HIST 642 Documentary Digitalization

This course focuses on the technical processes and best practices for converting historical documents into digital formats. It underscores the importance of digital preservation within a Christian worldview, ensuring that these valuable records are maintained for future generations, facilitating access, and enhancing the understanding of historical narratives.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussion: Encoding and Born-Digital Editions

The student will post 1 thread of at least 500 words in response to the provided prompt and 2 replies of at least 200 words. The student must support his or her assertions with citations and references from at least 2 digital documentary sources in current Turabian format. Each reply must incorporate citations and references from at least 1 digital documentary source in current Turabian format.

Edition Proposal Assignment

In this assignment, the student will select a topic for the creation of a small digital documentary edition. The proposal will include the student’s rationale for choosing the topic and a bibliography for all sources, with a separate citation for each individual document used, for a total of 10–15 documents. The rationale should introduce the topic and provide a brief background and then include a historiography of relevant secondary sources on the topic to address its significance. The proposal should not exceed 1,000 words, not including the bibliography.

Reflection and Analysis Paper Assignment

In this assignment, the student write a reflection and analysis paper discussing the key arguments and ideas from the required readings, identifying arguments with which the student agrees and include a clear thesis at the beginning of the paper and evidence throughout to support the argument. The student will also consider how the readings align with and oppose the views and practices of a Christian historian and how a biblical worldview might shape the approach of a documentary editor. The assignment should not exceed 1,000 words and should include citations to the readings throughout. The student may incorporate Turabian footnotes or parenthetical citations. A title page and bibliography are not required.

Source Selection Bibliography Assignment

In this assignment, the student will submit an annotated bibliography of the sources to be included in the digital edition along with a brief rationale explaining the selection choices (not to exceed 500 words). Along with each source, the student will include an annotation explaining the contents of the source and its relevance to the overall edition. In the rationale, the student will explain the overarching theme of the edition and further discuss the choices made to omit and include particular sources. Citations from the weekly readings must be included in the rationale. The bibliography should be submitted in Turabian format.

Transcription Assignment

In this assignment, the student will create transcriptions for all of his or her selected documents. The transcriptions must follow the format and guidelines outlined in both the Transcription Policies and the Transcription Directions documents found under Transcription Resources on the assignment page in Canvas. The student should use the Transcription Template to complete the assignment. Each document should have a separate transcription, and page breaks should be submitted between each separate transcribed document. The student must submit a Word document with the transcriptions, along with a PDF of the original manuscripts used.

Editing and Verification Assignment

In this assignment, the student will submit edits to his or her original transcriptions or submit edits to a fellow student’s transcriptions using the “Track Changes” feature in Microsoft Word. The student will then write a 250–300-word paragraph discussing some of the common errors and mistakes  found and corrected during verification.

Annotation and Metadata Assignment

In this assignment, the student will identify the people, places, and terms that should be defined or explained in further detail in his or her texts and provide the necessary explanations with citations from reputable sources. The student will also provide an introduction to his or her edition and will have an option to create additional metadata such as maps or other graphs and charts. The annotations and metadata will be submitted in a single Word document.

Digital Edition Analysis and Application Assignment

In this assignment, the student will choose 2 published digital documentary editions (to be approved by the professor in advance) to analyze and compare based on the criteria discussed in the course. The student will write a 2,000-word analysis comparing the selected editions and then propose a framework for the digitization and publication of the student’s own edition. The student will evaluate and compare the two chosen projects based on selection, transcription, annotation, encoding, usability, and presentation. Using conclusions gathered from the analysis, the student will continue with a proposal for his or her own edition using the same categories. The student’s proposal and reflection should discuss the student’s experiences creating the edition, alongside findings from readings and this analysis to present the student’s preferred methods for selection, transcription/editing, annotation, and encoding. The student will discuss methods found to be most effective or that relate best to the edition’s scope and design. The assignment must avoid the use of first person throughout.