Work

Work in this course will be weighted as follows:

  1. Strategy and Scope (10%)
  2. Install and Modify a CMS (10%)
  3. Sitemap and Wireframes (10%)
  4. Design Rationale (10%)
  5. XHTML/CSS Mockups (10%)
  6. Final Project (25%);
  7. Blog—including posts and comments (25%)

Strategy and Scope (03/09)

Compose 1-2 page document detailing the overall goals of your final project, and includes a brief work plan for the rest of the semester, using subsequent assignments as milestones. (Example Strategy and Scope.) Feel free to use parts 2–4 of the NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant Guidelines as a starting point. The document should address the following questions:

  • Who is involved in the project?
  • What is the project?
  • Why is it useful or valuable? How does it contribute to historical inquiry and understanding?
  • What are the specific technological requirements and scope for the project?
  • How long will it take me to complete each of those requirements?

Installing and Modifying a CMS (03/16)

For this assignment, choose either Omeka or WordPress, install it, modify a public theme, and
install a plugin. You’re free to use either of these platforms for your final project; in fact, I
encourage it. When modifying a public theme, you should at least do the following:

  • Change CSS fonts, colors, layouts.
  • Edit header and footer information
  • Customize your installation’s homepage.
  • Create a list of a particular set of blog posts in WordPress (by category) or items in Omeka
  • (by item type or tag).
  • Display specific item metadata on an items/show page in Omeka
  • Install a plugin and add and necessary plugin code to your public theme.

Write a blog post that links to your installation, discusses your modifcations, and reflects on
your experience learning and modifying a CMS.

Sitemap and Wireframes (Due 03/23)

Create a site map for content on your site using a drawing or outlining program. The site map should reflect the overall information organization of your final project, using site mapping and wireframing techniques discussed in class. Wireframes should reflect content hierarchy and importance on specific pages, and should include at least 2-3 levels of site pages (homepage, browse page, show page, for example). Upload the site map and wireframes as a PDF document to your server, and link to it in a blog post that discusses the (Example site map and wireframes.)

Design Rationale (Due 04/06)

This assignment asks you to create a 3-4 page document detailing the design rationale for your final project. it should include 1) A paragraph a logo/logotype for your project that explains the fonts used and design message, a color palette with hex values, and 2-3 color mockups of pages on your site. Upload the Design Direction document as a PDF to your server, and link to it in a blog post that introduces the document and details your process for completing it. (Example Design Direction.)

XHTML/CSS Mockups (Due 04/20)

This assignment takes the color mockups presented in the Design Direction as a basis for static HTML pages styled with CSS. Taking basic HTML and CSS techniques learned throughout the course, translate the color mockups into working HTML/CSS pages. The HTML and CSS must validate, and render well in browsers for both Mac and Windows. Upload these pages to your server, and link to them in a blog post that introduces the mockups and outlines your process for completing them. If you had to deviate from your color mockups, provide the reasons for doing so in your post.

Final Project (Presentations on 05/04; Final due 05/11)

All of the prior assignments contribute to the final project: the creation of a modest, reasonably sophisticated history web site. First, the content should be solid and engaging. Second, the site should be clear in its purpose and potential audience, and adhere to the Scope and Strategy, and information architecture set out at the beginning of the semester. Third, the site should demonstrate standards-based, accessible design. In other words, the site should have passed validation tests for both its XHTML and CSS. Fourth, the site’s design should also reflect knowledge of typography, layout, color, and graphic design, as reflected in the Design Rationale and HTML/CSS mockups. Finally, there should be some effort make toward interactivity or online community building.

Digital humanities work is very often collaborative in nature, so I encourage you to work together in teams on a project. For grading purposes, if you do decide to work as a group, I will require a brief written description of how the team worked together and how each person contributed to solving problems presented by a particular assignment. So, you’re free to turn in a particular assignment as a group, but I need to know that 1) everyone in the group participated in the assignment, and 2) there was transfer of knowledge among the group, meaning that everyone in the group learned from each other. In most digital humanities projects outside this class, team member will specialize in a particular area, and its safe to assume that once this class is over you will choose a particular area or two as a specialty. But for this class, I expect you to learn about and contribute to all the areas involved in the creation of a digital history project.

Blog—Posts and Comments

Weekly blogs posts, at a minimum, are required for the course. In addition to reflecting on readings and assignments for class, consider your blog as a place to share new ideas, new resources you’ve found, or new design and development techniques you’ve tried. Use it also as a way to report progress on your projects. The blog is as much classroom participation as the discussions we have in class, so treat it accordingly. Regularly commenting or linking to other student posts are also required participation, so be sure to subscribe to your fellow students’ blogs. As in Clio Wired 1, blog posts will be displayed on the course site, both on your individual student pages and on a “Classroom Stream of Consciousness” page.