Department of History

Level: 2

Semester: 2

Prerequisite: None

Course Description:

This course is designed to expose the student of history to the digital world (the world of online resources and communication) in an academic context.  It examines the theoretical and practical elemments of the expressions of history online and the potential and shortcomings of such resources.  In this hands-on exploration of the digital world’s continuous impact on the humanities, students are introduced to the major themes, issues and developments surrounding the research, writing, assessment and presentation of history online.  Students will learn about the history of the internet and explore its evolving relationship with the humanities and history. By the end of the course they will understand how to effectively conduct research, assess and write history online, gain information about interactive academic tools (such as interactive history maps, timelines, games and the 3D virtual world) and possess practical knowledge about the basics of developing a Caribbean history webpage.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Use the internet to research, teach and preserve history.
2. Define digital humanities, digital history, archiving, online libraries, web search techniques, blogging, networking and interactive tools and explain their role in the presentation of history.
3. Define the terms ‘designing’ and ‘developing’ a website.
4. Access and assess the academic literature and issues surrounding the digital humanities.
5. Assess websites and other web resources in a manner that is consistent with historical professionalism and academic rigour.
6. Design and develop an online digital history resource.
7. Apply referencing appropriate to online writing.
8. Explain copyright issues specific to online publishing.
9. Assess the impact of this new presentation of history in the West Indian History community and the Caribbean at large.