HIST 640 Digital Humanities

This course will allow a student to dive into the application of digital tools and methods in humanities research, with a focus on data analysis, visualization, and project design.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


This course equips students with the skills to utilize digital tools and methods in humanities research, enhancing their ability to analyze, visualize, and present historical data. It fosters an understanding of how digital technologies can be harmonized to innovatively preserve and disseminate historical knowledge, facilitating broader access and engagement with historical content.


Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: AI Transcription Results

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will submit a discussion thread of 200-250 words, summarizing his/her essay findings from interactions with Trankscribus and ChatGPT. The student will then reply to 2 classmates’ threads with at least 150 words per reply. Any references must be cited in current Turabian format. 

Article Review and Reflection Assignment

The student will have the opportunity to reflect upon the required readings and presentations and assess the state of the field of Digital Humanities. After reading all the required articles and viewing the required presentations, the student will identify some of the main ideas and arguments in Digital Humanities and then develop a thesis/argument. The review and reflection must be 450-500 words and cite all the weekly readings and presentation.

Digital Humanities Mapping Essay Assignment

The student will explore the two websites provided and write a 750-800-word essay carefully consider the sum the elements of each site, noting strengths, weaknesses, visualization methods used, and so forth. The essay must conclude with a discussion of the rhetorical goals of each project. The student will support his/her argument with specific points from the projects as well as the class readings and other sources. Any cited sources must follow Turabian formatting.  

Digital Archive using Omeka Assignment

In this assignment, the student will create his/her own small digital archive using Omeka. The purpose of this assignment is to experiment with creating an archive to learn how to use the tool Omeka and better understand the components of a digital archive. 

AI Transcription Essay Assignment

This assignment will consider the transcription abilities on hand-written materials comparing two AI-powered tools, Transkribus and ChatGPT. The student will need to locate a handwritten archival document, ideally from a time period or individual related to their research interests. The letter should be at least 2-3 pages and ideally not exceed 10. The essay will be 750-800 words.

Data Visualization with Tableau Assignment

Students will have the opportunity to select a data set and then use the tool Tableau to create a visualization of that data. After creating the visualization, students will include a short, one paragraph reflection on both the usability of Tableau to the scholar and the usefulness of the tool they created to their audience.

Close Reading Text Analysis Assignment

The student will choose a primary source document that is at least 10-12 pages in length (this can be the same document used in the transcription assignment) and conduct a close reading of the text in terms of its literary elements and context. The purpose of this assignment is to revisit the discipline of close reading in order that you might consider how digital humanities tools can offer different methods for analysis. The student will submit a close reading in the form of a 450-500-word essay.

Text Analysis using Voyant Essay Assignment

Students will locate a 10-12 page primary source document, upload the document to the Voyant Tools Site, and present and analyze their findings in essay format. The essay must consist of 750-800 words also including 3 screenshots of three specific filters applied to your document. The essay should demonstrate clear interaction with the results from Voyant as well as insights regarding the text as realized from engaging with the tool. 

Reflection Essay

The student will write a reflective essay identifying three key takeaways from the course. This essay should offer reflective analysis and assessment on his/her interaction with the articles, videos, and course assignments. The student’s observations from the class readings and experiences with the various digital humanities approaches and tools discussed in this class will inform the focus of this essay. This essay must be at least 500 but no more than 700 words.


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