INFO 220-11
Resources and Information Services in the Disciplines and Professions
Topic: Digital Humanities
Fall 2018 Syllabus

Nancy Friedland, MA, MLS
E-mail
Other contact information: Blackboard
Office location: Canvas/Email/Blackboard
Office Hours: Monday 1 pm - 3 pm EST


Syllabus Links
Textbooks
CLOs
Competencies
Prerequisites
Resources
Canvas Login and Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning August 21, 6:00 am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one-unit or two-unit class that starts on a different day. In that case, the class will open on the first day that the class meets.

You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

The course will explore multiple aspects of digital humanities -- a term loosely defined as the intersection between humanities research and scholarship and computing applications. Digital Humanities is both an academic discipline and a practice that defines new directions for research, teaching, and learning. The course will focus on the following topics: overview of humanities and new trends in scholarship, publishing models, open access, research methods, collections, tools and methods used by digital humanists, planning and managing digital projects, funding, data management and preservation, and copyright. The course will also focus special attention on the role of libraries in supporting digital humanities.

Course Requirements

The course will consist of lectures and online discussions. Students are expected to actively participate in the virtual discussions by posting comments that address the topics, readings, and/or experiences related to digital humanities. The course requires students to complete weekly required readings and to complete all assignments as listed.

Technology 

The Twitter Data Set Analysis assignment will require the use of either Chrome or Firefox browser, Google Spreadsheets, and a Twitter account. 

Readings
The course readings will include selections from the following works. In addition, select journal articles and websites will be assigned. The required readings are available either through open access websites or through the SJSU Library. 

Ordering Texts

Assignments
Students are expected to participate in weekly online discussions. Participation will account for 10% of the final grade. There will be hands-on exercises assigned throughout the course. The exercises are required but not graded.

The following are graded assignments.

  • Online Discussions (10%)
    Supports the following Course Learning Outcomes:
    • CLO #1: Define and critique digital humanities as a discipline and a practice.
    • CLO #2: Apply the methodologies and techniques used in digital humanities scholarship.
    • CLO #3: Describe the differences between disciplinary practices.
    • CLO #4: Differentiate between current trends and theoretical perspectives in the field.
    • CLO #5: Appraise the discipline from a historical perspective.
    • CLO #6: Demonstrate how digital humanities affect more traditional disciplinary practice. 
  • Tools: Analysis and Description (20%)
    Supports the following Course Learning Outcomes:
    • CLO #1: Define and critique digital humanities as a discipline and a practice.
    • CLO #2: Apply the methodologies and techniques used in digital humanities scholarship.
    • CLO #3: Describe the differences between disciplinary practices.
  • Knight Timeline (30%)
    Supports the following Course Learning Outcomes:
    • CLO #1: Define and critique digital humanities as a discipline and a practice.
    • CLO #2: Apply the methodologies and techniques used in digital humanities scholarship.
    • CLO #3: Describe the differences between disciplinary practices.
  • Twitter Data Set Analysis and Presentation (40%)
    Supports the following Course Learning Outcomes:
    • CLO #1: Define and critique digital humanities as a discipline and a practice.
    • CLO #2: Apply the methodologies and techniques used in digital humanities scholarship.
    • CLO #3: Describe the differences between disciplinary practices.
    • CLO #4: Differentiate between current trends and theoretical perspectives in the field.
    • CLO #5: Appraise the discipline from a historical perspective.
    • CLO #6: Demonstrate how digital humanities affect more traditional disciplinary practice.

Course Calendar

  • The course will begin on August 21.
  • Office Hours: Monday 1 pm - 3 pm EST.
  • Weekly readings, online discussions, and exercises.

Grading
Each assignment is assigned a percentage weight of the final grade. Assignments need to be submitted on expected due dates as listed. Late or missed work will result in a grade reduction.

Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

INFO 220 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Define and critique digital humanities as a discipline and a practice.
  2. Apply the methodologies and techniques used in digital humanities scholarship.
  3. Describe the differences between disciplinary practices.
  4. Differentiate between current trends and theoretical perspectives in the field.
  5. Appraise the discipline from a historical perspective.
  6. Demonstrate how digital humanities affect more traditional disciplinary practice.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 220 supports the following core competencies:

  1. C Recognize the diversity (such as cultural and economic) in the clientele and employees of an information organization and be familiar with actions the organization should take to address this diversity.
  2. I Use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.
  3. J Describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors.

Textbooks

No Textbooks For This Course.

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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