Understanding the variety of digital projects that exist, and knowing how to read and evaluate them is an important skill in our digital age. In this assignment, you will explore several digital history projects, select one, and write a review of the site. You will post this review in the blog section of you website.

For class Friday 5/21:

  • Explore the digital history projects below. Pick one project to review, and inspect it more closely. Use the questions in the assignment details to guide your initial investigation and assessment.
  • Be prepared in class on Friday to announce which project you have selected, and talk for 2 minutes about your preliminary findings.

For class Monday 5/24:

  • Formally write up a review of the project you have selected and post it to your website.
  • Submit the URL of your review via Blackboard by 8am.

Assignment details

  • Your review should be approximately 500-750 words. It should use full sentences and paragraphs with topic sentences.
  • Be sure to write about: What topic, period, and place of history do they cover? What arguments or interpretations do they make? What is the audience for the site? What sources are they based on? Who created them, and who did what work? Who funded them? What technologies do they use? Is it easy to navigate? Does it function effectively, or are aspects of its functionality cumbersome or confusing?
  • Consult the National Council of Public History’s Digital Project Review Guidelines. Decide which of their five categories (online archive, digital scholarship, digital exhibit, teaching resource, apps) is the best fit for your project. In your review, name the category you chose and explain why you think it is the best fit.
  • Include screenshots of important parts of the website. Be sure to cite the project according to the Chicago Manual of Style conventions.

Digital History Projects

This assignment has been adapted from the National Council of Public History’s Digital Project Review Guidelines.