History 470: Digital History
Spring 2008
Syllabus

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Douglas Seefeldt
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Department of History
606 Oldfather Hall
402-472-3251 office
dseefeldt2@unl.edu

"Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, "memex" will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.

It consists of a desk, and while it can presumably be operated from a distance, it is primarily the piece of furniture at which he works. On the top are slanting translucent screens, on which material can be projected for convenient reading. There is a keyboard, and sets of buttons and levers. Otherwise it looks like an ordinary desk.

In one end is the stored material. The matter of bulk is well taken care of by improved microfilm. Only a small part of the interior of the memex is devoted to storage, the rest to mechanism. Yet if the user inserted 5000 pages of material a day it would take him hundreds of years to fill the repository, so he can be profligate and enter material freely."

Vannevar Bush, "As We May Think" (1945)

Course Objectives

In this four credit course students will study the development of the relationship between the discipline of history and computing tools through a combination of theoretical and hands-on activities. During the first part of the semester, students will read and respond weekly, both in writing and in class, to a number of print and digital materials posted to the course Blackboard site. This course has two objectives: To explore the methods of digital history and to develop your analytic skills as a student of the liberal arts in general, and of history in particular. The assigned readings and required course work reflect these main objectives.

During the second part of the semester, students will focus on producing a term-paper length work of digital research on a University history topic of their choice. This digital history project will become an enduring contribution to the Nebraska U project http://unlhistory.unl.edu sponsored by the Archives & Special Collections of the University of Nebraska Libraries. Topics for digital history projects may include Willa Cather, UNL's founding as a land grant institution, histories of the football or other athletic programs, desegregation of athletic programs, Title IX and female athletics, campus architectural history, departmental faculty biographies, General John Pershing and the ROTC, UNL during times of war, Greek life, UNL marching band, among many others. The University’s Archives & Special Collections contain a vast number of sources suitable for digitization and interpretation. Students will be encouraged and supported in their efforts to work with digital texts, audio, video, and images in their projects. Prior experience with new media tools is not required.

Required Texts

(Please note that the majority of readings will be posted to the course Blackboard site and are listed in the "Course Schedule" section below):

Daniel J. Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig. Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web. (U. Pennsylvania Press, 2006). This book is available online should you prefer to read it that way: http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/
Ted Friedman. Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture. (New York University Press, 2005). 0-8147-2740-9
Robert E. Knoll, Prairie University: A History of the University of Nebraska (Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1995) 0-8032-2717-5 (Optional)

Course Requirements

Because this is a 400-level university history course, it will require reading, writing and active participation in class discussions. This course demands a high degree of self-motivation and self- discipline in order to successfully complete the semester. Plan to spend approximately 9-12 hours per week preparing for and participating in this class, but avoid trying to do it all in one sitting. Consistency is key; try not to get behind in the assigned readings for they are the foundation of the course. Late assignments will be marked down one letter grade per day unless there is a legitimate and documented excuse. I know that "stuff happens" and am willing to work with those who act honestly and responsibly. Be aware of due dates as noted in the course schedule below and make sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the readings and meet the assignment deadlines.

This course has four major requirements; detailed assignment instructions will be provided via the course Blackboard site:

20% Active participation (100 points)
You are expected to attend and actively participate in all facets of the course including face- to-face meetings and out of class work. Included here are seven (7) brief reading analyses (approx. 500 words each) due throughout the term, and a self evaluation due at the end of the term

20% Essay (100 points)
A 4-5-page essay (approx. 1000-1250 words) in which you will survey and assess a selection of digital resources

20% Progress Report & Text Draft (100 points)
Each student will prepare and present an oral progress report and hand in a written draft of the text they plan to use in their project along with full bibliographic citations

40% Final project (200 points)
Students will work outside of class to build a digital history project on topic in University history approved by the instructor. Possible formats include, but are not limited to, web-based text and image archives, digital documentary film, or a digital audio production (or some combination thereof)

Final Grade Scale

A+ 486-500
A 470-485
A- 450-469
B+ 435-449
B 420-434
B- 400-419
C+ 385-399
C 370-389
C- 350-369
D+ 335-349
D 320-334
D- 300-319
F 000-299

Classroom Etiquette

Please respect the time commitments made by the instructor and your fellow classmates by not talking to friends, eating, sleeping, reading the newspaper, or text messaging during class. I will turn off my cell phone during the class period and expect you to do the same.

In order for everyone to have the opportunity to learn we must strive to create an open, positive, non-threatening classroom atmosphere. Curiosity, honesty, and above all, respect, are characteristics inherent in healthy discourse. A great deal of this class revolves around both small and large group discussions of material that quite often lends itself to subjective aesthetics, contested meanings, and personal opinions. We are going to address some divisive topics and it will be perfectly appropriate for us to end our discussions in disagreement. I believe that one of the greatest strengths of the class will be the variety of experiences and perspectives each one of us brings to the subject. No personal attacks or disrespect will be tolerated and proper sanctions will be imposed. Please familiarize yourself with the "Student Honor Code," published in the "General Information" chapter, and the "Student Code of Conduct," published in the "Student Rights and Responsibilities" chapter of the Undergraduate Bulletin.

Academic Honesty

Examples of academic dishonesty include the following types of actions and behavior: Cheating, fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, complicity in academic dishonesty, falsifying grade reports, and misrepresentation to avoid academic work. Academic dishonesty is prohibited and has serious consequences including course failure or disciplinary proceedings. See section 4.2, "Academic Dishonesty," part of the "Student Code of Conduct" published in the "Student Rights and Responsibilities" chapter of the Undergraduate Bulletin for specific details.

