The Digital Past

History 390
ver. 1.0

Professor T. Mills Kelly Office Hours

Robinson B377a M/W 1:30 – 3:00
703.993.2152 or by appointment
tkelly7@gmu.edu
AIM: tkelly7029
http://edwired.org

Introduction: This course is both a history of new media and a course that prepares you to use a
wide variety of digital tools, everything from the simplest such as basic word processing, to the
more complex such as the use of large databases, advanced searching techniques, and mapping
data. As a result, this course satisfies the University information technology requirement. Unlike
some other courses designed to satisfy the IT requirement, this course teaches the fundamentals
of information technology within the context of a history course rather than as a set of abstract
principles or discrete skills tied to particular software packages. As a result, you will learn both
the fundamentals and skills and something about how we as a society became so enamored of
and dependent on these knowledge and information tools. Understanding a new technology
requires not just knowing its technical aspects, but also understanding how new technologies
transform the societies that embrace them. This course will also emphasize the use of free and
open source software whenever possible.

Learning Goals: Each week we will focus on a particular IT skill through the examination of a
particular historical topic. During the semester you will learn to use the more sophisticated
features of word processing software, including collaborative editing. You will also learn the
basics of database construction as well as the theory and technique of database searching. The
course will introduce you to the basic principles of credibility testing for online sources, and will
include opportunities to engage in the process of online encyclopedia contribution and editing.
You will master basic image editing and processing software and learn the basics of website
construction and design.

Course requirements: In addition to keeping up with the readings and discussions on a weekly
basis, each student is expected to download the (free) Firefox web browser to his or her
computer. If you do not own a computer, all computers in the University labs have Firefox
installed on them. We require Firefox because we will be using the Zotero plug-in for Firefox
(http://zotero.org) that allows you to manage all of your work, save your citations, and
collaborate with work groups in the class We will also be exploring the integration of Zotero’s
bibliographic and footnoting capabilities into MS Word. Again, MS Word is available on all
University systems and is generally accepted as the standard word-processing application.

You are expected to be an active participant in class discussions, both in the classroom and
online. Failure to participate in our discussions will not only have a negative impact on your final
grade, but will also make the class less enjoyable for you and for everyone else in class. Online
participation will take place via the class blog and you will be expected to post something there
every week of the semester.

There will be a mid-term and a final project, each of which allow you to demonstrate your
mastery of the historical content and your mastery of the digital skills that are central to the
course. Samples of possible mi-term projects will be provided in a separate handout. You will
select your final project from a list provided in a separate handout, but which include such
options as: a semester-long blog, a history website, a photo essay, a digital video, a database-
oriented or geo-referenced history essay, an Omeka collection, two podcasts. You will note that
all of these options require you to work on them continuously throughout the semester, rather
than putting in one or two weeks of work at the very end of the term. The mid-term project is
designed to give you an opportunity to complete some of the intermediate work on the final
project, to receive feedback on your progress, and to give you a chance to revise your work. In
other words, the work you do in this course will build to a conclusion over time, rather than
being divided into discrete segments with little relationship to one another.

Grading
Your grade for the semester will be based upon the following criteria:

Class participation (on-line and in person) 25%

Wikipedia assignment 5%
Midterm project 25%
Final project 35%
Film festival project 10%

Course Policies (please read them all)

Attendance: Because each week’s topic lays the groundwork for the progressively more
sophisticated work that we’ll be doing as the semester goes along, it is imperative that you come
to class, keep up with your assignments, and stay engaged with the rest of the group, both in
class and online via the class blog.

ADA: Any student who requires special arrangements in order to meet course requirements
should contact me to make necessary accommodations (before DATE please). Students should
present appropriate verification from the Office of Disability Services, 703-993-2474. All
academic accomodations must be arragned through that office.

Medical and Other Excuses: Every semester someone is forced to miss either an examination
or the due date for an assignment either as the result of an illness or a family emergency. If you
find yourself in this situation, fairness to all students in the class requires the proper documenta-
tion, without which your excuses will not be accepted. If you need to know more about this
process consult me as soon as the emergency is taken care of.
Plagiarism and Cheating: In my courses all students are responsible for adhering to a certain
standard of behavior when it comes to honesty and plagiarism. I expect each individual to adhere
to these standards so that every member of the class knows that his or her work is being held to
an equal standard. If one student cheats, all students in the class suffer. Even worse, however, is
the fact that the student who cheats is hurting him or herself. When you are cheating, you are not
learning and the reason you are here is to learn.

In addition to my own high expectations when it comes to academic honesty, the University also
expects students to demonstrate a high code of personal honor when it comes to academic work.
Please read the George Mason University Honor Code if you have any questions about what is
expected of you in this regard. Penalties for academic dishonesty are severe. If I have reason to
believe you have cheated or plagiarized another person's work, I will discuss this matter with
you. If I am not satisfied that no cheating or plagiarism has occurred, your case will be referred
to the Honor Committee. If you have any questions about these policies, please come talk to me
in my office.

