History 400
HIST 400: Digital Archives
Prerequisites: HIST 295 or permission of instructor
Credit Hours: (3)
This introduction to and practicum in the field of digital archives will cover the creation, presentation, analysis. and research of digital archival collections. Students will immerse themselves in archival material of historical significance and gain hands-on experience with digital archives. May be taken more than once for credit. A maximum of 3 credit hours may be applied towards the History Major. (*) Group A, B, C depending on content.
Detailed Description of Course
Specific archival content of the course will vary. Individual instructors will determine the archival collections the students will work with. In most cases, the archival material chosen will be within faculty memeber's field of research.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Course instruction may include presentations by the instructor and by guests, readings in digital archive theory and practice, and graded individuaa and group projects.
The practicum will focus on the transcription, presentation, research, and dissemination of archival material. Students will digitize archival materials if not already in digital format, transcribe archival documents, and prepare the transcriptions for use by others - writing succinct summaries of each document, identifying keywords, creating accessible research data that can be used by others, and preparing electronic files for each document. Students will also analyze the content of the documents in a historical context and provide editorial comments to assist researchers or public viewers in understanding the documents and their contexts. This course will provide students with the skills to create, present, and work with digital versions of archival materials. It may also produce substantive, lasting digital historical resources created by students via digitized archival collections.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1) Utilize technological resources in research, data analysis, and presentation
2) Conduct research utilizing archival records
3) Demonstrate technical writing skills (research notes; document summaries; development of keywords for searching)
Assessment Measures
The exact assessment measures will depend on the instructor but may include a variety of assignments: individual or group small projects, a digital e-portfolio, presentation of project, a final essay reflecting on the process.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
March 27, 2017