HSPH8006: Digital Methods for Heritage Studies & Public History

Digital technologies are significantly altering the speed and scale of the foundational methodologies of archeology, history, and preservation. Moreover, they are shifting the way the public engages with the past in cultural institutions and across the myriad screens that pervade their daily life. In this course, students will not only learn how emerging digital technologies can enhance their research, but also how those technologies are fundamentally transforming the possibilities for the public presentation of that research. This course privileges hands-on learning and balances deeping essential methodological skills with exposure to a breadth of field-altering technologies. It is structured around five core methodologies--excavation, documentation, reconstruction, interpretation, and exhibition. In each unit, students will be first be tasked with identifying the underlying principles of these methodological approaches. They will then use class time to explore technologies that extend those methods such as high-resolution imaging, relational databases, text mining programs, virtual environments, and content management systems for website building. Bookending the course is a focus on effective collaboration--the foundation of successful digital projects--and public engagement in an increasingly connected yet fractured society.

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