Exploring Digital History
Spring 2023
Tues/Thus 3s (10:40am-12:25pm) | ALUM 115
Jen Andrella, Ph.D.
she/her
Email: jandrella at knox.edu
Student Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-10:30am.
My office is located on the second floor of the library, across from the red room, next to the staircase for the third-floor offices.
I’m also happy to meet with you at your convenience and/or over Zoom, just email me to schedule an appointment!
Message Board
Please review the final blog post essay on the schedule page.
Thank you for a wonderful term!
Meme of the day
Course Description
In this course, we will learn the foundational skills, current debates, and methods of digital history to explore how digital tools can help us ask and answer questions about the past. Digital history is an area of practice under digital humanities, an interdisciplinary community of scholars who integrate digital methods into collaborative, quantitative, and often public-facing scholarship.
The content area of this course will cover Native American history from pre-contact through the twentieth century. We will explore a wide range of historical sources (literature, art, material culture, government documents, maps, and oral history) and examine how digital methods can influence our understanding of Native modes for producing, preserving, and presenting the past. We will also engage in critical conversations about the uses, ethics, and limitations of digital tools in Native history through practice using a variety of skills: online research, content management, network analysis, digital communications, data visualizations, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, video gaming, text analysis, and digital mapping.
Super important: it is okay if you’ve had little experience with digital tools and technology, and only a basic familiarity with Native American or U.S. history. This course is designed for us to learn by working together. I am always happy to help you at any point during the term; just visit me during office hours or set up an appointment!
For a general overview of U.S. history, I recommend consulting The American Yawp, a free online U.S. history textbook available at: www.americanyawp.com.
Required Books and Materials
This course requires two books and a computer. All other readings, websites, or datasets will be provided for you on the schedule page.
*Devices such as ChromeBooks (running ChromeOS), iPads (running iOS), or Microsoft Surface Go (running the “S Mode” of Windows) will not allow you to install certain software and programs. Although you can deactivate “S Mode” to use the full version of Windows, you cannot reverse this and return to “S Mode” after the course ends.
Our Class Community
Fostering a safe, respectful, flexible, and accessible learning environment is my top priority. Learning digital skills and working with new technology is daunting for everyone, and because of this, I designed the course in a way that should not add any unnecessary stress and to help you get the most out of the course material. I am always happy to meet you at your comfort level with the goal of encouraging you to challenge your abilities. I also practice a teaching philosophy that less is more; meaning that the more time we can devote towards a single tool, topic, or source, the more knowledge we will be able gather from it. By the end of the course, I hope to give you some new tools to add to your toolbox that you will be able to apply in other courses and beyond.
I also understand that life happens: family emergencies, mental or physical health issues, or related interruptions in your life my take your attention away from the course. Please communicate with me about your needs so that we can make accommodations. Your wellbeing is most important, and my job is to provide the time, space, and resources you need to be most successful. Please also visit the class resources and goals page for resources that Knox College offers to students.
