Martin 2020. 'Explorations of Digital Humanities', University of Guelph

Learning
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Course: HIST*4170 - Explorations of Digital Humanities
Institution: University of Guelph
Instructor: Kim Martin
Semester: Winter 2020
Level: Advanced undergraduate (4th year)
Credits: 0.5
Prerequisites: 10.0 credits including 2.0 credits in History at the 3000 level

Course Description

This course focuses on conceptualizing, contextualizing, and creating digital humanities research. Students will explore trends in digital humanities and learn to critique the assumptions underpinning this scholarship. Through hands-on labs, students will create their own digital humanities project.

Learning Objectives

  • Develop capacity to conceive, articulate, and produce digital humanities research
  • Understand the scope and variety of digital humanities work
  • Critique assumptions underpinning digital humanities scholarship
  • Gain hands-on experience with digital humanities tools and methods
  • Complete an original digital humanities project

Course Structure

Schedule

  • Class Time: Mondays 11:30 am - 2:20 pm
  • Location: MCKN 031 (Mac Lab)
  • Format: Combined seminar discussion and hands-on lab work

Major Assignments

  1. Article Review (15%) - Due Jan 22

    • Critical review of a digital humanities scholarly article

  2. Tutorials (20%) - Ongoing through Feb 12

    • Complete Programming Historian tutorials
    • Hands-on experience with DH tools

  3. Project Development

    • Project Proposal (15%) - Due Feb 26
    • Digital Project (30%) - Due Apr 1
    • Project reflection and documentation

  4. Participation (20%)

    • Active engagement in discussions and labs
    • Contribution to collaborative learning

Topics Covered

Week-by-Week Overview

  1. Introduction to Digital Humanities (Jan 6)

    • What is DH? Definitions and debates
    • Cameron Blevins, “Digital History’s Perpetual Future Tense”

  2. Archives in the Digital Age (Jan 13)

    • Archival practice and digital preservation
    • Michelle Caswell on community archives

  3. Copyright & Preservation (Jan 20)

    • Legal and ethical considerations
    • Digital preservation strategies

  4. Public History & DH (Jan 27)

    • Digital exhibits and public engagement
    • Sheila Brennan on public digital history

  5. Theory & Praxis (Feb 3)

    • DH debates and methodological discussions
    • Stephen Ramsay, “On Building”

  6. Lab Work & Project Development (Feb 10, 24)

    • Hands-on tool exploration
    • Individual project consultations

  7. GIS & Historical Mapping (Mar 2)

    • Spatial analysis in history
    • Bethany Nowviskie on humanities GIS

  8. Text Analysis (Mar 9)

    • Computational text analysis methods
    • Ted Underwood on distant reading

  9. Social Networks & Visualization (Mar 16)

    • Network analysis for historical research
    • Data visualization principles

  10. Digital Pedagogy (Mar 23)

    • Teaching with digital tools
    • Ryan Cordell on DH pedagogy

  11. Alternative Scholarship (Mar 30)

    • Non-traditional forms of academic output
    • Kathleen Fitzpatrick on open access

Resources

Required Texts

  • Gold, Matthew K. and Klein, Lauren F., eds. Debates in the Digital Humanities 2019
  • Additional readings available through CourseLink

Tools & Platforms

  • Programming Historian tutorials
  • Various DH tools based on project needs
  • University Mac Lab resources

Assessment Philosophy

This course emphasizes process over product. While the final digital project is important, equal weight is given to:

  • Critical engagement with DH scholarship
  • Reflection on the research process
  • Documentation of decision-making
  • Collaborative learning and peer support

Course Resources

:paperclip: Original Syllabus (PDF)

Note: This syllabus represents a comprehensive introduction to digital humanities at the advanced undergraduate level, combining theoretical grounding with practical skills development.