What does it mean to practice history in the digital age? How are digital technologies shaping the way we conceptualise the past, design and conduct historical research, and communicate our findings? What does digital history offer in terms of innovative and substantive new ways of understanding the past, and how has it changed the way society ‘consumes’ the past?
This course explores the expanding landscape of digital history from the perspectives of both theory and practice. The course is built around three main threads. The first-- the pedagogy of digital history-- explores how digital technologies have impacted the production, consumption, and preservation of 'the past' in modern society, and the wider theoretical and methodological issues facing historical study in a digital age. A second-- doing research in a digital environment-- focuses on the development of skills and abilities in using digital tools and the Internet in historical research, while the third-- producing history in a digital world--will give students the opportunity to apply digital methods to their own research, and experience in writing and producing history for the web through the design and execution of a small web-based project.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon Successful completion of this course, students will be able to:- Demonstrate a critical understanding about how digital technologies have impacted the researching, writing, and consumption of history, and the preservation and consumption of heritage.
- Develop and apply strategies for locating, and using digital data and resources in historical research.
- Critically analyze the potential of digital history tools, methods, approaches, and resources.
- Design and produce a small online historical exhibition.
Indicative Assessment
Online participation (10%) (LO 1,2,3)
Web site/digital exhibition OR online research tool review 1,000 words (15%)
(LO 1,2,3,4)
Essay of 2,500 words (30%) (LO 1,2,3)
Design and production of small (4-6 page) online historical exhibition (2500
words). A blog recording the challenges/problems/solutions/thoughts relating to
the project should be developed alongside this. (45%) (LO 1,2,3,4)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: combination of lectures, tutorials and workshops; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Digital history is a discipline that is in constant
evolution. The bulk of scholarly work on it is also available on the Internet,
with blog posts and open-access journal articles appearing regularly.
Accordingly, while a reading brick of key readings will be available through
the course website and the library, this will be supplemented by Online texts
and resources that subsequently become available as the course progresses.
With this in mind, students will be encouraged to make suggestions for further
readings they discover, such as blogposts and articles relevant to their Online
projects, via Twitter, via the class hashtag.
It is also recommended that students follow some established hashtags in the
field: #digitalhumanities, #digitalhistory, #digitalheritage, and #dhist (there
are more). Twitter can be one of the best resources for keeping up to date with
what is going on in the field.
Preliminary Reading
- Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, Digital History, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. (Also available online at http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/ )
- T. Mills Kelly, Teaching History in the Digital Age, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013. (Also available online at http://www.digitalculture.org/books/teaching-history-in-the-digital-age/)
- Roy Rosenzweig, Clio Wired: The Future of the Past in the Digital Age, New York: Columbia University Press, 2010.
- Jack Doherty and Kristen Nawrotzki, Writing History in the Digital Age, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012. (Also available online at http://www.digitalculture.org/books/writing-history-in-the-digital-age/ ).
- Fiona Cameron and Sarah Kenderdine (eds), Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage: A Critical Discourse, MIT Press, 2007.
(for a single week)
- Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, Digital history: a guide to gathering, preserving, and present ing the past on the Web. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006: Chapter 1: "Exploring the History Web"
- Dan Cohen (http://www.dancohen.org/2010/01/07/is-google-good-for-history) and Paul Deguid (http://www.hnn.us/blog/122000 (video 6:37)) from the American Historical Association panel discussion 'Is Google Good for History', 7 January 2010.
- 'Interchange: The promise of Digital History', Journal of American History, September 2008, Vol. 95, Issue 2, pp 452-491.
- 'Re-Visioning Historical Writing', in Jack Dougherty & Kristen Nawrotzki, Writing History in the Digital Age, University of Michigan Press, 2013, pp. 21-48
Assumed Knowledge
The course does not assume any prior knowledge of digital history or digital heritage. A good level of competency with computers and the Internet is, however, expected. Experience with social media tools and services is advantageous.Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $3180 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $4860 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.