Administrative Deadlines

The office of Registration and Records has several important deadlines:
2 September: Last day to register, add a class, or drop a class and receive a refund
5 September: Final date for dropping without being subject to a "W" grade
17 October: Final date for changing to or from Pass/No Pass
14 November: Last day to withdraw from courses (grade of "W")

Course Schedule & Assignments

Please complete the readings and assignments prior to each Tuesday meeting, as we will discuss the material as a group. I reserve the right to change the schedule as necessary and will give you notice when I do via group email and by posting announcements to the course Blackboard site.

Jan 15 & 17: Introductions and Course Overview Assignments: Read course syllabus and complete the Student Information Sheet

Jan 22 & 24: A Short History of Computing, Part I Assignment: Read these materials for discussion in class (materials are either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Ted Friedman, Electric Dreams, Introduction & chapts. 1-6
Vannevar Bush, "As We May Think"
Timelines & terminology documents

Jan 29 & 31: A Short History of Computing, Part II Assignment: Reading Analysis #1 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 1/31. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Ted Friedman, Electric Dreams, chapts. 7-10 & Conclusion
Tim Berners-Lee, "Enquire Within upon Everything," "Mind to Mind," and "Weaving the Web"

Feb 5 & 7: What is Digital History? Part I Assignment: Reading Analysis #2 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 2/7. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Michael O'Malley and Roy Rosenzweig, "Brave New World or Blind Alley?"
Carl Smith, "Can You Do Serious History on the Web?"
Edward L. Ayers, "The Pasts and Futures of Digital History"
Roy Rosenzweig, "The Road to Xanadu: Public and Private Pathways on the History Web"
Daniel J. Cohen, "History and the Second Decade of the Web"
Orville Vernon Burton, "American Digital History"
Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Promises and Perils of Digital History,"
Introduction to Digital History

Feb 12 & 14: What is Digital History? Part II
Assignment: An Essay on your survey of digital resources for historical research is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 2/14. See instruction sheet in "Assignments" section of the course Blackboard site

Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Exploring the History Web," Chapter 1 of Digital History
Robert Darnton, "No Computer Can Hold the Past"
David A. Bell, "The Bookless Future"

Feb 19 & 21: Project Planning
***We will meet at the Special Collections in Love Library on Tuesday 2/19***
Assignment: Reading Analysis #3 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 2/21. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Getting Started," chapter 2 of Digital History Abby Smith, "Why Digitize?"
Carole L. Palmer, "Thematic Research Collections"
Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Owning the Past?" chapter 7 of Digital History

Feb 26 & 28: Data Gathering: Secondary Sources
Assignment: Collect/read appropriate secondary sources for your project (consult with instructor via email) and compile an annotated bibliography of secondary sources due Thursday 2/28

Mar 4 & 6: Data Gathering: Primary Sources
Assignment: Identify and familiarize yourself with appropriate primary sources for your project (consult with instructor via email) and compile an annotated bibliography of primary sources due Thursday 3/6

Mar 11 & 13: Scanning & Digital Imaging
Assignment: Reading Analysis #4 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 3/13. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Becoming Digital," chapter 3 of Digital History
Paul Conway, Digital Technology Made Simpler
Marilyn Deegan and Simon Tanner, "Conversion of Primary Sources"
Cornell University’s Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging Tutorials

Mar 18 & 20: Spring Vacation

Mar 25 & 27: Electronic Text & Markup
Assignment: Reading Analysis #5 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 3/27. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Susan Hockey, "Why Electronic Texts?"
C.M. Sperberg-McQueen, "What is XML and Why Should Humanists Care?"
Jon Bosak and Tim Bray, "XML and the Second-Generation Web"
Allen H. Renear, "Text Encoding"

Apr 1 & 3: Design & Navigation
Assignment: Reading Analysis #6 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 4/3. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Designing for the History Web," chapter 4 of Digital History
Lev Manovich, "The Interface"
David J. Staley, "Designing and Displaying Historical Information in the Electronic Age"

Apr 8 & 10: Narrative, Hypertext & Writing for Digital Media
Assignment: Reading Analysis #7 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 4/10. This assignment is based on the pieces listed below (either URLs linked from the assignment sheet or posted in the corresponding folder in the "Materials" section of the class Blackboard site)

Marie-Laure Ryan, "Will New Media Produce New Narratives?"
Stephen Robertson, "Doing History in Hypertext"
George Cotkin, "'Hyping the Text': Hypertext, Postmodernism, and the Historian"

Apr 15 & 17: Group progress reports and troubleshooting
***No class meeting on Thursday 4/17: Professor at a conference***
Assignment: Each student will present an oral progress report, explaining to the rest of us the nature of the digitized historical source materials and the scholarly interpretation they are presenting along with objects. Each student will hand in a written draft of the text they plan to use in their project (along with full bibliographic citations) using the best practices gleaned from the following readings excerpted from Andrew Bonime and Ken C. Pohlmann, Writing for New Media: The Essential Guide to Writing for Interactive Media, CD-ROMs, and the Web (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998):
"Linear Writing Versus Interactive Writing"
"The Writer's Grammar"
"Interactive Sentences: Designing the Perfect Data Chunk"
"Understanding How Interactivity Affects User Comprehension and Retention"

Apr 22 & 24: Work on Projects
No class meetings this week. Work on your projects. Each student schedule a 10-minute meeting with the instructor during class time on either Tuesday or Thursday Daniel Cohen & Roy Rosenzweig, "Preserving Digital History," chapter 8 of Digital History

Apr 29 & May 1: Work on Projects & Public Presentations Tuesday 4/29: No class meeting. Work on your projects
Thursday 5/1: Group presentations of completed projects to the UNL digital community (place TBA)

May 7: Finals Week
Assignment: Final Projects and self-evaluations due no later than 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday 5/7

Department of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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History 470: Digital History Spring 2008 Syllabus