Douglas Seefeldt
Media Studies Program
Virginia Center for Digital History
University of Virginia
Tuesdays 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Pavilion VIII, room 103
This is an opportunity for a limited number of students from a variety of disciplines to receive credit while gaining hands-on experience with New Media while working on the Virginia Center for Digital History (VCDH) Lewis and Clark digital history project. You will have the opportunity to learn how conduct historical research, mark up text, create an intentional archive, and develop dynamic presentations from your findings under supervision of a faculty member. Students will discuss and develop their own research topic through regular meetings with the instructor and their teammates and produce a collaborative work of digital scholarship.
Course Requirements
This course has four equal requirements; assessment is based on a combination
of both individual and group components:
Active participation
Attend and actively participate in all facets of the course and compose a final
self evaluation.
Online journal
Where you will analyze assigned readings. The 8 journal entries (approx. 500
words each) are due prior to the group meeting that week. We are using the Toolkit
discussion function as the online journal for this course.
Written Reports
In which you will survey and assess a selection of digital resources and compose
your project text. These 2 written reports are due prior to the group meeting
that week.
Final project
Where you work with a team to plan and produce a digital history project on
some aspect of the Lewis and Clark legacy in Virginia.
Course Schedule & Assignments
Please complete the readings and assignments prior to each meeting, as we will
discuss the material as a group.
Week 1:
No Meeting Introductions and course overview |
Assignment: Read course overview email and begin the week 2 reading assignment for discussion next week |
Week 2: 1/21 A Short History of Computing |
Assignment:
Read materials posted to Toolkit Journal #1: Post your reading reflection by midnight Monday |
Week 3: 1/28 What is Digital History? |
Assignment: Read materials posted
to Toolkit Report #1: Surveys of digital resources for historical research: Critique of one of each of the following genres of digital resources: electronic archives, full text databases, CD-ROMs, and student projects from a list provided by the instructor. Due at the beginning of class |
| Week 4: 2/4 Project Content Brainstorming |
Assignment: Come with your ideas for
potential archival and new multimedia materials for your project to discuss
with subject matter experts. Journal #2: Post your project content brainstorm ideas by midnight Monday |
| Week 5: 2/11 Research. |
We will meet at the McGregor Room in Alderman Library and tour the UVa Special Collections and the Geospatial and Statistical Data Center (GeoStat) |
| Week 6: 2/18 Project Planning |
Assignment:
Read materials posted to Toolkit Journal #3: Post summary of archival research results by midnight Monday |
| Week 7: 2/25 Design & Navigation |
Assignment: Read materials posted
to Toolkit Journal #4: Post reading reflection by midnight Monday Group project proposal and preliminary production schedule due via email by midnight Thursday 2/28 |
Week 8: Spring Recess |
|
| Week 9: 3/11 Scanning & Digital Images |
We will meet in the Alderman Library Electronic Classroom,
east wing of the 4th floor for a hands-on tutorial on scanning and basic
Abobe Photoshop Assignment: Read materials posted to Toolkit Journal #5: Post reading reflection by midnight Monday |
| Week 10: 3/18 Text, Hypertext & Markup |
We will meet in the Alderman Library Electronic Classroom,
east wing of the 4th floor for a hands-on tutorial on HyperText Markup Language
(HTML) Assignment: Read materials posted to Toolkit Journal #6: Post reading reflection by midnight Monday |
| Week 11: 3/25 Bells & Whistles |
We will meet in the Alderman Library Electronic Classroom,
east wing of the 4th floor for a hands-on tutorial on advanced Photoshop
& Fireworks Assignment: Read materials posted to Toolkit Journal #7: Post reading reflection by midnight Monday |
| Week 12: 4/1 No meeting: |
Work on your projects |
| Week 13: 4/8 Progress reports and troubleshooting with experts |
Report #2: Text and bibliography due at the beginning of class |
| Week 14: 4/15 No meeting: |
Work on your projects, revise your text |
| Week 15: 4/22 | Public Presentation of completed projects to the UVa digital community (room TBA) |
| Week 16: 4/29 Project Revisions Discussion |
Journal #8: Self-evaluations due at the beginning of class |
|
Finals Week: No Meeting:
Final Projects Due (date, time TBA) |
|