Idea, http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/
- @every3minutes, https://twitter.com/every3minutes
- Emigrant City, http://emigrantcity.nypl.org/#/
- Mapping Occupation, http://mappingoccupation.org/
- Encyclopedia of Philadelphia, http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/
Blog Assignments
Use your new blog to publish two pieces:
Digital History project review
Choose one site above that you did not review in class, and write 3-4 paragraphs reviewing the project, applying the guidelines and criteria from the JAH and The Public Historian.
At a minimum, your review should include:
- The project’s type and purpose, with a brief description
- Who created and maintains the project
- The project’s “category” as classified by the above guidelines
- At least one paragraph addressing questions raised under the “Content” section of the NCPH & JAH guidelines
- At least one paragraph addressing questions raised under the “Form” section of the NCPH guidelines
Learning Reflection
Write a short (100-150 words) blog post reflecting on what you’ve learned thus far in our class, and any skills you think you have developed. If you wish, you may also add a discussion of any concerns or anxieties you have about the material so far.
Both blog posts should be posted by Monday, February 1 at 12:00 pm.
