A PORTION OF THE ABOVE CLASS RESERVED FOR MAJORS
ABOVE CLASS OPEN TO GRADUATES ONLY

This is new graduate colloquium designed to help humanities scholars
think systematically about how digital “new media” affect their
work.   We will explore the vast array of digital resources
historians use in research, in teaching, and to engage the “public”
outside of academia.  Our common readings will include highlights
from the lively debate between academic techno-enthusiasts and
techno-skeptics, a range of exemplary digital projects, and a
pragmatic guide to creating one’s own digital tools.  The emphasis
of the course, however, is on building collective knowledge out of
individual investigation of the resources most relevant to our own
fields.    We will be helping each other to think broadly about what
has been done and what might be done with the “new media,” while at
the same time addressing more concrete questions about what is
possible and wise for us individually.

Course assignments will allow you to invest time in evaluating and
learning the tools you will need for your scholarly endeavors,
whatever your current level of technical skill.   You will be asked
to lay the plans for a digital project related to your work, and to
use your acquired expertise to educate your classmates.  You will
also be asked to develop one of the technical skills appropriate to
your project.  (The instructor will facilitate training, but the
class will not teach specific programs.)  Discussion will focus on
the common issues and opportunities technology raises for
humanists.  The colloquium has been designed with historians in
mind, but the concerns are interdisciplinary and students from other
departments are encouraged to enroll.

For more information, contact  Prof. Kirsten Sword,
ksword@indiana.edu.  Course website pending at
http://www.indiana.edu/~dighist.