HIS 2970 - VISUALIZING THE PAST

credits: 6.0
Students will learn to use visual products to describe both textual and material sources of history. These products will range from museum displays to websites. Course is designed to teach students to think differently about the information we have about the past and to utilize a range of methods to share their research with the class, college, and world through a range of visual products from museum displays to embeddable digital tools such as interactive maps and timelines. Students will work on a number of research topics that focus on real historical sources from local archives and art collections to digital databases. Throughout students will learn how the tools used in class are related to the fields of Digital Humanities, Public History, and Museum Studies and there by gain a more exact understanding of these fields. Objectives: A) Identify the key concepts and methods in Digital Humanities, Public History, and Museum Studies as demonstrated through exercises and discussion; B) Use the basic techniques and programs related to visual representation of history as demonstrated through individual and group projects; C) Use a range of archival materials and digital sources as demonstrated through individual and group projects. Method of Instruction: Mixture of discussion of readings and topics followed by class workshopping of group and individual projects. Method of Evaluation: Exercises: 20%; Individual project development: 40%; and Team project development: 40%.