Syllabus: Introduction to Digital Humanities

Fall 2023: Classes meet T H 12:05 - 1:20pm in Witkowski 109

Read the Course Description

This contains a detailed explanation of course policies and the basis for grades.

This link jumps to the closest day to today's date. Review the schedule as we get started to get a sense of how this course will work on a daily basis.

Quick links to digital resources

Canvas: http://canvas.psu.edu To submit homework assignments and exams and read private course announcements
introDH-Hub: https://github.com/newtfire/introDH-Hub Class GitHub Repository and Issues Board
oXygen XML Editor: for coding of all kinds, used in multiple DIGIT courses for text archiving, analysis, and web projects
Wordpress (via PSU): Penn State resource for creating a website
TimeMapper: Web-based tool for plotting and visualizing events in time and space based on spreadsheet data.
ArcGIS StoryMaps: software supporting design of visual stories about places, combining text with data patterns, maps, and multimedia.
Google Sheets: Web-based spreadsheet software designed for interactive sharing.
Voyant Tools and Antconc Free concordance and indexing tools supporting distant reading analysis of texts.
Kumu.io: Concept mapping and network tool
itch.io: Source of indie games, a selection of which will be made available for critique.
Course Home Website: https://newtfire.org/courses/introDH/ Home of our syllabus and schedule.

Week 1	Class topics	Do before class
T 08-22	Welcome! Introduction to the course and digital humanities. Short video on The History of Computers by Rambling Hambling Introduce Open Annotation and Hypothes.is Hypothes.is. Set up Hypothes.is accounts and join our private class Hypothes.is Group (invitation in Canvas) Launch first Annotation Assignment	...
H 08-24	Discussion building on annotations: What is digital humanities? Slow computing while in university.	Re-watch (if you like) the 10-minute History of Computers video and think about how the history of computing relates to the statements about digital humanities and life experience with computers in today's readings. Read and annotate with Hypothes.is: The Digital Humanities Manifesto 2.0 Context/Metadata: ~2009. Kitchin and Fraser's Slow Computing: "Living Digital Lives" and "Coda: Slow Computing during a Pandemic"

Week 2	Class topics	Do before class
T 08-29	Discussion of Warsame reading/annotations, time, space, data. ntroduce Tolkien, Leaf by Niggle and next week's re-mediation of story-to-game adventure with special guest professor, Dr. Lauren Liebe.	Read and annotate with Hypothes.is Khalid Warsame, “This Vast Conspiracy of Memory” Published in Spring 2019 Meanjin Quarterly Take a look at Google Maps Timeline
H 08-31	Discussion of Leaf by Niggle, preparing for next week's game remediation. Installing/accessing Twine [TBD]	Read and annotate with Hypothes.is: Leaf by Niggle

Week 3	Class topics	Do before class
T 09-05	[Dr. B is in Germany for the TEI-MEC Conference. Class led by special guest Dr. Lauren Liebe, Asst. Professor of Game Design]: Adapting Leaf by Niggle to a Twine game.	...
H 09-07	[Dr. B is in Germany for the TEI-MEC Conference. Class led by special guest Dr. Lauren Liebe, Asst. Professor of Game Design] Continued development / peer review: Leaf by Niggle to a Twine game.	Twine Game development for peer review

Week 4	Class topics	Do before class
T 09-12	Discussion / hands-on exercise on Dear Data. Introduce assignment on personal data collection and visualization	View videos and images of the Dear Data Project Discussion Exercise (Canvas) Before class, take three screen captures of three hand-crafted/humanized data visualizations from anywhere on this site (including video content) that particularly struck you. In your discussion post post the images and comment on what is being shown and why does it seem memorable? Complete Twine Game Assignment
H 09-14	Preview website development unit: markup and code. Introduce code and code structures with the Electronic Verse Engineer and oXygen.	Install oXygen XML Editor, prepare for markup and code orientation Work on "Dear Data: Your Week of Visualization" assignment (due Friday by 11:59pm)

Week 5	Class topics	Do before class
T 09-19	Learning the code syntax of eXtensible Markup Language: elements and attributes	XML Markup Exercise 1 Complete the Penn State Academic Integrity Tutorial and upload your certificate (in Canvas)
H 09-21	XML vs. HTML: Semantic vs. layout code. Structure of an HTML file. Code an HTML file and view it a browser. HTML elements tutorial	XML Markup Exercise 2: emphasis on nesting elements and adding attributes.

Week 6	Class topics	Do before class
T 09-26	Launch Comparative Website Development project: GitHub Pages Introducing git and GitHub / GitHub Pages Command line git orientation.	HTML Exercise 1: Submit a zipped folder of related files: a page with an image and two links.
H 09-28	Working with a GitHub repo from multiple computers: why we need git commands and the limits of upload. Common file extension problems with git and your computer (.JPG vs .jpg) git and file mindfulness File management for organizing a website: HTML image files CSS Orientation to CSS	Complete Git/GitHub Orientation: stage 1: GitHub repo prepared with docs directory and index.html

Week 7	Class topics	Do before class
T 10-03	Look at the CSS Zen Garden: same HTML content styled several different ways with different CSS Website Development Lab: Git/GitHub Intensive Practice How to debug your code.	Complete git and GitHub orientation and setup assignments.
H 10-05	Website design and layout: preparing a site navigation menu with linked pages HTML and CSS for simple layouts with flex containers Responsive web design: resizing to fit mobile devices vs. wide screens	Push files to your website using git commands

Week 8	Class topics	Do before class
T 10-10	Orientation to PSU Wordpress and Penn State web hosting services. Changing from a standard blog to a website with pages: Pages vs. Posts Planning a site menu for multiple pages Images and links in Wordpress Where's the code? (Code view) Comparative Website development assignment	Milestone for GitHub Pages site: website with multiple linked pages, images, CSS styling. Reflection (in Canvas text box): What have you been learning about files, directories, and code in building a website?
H 10-12	Website debugging lab	Wordpress site: set up styling and pages, image content from your GitHub Pages site.

