Course Participation: 30 Points
To gain the most out of this course, you will need to demonstrate active engagement with the materials, discussions, and practicing the digital skills. There are a variety of ways to be participate and stay engaged with the course: attend class and participate in our discussions, contribute to the class Google Doc of course notes (linked at top of schedule page), and reply to students’ blog posts throughout the semester for extra credit (see below).
You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings, critique digital history work, and learn new digital methods.
Extra Credit: Make substantive comments on a maximum of three (3) of your fellow students’ blog posts throughout the semester. You will receive one point extra credit per comment. Reflect and think about their ideas, experiences using the tools, or other aspects of their blog posts in a few sentences.
Blog Posts: 45 points (9 posts at 5 points each)
Over the course of the semester, there will be nine (9) total blogging activities (one per week). These assignments will correspond with each week’s themes, digital tools/approaches, and in-class activities and tutorials using provided data sets. Blogs are due by 11:59pm CT on Sunday of the week they are assigned and should be roughly 350-600 words. Since these posts are generally reflective, I expect substantive content, a strong discussion of sources, and a demonstration that you attempted the digital tool assigned that week.
To create a blog post, sign in to the course website (linked on homepage), navigate to posts on the left column and select new post.
Final Portfolio Revision and Reflection: 25 points
At the end of the semester, you will write a reflective essay as a longer blog post (about 1000 words) that will have two components. First, revise and expand one of your digital history creations from the previous weeks. Was their a particular tool or skill that was your favorite? Or, perhaps there was a challenging one that you would like to reattempt? You might explain the context of using the tool/skill you selected, the process of using it, the data you are using with the tool (and why), and the significance/critiques of the results.
Secondly, reflect on your entire portfolio of work and experience with “exploring digital history.” How might certain aspects of this course echo into other parts of your life?
The final reflective blog post will be due on Tuesday, May 30 by 11:59pm.
