How can digital technologies help us learn about life in pre-modern (1000- 1800 CE) Europe? This course revolves around this central question. Each week, we will learn about a different geographic region through a Digital Humanities (DH) project (or projects) focused upon that region. In doing so, we will examine the social, political, and cultural dynamics of pre- modern communities while observing how scholars have employed digital technologies to study them. Our weekly digital projects will introduce you to a variety of tools, such as ArcGIS, OpenLayers, OpenStreetMap, html, and TEI (Text Encoding Initiative). You will engage critically with these digital tools and assess how they have been applied to historical research.

Through weekly active learning tutorials and workshops, you will build knowledge and skills across a range of digital media, including WordPress, Storymaps ArcGIS, and Audacity Audio Software, and learn to effectively incorporate these tools into your own projects. The combination of theoretical and practical knowledge accumulated in this course will present you with new ways of looking at big questions surrounding identity, politics,society, and culture in pre-modern Europe. This course will also
prompt you to investigate some of the challenges facing Digital Humanities-based research. 

 

By the end of this course, you will:
• Use digital tools (WordPress, ArcGIS Storymaps, Audacity Audio Software) with introductory-level proficiency
• Assess academic articles and books, pinpointing the introduction, thesis, sub-arguments, and conclusion
• Identify major regions in pre-modern Europe, as well as some of the political, social, and cultural developments across regions
• Develop writing skills, and integrate digital media within traditional written formats
• Have a broad understanding of digital humanities projects, their benefits and their limitations

 

1) Digital Project Profile: 10%

2) DH Workshops (Hands on workshops Voyant, Blogger, Audacity audio software) : 15%

Workshops (15%): In three workshops, you will build the skills needed to complete the digital components of your final project. You will learn to use WordPress, Storymaps ArcGIS, and Audacity Audio Software. In Workshop #1, students will set up WordPress and build sample blogs. In Workshop #2, students will build a Storymaps ArcGIS mapping tour. In Workshop #3, you will learn basic techniques for audio editing and create your own audio soundscapes. 2.5% of your grade for each workshop is allocated to attendance and participation. The other 2.5% is allocated to submitting your files and/or links.

 

Active Learning Tutorial Participation (15%): You will engage in class discussion and group activities about the week’s readings. You are expected to come to tutorials prepared to share your insights, and complete any preparation outlined in the Required Reading list below.
Participation includes both attendance and active engagement in activities and discussions for full marks.

 

*In certain cases, students may opt for alternative modes of participation, such as written reflections. This must be pre-approved by the course instructor. Come and talk to me or send me an e-mail if you would like to speak further about this option.

 

Final Assignment (30%) A Digital WordPress essay focused around a specific category from the Map of Early Modern London (MoEML): https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/ 

 

Students select a category from the Map of Early Modern London project (eg. theatres, Victualling Houses (ie. restaurants and taverns), parishes etc.). You will investigate your selected category using the drop-down list on the map, exploring the links associated with various locations (we will go through a demonstration of how to do this in Week 2). You will then research secondary sources relevant to your category, and to early modern London more broadly, and craft a digital essay with an analytical argument about your specific category, embedding a range of digital media into your essay, and using these tools to support your argument. For instance, you may embed images, static maps from the Map of Early Modern London website, a Storymaps mapping tour, audio files, and other rich media sources, such as Youtube videos. This essay should demonstrate your overall grasp of the digital tools used in workshops and active learning tutorials throughout the term, and how these can contribute to methods of historical research.