Syllabus for 2015 edition of AL285: Introduction to Digital Humanities, taught at Michigan State University as a required course in the Digital Humanities minor. The course is a survey introduction to the field and has no prerequisites. Twelve students were in the course. Examples of final student projects are available at http://www.kristenmapes.com/al285fall2015/.

Course Goals and Learning Objectives

The goals of this course are to:
– explore a broad spectrum of perspectives on the digital humanities engage with a variety of digital humanities tools in order to choose the most appropriate technology to facilitate different work in different situations
– develop familiarity with a range of digital humanities projects, as well as the ability to evaluate the tools and methods involved in creating those projects
– become more thoughtful, critical, and reflective users of digital tools, technologies, and spaces by understanding that all technologies are complex, socially situated, and political tools through which humans make meaning

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
– identify resources for digital humanities community and assistance at MSU and beyond
– critically discuss digital humanities projects in light of current methods and theoretical approaches to the field
– explain how digital humanities methods and practices are applied in different disciplines
– plan, develop, and evaluate a digital humanities research project