Course Syllabus HUSL 6340: Digital Archives Fall 2011 JO 4.122, Monday 4-6:45 Professor Jessica C.

Murphy
Professor Contact Information
Jessica C. Murphy Phone: 972-883-4445 Email: jessica.c.murphy@utdallas.edu Office: JO 5.426 Office Hours: Monday 2-3, Friday 1-2, and by appointment

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions Graduate Standing, Arts & Humanities, or by permission of instructor

Course Description It is not easy to do primary research in the humanities when funding is at a minimum. There are a number of digital projects that aim to mitigate this difficulty, but these projects are not always merely repositories where one can find that letter or diary or proclamation. These projects have themselves become a research endeavor. In this class, we will examine a number of digital archives of materials from the medieval and early modern periods with an eye both for what they offer our own research and for what they teach us about digital projects. During the first portion of the semester, we will concentrate on learning the background and theories behind several established early modern and medieval digital archives. Students will then take this knowledge and find digital archives that serve their own research needs and discuss these with the class.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes By the end of this course, students should demonstrate: a general understanding of the theory and practice of digital archives; a practical ability to use archives in their own research; and a knowledge of the example archives provided by the instructor and fellow students.

Required Textbooks and Materials

You are required to be a member of our class wiki (http://digiarchives.pbworks.com/) and have an email address that you check frequently. Please visit the wiki and request access at the earliest opportunity. All of our reading will be online or provided via course reserves. Please see the Class Materials page on our wiki for information.

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For the workshop portion of each class meeting, we will need access to computers. If you have a laptop, please bring it to class with you. If you do not have a laptop, please make arrangements to share with a classmate.

Academic Calendar Date 8/31 9/12 9/19 9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/24 10/31 11/7 11/14 11/21 11/28 12/4 12/10 Topic Introduction to Digital Humanities and the Practice of Archiving Early English Books Online: The Large Proprietary Database Eighteenth Century Collections Online English Broadside Ballad Archive Manuscripts Medieval Studies Women in the Archives Drama in the Archives Spooky Witchcraft Documents Exploring the Archives 1 Exploring the Archives 2 Exploring the Archives 3 Exploring the Archives 4 Exploring the Archives 5 Final Archive Reports due on wiki by 6:45 PM

Assignments & Grading Policy Below are the required assignments for this course. I will provide more detailed information as the due dates approach. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about assignments. Completion of all of the assignments in this course is a condition for earning a passing grade. The instructor reserves the right to amend any policies or assignments at her discretion. Participation 20% Participation includes attending class; participating in discussions, in-class activities, and online community; and completing assignments (on timeno late work will be accepted) and in-class writing assignments. Short Assignments 40% Throughout the semester, the instructor will assign short assignments to encourage you to engage with the archives. You will usually have a choice, and should always feel free to discuss your creative ideas with the instructor.

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Final Project 30% For your final project, you will be asked to locate and write a report on a digital archive that is related to your own research interests. The instructor will provide clear guidelines for the report and accompanying wiki description as the due date approaches. Presentation 10% Each student will be responsible for leading the class in a workshop-style discussion of his or her final project archive. During the first part of the semester, the instructor will be leading portions of class in the way that is expected of you. Please feel free to see the instructor with any questions you might have. Grades This class will use plus/minus grades.

Course & Instructor Policies In this class, students will examine a variety of digital archives and theories about them through reading assignments, writing assignments, and class discussion with attention to the ways that these archives are both useful in our own research and research objects themselves. To that end, the policies below are meant to create the best possible learning environment for the students. Please contact the instructor if you have any questions about these policies. I will consider your continued enrollment in this class as evidence that you accept these policies. Attendance Because this class is a seminar, participation in discussions is essential to your learning. You may miss one class without penalty, but you will lose credit for each class above one that you miss. Community It is expected that we will respect one another and one anothers ideas. When we are in class, we are present: no cell phones, pagers, or other forms of electronic communication. If your phone rings, a classmate or I will answer it (if my phone rings, you may answer it). Student AccessAbility Services If you are a student with a disability and would like to see me to discuss special academic accommodations, please contact me after class or during my office hours. For more information about AccessAbility Services, visit the website: http://www.utdallas.edu/studentaccess/ or call 972-883-2098. (see full syllabus for more detailed information) Avoid Plagiarizing by Accident! Using anothers ideas or language without acknowledging the source or passing off anothers ideas or language as your own is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Students often plagiarize without intending to because they are unsure about how to cite sources. Plagiarism by accident is still plagiarism (and will be punished as such), so please feel free to come see me if you are unsure about how to cite sources. (see below for policy on Academic Integrity) The policies that comprise the rest of the syllabus may be accessed online: http://provost.utdallas.edu/home/syllabuspoliciesandprocedurestext

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