What does it mean to study history in the digital age? How have relationships among teachers, researchers, students, librarians, archivists, curators, and the general public changed because of digital technology? What does the impact of digital technology mean for the future of the past?
To explore those questions, this course introduces students to some of the major themes and developments in doing history with digital media and technology. As such, it a blend of the theoretical and practical, so we will be discussing intellectual problems with doing digital history while learning practical skills and applications in a variety of settings. Topics include methodologies for research with digital tools, the impact of collaborative and social media on the practice of history, teaching and learning history with new media, and basic web site design and development. Students will investigate the potential advantages and disadvantages of a variety of web technologies, and focus on a particular question or theme within digital history to produce a digital history resource.
By the end of the course, students will be familiar with:
- Current trends and issues in digital history, from a variety of perspectives (academia, education, museums/public history, libraries, and archives)
- Communication and networking: Weblogs, Microblogging, syndication, collaborative writing, wikis.
- Digital research tools and methodologies.
- Basic image editing and restoration.
- Basic understanding of HTML/CSS, web servers, databases, and content management systems.
- Basic project management, including steps and skills to conceive, design, develop, and implement an online digital history resource.