projects – Introduction to Digital Humanities 2020

Introduction to DH: Final Projects April 9 update
(pdf of this information for download)

In the final project, students create an online project that applies the methods and technologies learned in class to research questions about a specific topic in the Humanities.

As we’ve discussed this semester, be sure:

your data set and sources are appropriate to address your research questions
your methodologies are appropriate for your research questions
your research questions can be answered using these methodologies on that particular data set or sources
the tools or technologies applied are appropriate for your methodology and research questions
your data, tools, and other sources are documented.

There is no minimum word count or minimum number of datavisualizations/images/media/illustrations for the project. A small one-page project is fine. I would rather you feel a sense of accomplishment at completing something compact than get stressed about a big thing.

The final project will be assessed on:

appropriateness of data set/sources for research questions
whether research questions address issues of significance for humanistic concerns
relevance of methodologies and technologies for research questions/data/sources
how effectively the methodologies and technologies have been applied for research
documentation of sources and methods on a sources/bibliography page using a standard format (MLA, APA, I don’t care which as long as it’s consistent and standard)
explanation and analysis of research and the significance and meaning of the conclusions (including accuracy)
visual aesthetetics (whether the colors, web layout, and visuals contribute to or detract from the argument)

Since these projects are individual, they will live on your OU Create domain sites. You will need:

landing page for the project (listed in the main website menu)
any additional pages if necessary to publish your project (if you have multiple parts or questions, you could have a page per question/issue/part/topic). You may put all the content on the main landing page if you like.
A bibliography/sources section or page. You can put this at the bottom of a one-page project, on your landing page, or you can make it a separate page (link to it on all your content pages for the project if you make it separate).
The project will include:
- explanation of research questions
- explanation & citation of data sets
- reason for methodologies and tools used on data
- publication of your results of the methods on your data in writing and where relevant images/data visualizations/other media
License for your project telling readers how they can use your work
- Look at the options for Creative Commons licenses (https://creativecommons.org/choose/)
- Keep in mind your data (or images from another sources) might be under copyright (novels published recently, etc.) or under its own license. Check, and specify in your license or bibliography if necessary whether the license applies to your data or to your text+images/visualizations/etc.
Post the link to your project main page on the PRIVATE BLOG on the due date.

Milestone Assignment #1:

Do whatever it is I recommended in comments in our last one-on-one as next steps
List of files or Screenshot of your folder of source files for your project:
1. your complete set of data files
1. in the formats you need (plain text files for text analysis, csv for tableau/etc)
Preliminary bibliography in any format you prefer (MLA, APA, I don’t care as long as it’s consistent) listing your sources. Sources include:
1. Data sources
1. Readings/videos/etc from the course you rely on
1. Any other research you are doing in books and articles (paper or online) and websites
1. Tools/technologies
1. Anything else you use I might be forgetting to mention here
Project layout/design online (equivalent to a paper outline):
1. Will you have one page or multiple?
1. What will be on each page?
1. Will you use screenshots or live embeds?
1. If you want live embeds that don’t work so well with WP consider linking out to a plain html page you create with the live embed(s) or linking out to your Tableau dashboard or Voyant online
Strongly encouraged: begin using your tool on your dataset (I may have recommended it as a next step already) and let me know how it is going (screenshot, paragraph description, etc.)
Post 2-4 on Canvas before class.

Milestone Assignment #2:

One on one conference with Dr. S about progress since Milestone #1. Much of your application of your tool to your data should be done. You should be thinking about how to present it online and whether you have any conclusions to your research questions; your reflections might be that you have answers to different questions and you need to modify your questions.

Presentations

We will do virtual project presentations. You will each have 5-10 minutes; I recommend staying closer to 5 for an online environment. You can present in real time or you can create a video for us to watch.

Present your topic, data set/sources, research questions, methods/technologies, results and analysis.
You may use powerpoint type slides or your website.
I recommend practicing.
Presentation will be evaluated done/not done based on whether you present your work or not.

Reminder of deadlines:

April 15: Milestone #1 (described above) due on Canvas + one on one convos

April 22: Milestone #2 (described above) one on one convos

April 29: Projects due (nothing else due), presentations; link on blog + present on Zoom

May 4: Digital Portfolios due (now fewer pages since Projects are individual)

May 7: Final revisions to Digital Portfolios and Projects

Digital Portfolio

For this class, you will create a Digital Portfolio on your website showcasing your work. (If you already have a website, create a separate section/category/etc for this class.).

It will contain:

Your own domain or subdomain
A landing/home page
1-3 other pages or posts showcasing your work (depending on the grade you want in the class)
- A: 2 revised Digital Tutorials + 1 page about your collaborative final project
- B: 3 revised Digital Tutorials
- C: 2 revised Digital Tutorials
- D: 1 revised Digital Tutorial
About page
Clear menu and structure
Functional design

The revised Digital Tutorials will showcase your work in the class using 1-3 of the tools/methods we have learned (# based on grade above). The Digital Tutorials will revise your work from in class and posted to the private blog, sometimes significantly. The Tutorial pages will:

Articulate a question/problem/research issue your use of the tool is addressing
Explain and cite (including a link where relevant) the data used (what is this data? Where does it come from)?
Describe and cite the tool
Explain how the tool and data address your question/problem
Explain how you used the tool and data
Explain the results
Provide one or more visualizations to illustrate your work and results

You should begin thinking about which Tutorials you want to modify for your website.

For 2/14, you will need to have:

Your domain/subdomain set up
Some content management system (WordPress, etc) or HTML/CSS set up on your site
A landing page with an image and clear text.
An About page (can be a mostly blank placeholder for now)
A menu

Remember https://create.ou.edu/ is where you go to manage your domain and your application installations. If you’re using WordPress, https://yoursubdomain.ou.edu/wp-admin (only put your subdomain where “yoursubdomain” is!!) is where you go to manage your content in your WP site (pages, posts, etc.)