Week 9	Class topics	Do before class
T 10-17	Website Accessibility Readings and Workshop	Read the following and try them out on your websites. webAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind): Intro to Web Accessibility webAim: People with Disabilities on the Web WAVE: Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool Toptal Colorblind Web Page Filter
H 10-19	Introduce digital text analysis unit. Natural language processing with Voyant and Antconc.	Read and annotate with Hypothes.is: Roberto Busa, "Foreword: Perspectives on the Digital Humanities". Clone our class’s introDH-Hub and/or pull in its contents. Read An Introduction to N-Grams: What are they and why do we need them? Install Antconc on your computer. Complete Comparative Website Development project (end of the day): Complete content development on both sites and revise content, formatting, styling with accessibility in mind.

Week 10	Class topics	Do before class
T 10-24	Voyant Tools exercise: orientation to distant reading with texts posted in introDH-Hub. Cleaning the text data: preparing plain text files to remove material not meant for analysis. Exploring Keyword in Context (KWIC) with Voyant and ngrams. Finding patterns and exploring them. What kinds of comparisons can we make?	Complete Mystery Texts assignment
H 10-26	Introduce n-gram analysis with Antconc. Review and continue experiments with Voyant Tools. Exploring corpus concordances with Voyant and AntConc. Introduce the Corpus Analysis Assignment	Explore larger text corpora in Antconc and Voyant

Week 11	Class topics	Do before class
T 10-31	Large corpus text sampling: how do we read and understand data from a distance? Strategies for identifying patterns.	Continue exploring text data for the Corpus Analysis Assignment. Take screen captures as you explore comparing texts posted on the assignment. (You may also try cleaning up some text files you find of interest on Project Gutenberg: find a text and look for a download option of Plain Text to save the file to work with, and be sure to cut off the lengthy Project Gutenberg boilerplate from the top and bottom of the file. Be sure that your files are saved with a `.txt`
H 11-02	Styling the Corpus Analysis page to view and caption your screen captures. Workshop corpus analysis comparisons.	Prepare screen captures rough draft of Corpus analysis page.

Week 12	Class topics	Do before class
T 11-07	View and discuss Europe Time Machine project Introduce Space Time Mapping. Structuring data in Google Sheets for TimeMaps: Launch TimeMapper Exercise: Plotting time and space Incorporating image media and media credits. Troubleshooting dates and location markers. Timemapper preparation instructions	Finish and post your Corpus Analysis comparison post on your website, and submit a link to Canvas.
H 11-09	Discussion / Workshop with Land-Grab Universities: map-making as cultural database development. Reading map network visualizations	Land-Grab Universities Reading and Hypothes.is annotations Follow my instructions and use my template for setting up TimeMapper and post two things on Canvas: Your copied Google Sheet template for TimeMapper Your published TimeMapper view with 5 entries on your topic

Week 13	Class topics	Do before class
T 11-14	Timemapper debugging and help. Embedding TimeMap on your website. Introduce Secondary Worlds assignment: Game Analysis on itch.io Introduce Kumu.io networks and [TBD] class media resource to introduce network analysis.	Complete TimeMapper Assignment: post to your website (by the end of the day)
H 11-16	Organizing and visualizing networks : Working with Kumu.io: styling nodes and edges, touring network stats. Construct a network in Google Sheets and import to Kumu.io. Begin styling and organizing in Kumu.io Introduce Secondary Worlds assignment: Game Analysis on itch.io	Start Kumu network analysis template: [TBD: new resource] Choose a game from itch.io to play, network, and review.

Week 14	Class topics	Do before class
Sun 11-19 to Sat 11-25	Thanksgiving Holiday	Have a peaceful and productive week!

Week 15	Class topics	Do before class
T 11-28	Review / discuss class Kumu network visualizations. Critiquing a game and analyzing for user experience	Complete a Kumu network (TBD: on shared class resource), submit links to Google Sheet and Kumu network on Canvas
H 11-30	How to embed a Kumu network on your website Class Exercise: Readings and Discussion: Remixing, Copyright, and Creative Commons. . Remix Culture and Amateur Creativity: A Copyright Dilemma Measuring Fair Use: The Four Factors Creative Commons: explore the site, look at Use & remix section	Work on Kumu.io network for Game Analysis Assignment Prepare a first draft of your Game Analysis on your website.

Week 16	Class topics	Do before class
T 12-05	Workshop Game Analysis Review drafts / network	Choose a Creative Commons license for resources you are sharing on your website. Cite and credit resources that are not yours.
H 12-07	Last Day! Review / design for Game Analysis page and complete portfolio website.	Prepare draft of Game Analysis Assignment: Embed your network on the review and include details on gameplay and direct links to the game resources you are reviewing on itch.io.

Finals Week (12/11 - 12/15)	Due
T 12-12	Final assignment: Game Analysis due by 11:59pm

DIGIT 100: Introduction to the Digital Humanities

Read the Course Description

Quick links to digital resources

T 08-22

H 08-24

T 08-29

H 08-31

T 09-05

H 09-07

T 09-12

H 09-14

T 09-19

H 09-21

T 09-26

H 09-28

T 10-03

H 10-05

T 10-10

H 10-12

T 10-17

H 10-19

T 10-24

H 10-26

T 10-31

H 11-02

T 11-07

H 11-09

T 11-14

H 11-16

Sun 11-19 to Sat 11-25

T 11-28

H 11-30

T 12-05

H 12-07

T 12-12