Plagiarism and cheating are much easier in the digital age. It is an unfortunate fact that since I
began teaching here in 2001 a number of my Mason students have felt free to follow those rules
that suit them and ignore those that don’t. As a result, I use the database service Turnitin.com.
Since I began using Turnitin.com the number of cases I have reported to the Honor Committee
on an annual basis has dropped. If I (or the software) come across work that appears to be
plagiarized, I will meet with you first. If I am not satisfied with the results of our conversation, I
will refer the matter to the Honor Committee for adjudication. When I refer a case to the Honor
Committee I always recommend failure for the course.

Enrollment Status: Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment status in this course.
Any change in that status is the responsibility of the student and must be made by the dates listed
in the Schedule of Classes. The last day to Add a course is (DATE). The last day to Drop a
course is (DATE). After the last day to drop a course, withdrawal from the course must be
approved by the Dean and will be approved only for nonacademic reasons. Undergraduate
students may choose to exercise a selective withdrawal. See the Schedule of Classes for selective
withdrawal procedures.

Food, Drink, Tobacco: Because we will be in a computer lab classroom, no drinks are permitted
in class, nor are food and tobacco products. If you must chew, whether food or tobacco, do it
before you arrive or after you leave.

Tentative Course Outline

Week 1 – Course introduction

Getting on the blog
Writing for Wikipedia – see the handout
Setting up and using Zotero (http://zotero.org)
Week 2 – “New media” back in the day
Read: Elizabeth Eisenstein, “The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe,” 1-41 (e-reserve)
Data organization: From page numbers to data structures.

Week 3 – Faster and Faster

Read: Excerpt from Wolfgang Schivelbusch, The Railway Journey
Searching: Complete the Internet Scavenger Hunt. The first five students to email their results to
me win a prize. Remember, you can’t find it all via Google! During our investigation of search
engines, we’ll examine not only how these engines work, but also what they can and can’t see.

Week 4 – Mass Literacy and the News

Read: Reading TBD on the rise of the penny press and mass literacy
Databases: Complete the assignment using the ProQuest Historical Newspapers database – see
the handout. During our investigation of this particular database of historical sources we’ll
consider such things as how databases are organized, the standards archivists use when
organizing data, and how users interact with the data.

Week 5 – Thinking Machines

Read: Vannevar Bush, “As We May Think,” The Atlantic (July 1945):
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/194507/bush
Databases (cont’d): Using GeoCommons (http://www.geocommons.com/), choose a database
and create a usable map from the results. Then write a post for the class blog in which you
discuss how a historian could use your results to construct a historical argument.

Week 6 – Computers for Everyone?

Read: Reading TBD on the origins of personal computing
Spreadsheets: Read the page in the class blog on spreadsheets and create a simple spreadsheet of
data using one of the three sample datasets provided. Post the results of your analysis to the blog
for all to see. Be sure to discuss how a spreadsheet differs from a database.

Week 7 – Web 1.0

Read: Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the World Wide Web (selections on e-reserve) and Walter
Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Mechanical Age.
Images: Using the page posted on the class blog and complete the image assignment on digital
images. Be sure to post the image you end up with in the class blog with all the correct meta
data.

Week 8 – Web 2.0

Read: Tim O’Reilly, “What is Web 2.0?”
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Creating Content: Using one of the open source options described in the class blog, produce an
accessible, standards compliant website that includes at least three of the features (photo albums,
blogs, etc.) described. When you post the link to your work in the class blog, be sure to discuss
how the site you created could be useful for your final project (or why it would not be).
Week 9 -- Maps, Spatial Data & GIS
Read: Ann Kelly Knowles & Amy Hillier, Placing History (selections)
Maps, Spatial Data & GIS: Using the instructions in the blog and GeoCommons, create a
mashup of historical information and geographic data. In your blog posting on your creation,
discuss how the process of combining historical and geographic data can change or improve
historians’ understanding of the past.

Week 10 -- Slideware
Read: Edward Tufte, “PowerPoint is Evil” http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html
and Peter Norvig, “The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation” http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/
Slideware: Using the slideware program of your choice, create a three-slide presentation on a
moment in history. You are limited to three slides because a good presentation should be concise
even as it is visually rich.

Week 11 – Digital Research

Read: Reading TBD on Google Books, JSTOR, and other large research resources.
Writing: Using the word processing program of your choice, create an introductory paragraph,
complete with thesis and at least one footnote, for the summary of your final project that you will
turn in at the end of the semester.

Week 12 – Digital Research (cont’d)

Read: Choose someone else’s intro paragraph and write a critique that adds value to their work,
i.e., helps them create a better product.
YouTube Film Festival! Preassigned groups will select and present a YouTube.com film that
presents a historical topic. Films are limited to four minutes in length, and the group’s
representative must introduce (1 minute) and present a short evaluation (1–2 minutes maximum).

Week 13 – Ethics in the Digital World

Read: Reading from Lawrence Lessig (TBD) and the University’s Copyright Office PowerPoint
presentation.

Week 14 – Final review and wrap up of the semester