2020-2021 2DH3

HUM2DH3: Introduction to Digital Humanities

Winter 2021 | Dr. Amanda Montague

In Dr. Amanda Montague‘s second session of HUM2DH3: Introduction to Digital Humanities, McMaster University undergraduates learned about the vibrant field of DH through hands-on activities, lectures, workshops, theoretical readings, and creative assignments.

An image of Dr. Amanda Montague. She is wearing a white shirt and standing in front of a beige brick wall.
Dr. Montague, the instructor of 2DH3.

Students began by working with existing digital resources such as digitized archival collections, multimedia storytelling platforms, and more. They then used digital tools to build resources of their own, making sure that their work complied with copyright law and fulfilled best practices for accessibility.

The theme of the course focused on Digital Storytelling, especially the way we can use digital stories to connect with communities (both local and global) and with our sense of time and personal memory.

Students examined this theme through two assignments: a short podcast about how students experienced the Covid-19 pandemic and a digital exhibit using a tool of their choice. This final project was conducted in three stages, which ensured that students received feedback from Dr. Montague at key phases in the development of their work and gave students experience with how to advance a project from pitch to proposal to final product.

First, students gave a 5-minute lightning talk to the class pitching the digital project they wanted to work on. Then, they worked up the pitch to a formal proposal for Dr. Montague to review. At the end of term, students submitted their final projects.

These projects took several forms. Some students created digital exhibits, others made interactive timelines. Some continued to develop their podcasting skills with a more substantial podcast project, others worked on locative media experiences. Some produced interactive maps, others flexed their new DH skills with virtual walking tours.

Excitingly, the class collaborated to create the rubric that Amanda would use to evaluate these projects, which allowed the students to become part of the grading process. Students also presented their final projects to the class, which allowed the entire group to share their work and learn from each other.