DIGITAL HUMANITIES

Syllabus

This course introduces theory and practice in digital humanities. The readings discuss textual editing and documentation, networking and intellectual property, digital production and digital aesthetics. As the "practice" component of the course we will mark-up and publish two Byron memoirs and a collection of Civil War letters. Those taking the course will learn to use editing software, basic concepts used for publishing information on the web (style sheets, markup languages, documents and databases) and acquire some hands-on experience with working collaboratively in the digital environment.

Minimal experience with computing is required; the expectation is that those with more will lend a hand to those with less, and our object will be to start where we are and move everybody several steps down the path to computer fluency. You will need to use a laptop to class.

Evaluation is based on four assignments and a final examination: precis assignment: 10%; Byron assignment: 20%; Smith assignment: 20%; group project: 30%; final examination: 20%.

Books. Primary texts (at the bookstore): Peter Shillingsburg, From Gutenburg to Google ; Jerome McGann, radiant textuality; Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks (online). Recommended reference: Keven Howard Goldberg: XML, second edition. Tools (purchase online): oXygen xml editor

Schedule (subject to modification!)

Week 1 (January 19-21) Introduction; Shillingsburg, pp. 1-24

Week 2 (January 26-28) Shillingsburg, pp. 25-79

Week 3 (February 2-4 Shillingsburg, pp. 80-125; Intro to XML: Goldberg, pp. 1-15

Week 4 (February 9-11) Shillingsburg, pp. 126-50; Intro to CSS

Week 5 (February 16-18) Shillingsburg, pp. 151-72

Assignment: Shillingsburg precis due 18 February

Week 6 (February 23-25) Shillingsburg, pp. 173-99; Intro to TEI

Week 7 (March 2-4) Lord Byron and his Times; intro to XSL: Goldberg, pp. 19-35

SPRING BREAK (March 6-14)

Week 8 (March 16-18) Benkler, pp. 1-58; Lord Byron and his Times; Goldberg, pp. 37-59

Assignment: Byron markup/transcription due 16 March

Week 9 (March 23-25) Benkler, pp. 60-127; A knowledge site: the Smith Letters

Week 10 (March 30-April 1) McGann, pp. 1-52; Smith Letters

Assignment: Smith Letters markup/transcription due 30 March

Week 11 (April 6-8) McGann, pp. 53-74; Smith Letters; prosopography

Week 12 (April 13-15) McGann, pp. 75-103; Smith Letters; glossary

Week 13 (April 20-22) McGann, pp. 105-35; Smith Letters; headnotes

Week 14 (April 27-29) McGann, pp. 137-60; Group presentations

Week 15 (May 4) Group presentations

Final project due 4 May

Final Examination: May 10 4:25 PM