<h2 id="course-structure"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#course-structure"></a>Course Structure:</h2>
The course was developed to encourage independent and collaborative critical thinking about how digital technologies affect historical, archaeological, and curatorial practices in various collaborative environments. Each week, students are expected to complete the readings, listen to the podcasts, and participate in discussions. Week one provides a general introduction to the course, covering the course's overarching themes, objectives, goals, and assessments. You will set up your 'Digital Garden' in <a href="https://obsidian.md/">Obsidian.md</a> and begin exploring Personal Knowledge Management in relation to our course objectives.
Module One (weeks 1 - 5). Contextualizing: How historians work/think in the digital age. This module introduces students to the concepts and themes at the intersection of academic history, public history, archaeology and digital humanities. You will choose a historical topic of interest from the ancient or medieval world and begin exploring the historiography of your chosen subject. We will also set up our primary digital tool for the course, <a href="https://www.obsidian.md">Obsidian.md,</a> for your digital notebook [memex] and conclude each module with a Consolidation/Check-In Week. By the end of Module One, students should have gained a general understanding of the development of history and archaeology under the auspices of digital humanities.
Module Two (weeks 6-10) Wrangling/Critiquing &#x26; Personal Knowledge Management and Linked Thinking. 
This module asks 'What is data and how is data collected?' We explore concepts centred around Personal Knowledge Management and how historians and archaeologists create linked thinking and how meaning emerges from these links. We begin exploring various digital platforms that house 'data' and digital artifacts. You will continue to develop your digital literacy with Obsidian.md and Markdown language by examining the program's more complex features. We conclude with another consolidation week for you to catch up on readings or to push your digital curiosity.
Module Three (weeks 11-14) Arguing/Communicating: Historical Data on the Web and Narrative Production. 
In this module, we survey the idea of the open-access notebook and how digital historical narratives come together into a cohesive story for public reception. Students will examine multiple public-facing platforms. Students will also begin consolidating their research for their final research project.
<h3 id="when-life-intervene"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#when-life-intervene"></a>When Life Intervene</h3>
<div><blockquote class="callout" style="border-left-color:undefined;">
<div class="callout-title important" style="background-color: undefined1a;">Important</div>
<div class="callout-content" style="">There's nothing we can't roll with in this class. If something comes up and this course has to take a backseat, don't hesitate to get in touch with me, and we can explore alternative options to help you achieve success here. You don't have to share the details with me. It is enough for me to know that something has intervened. I trust you. It's our course - we can change things up as we need to.</div>
</blockquote></div>
<hr>
<h2 id="course-calendar"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#course-calendar"></a>Course Calendar</h2>
The syllabus may change and will likely change depending on the course's progress.
<h2 id="module-one-contextualizing"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#module-one-contextualizing"></a>Module One: Contextualizing</h2>
How historians work/think in the digital age. 
Week One: September 3rd, 2025. Course Orientation and Digital Set Up. 
Week Two: Sept. 8th, 2025. Personal Knowledge Management (PKM): From Reading to Linked Thinking. 
Week Three: Sept. 15th, 2025. Thinking about the “Craft” of Digital History. Project Proposal Due. Sept 21st 11:59 pm 
Week Four: Sept. 22nd, 2025. Crusading into the Digital Age of LLMs (AI). 
Week Five: Sept. 29th, 2025. Consolidation and Check-In Week. Consolidation Reflection Due Oct 5th 11:59 pm
<h2 id="module-two-wranglingcritiquing"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#module-two-wranglingcritiquing"></a>Module Two: Wrangling/Critiquing</h2>
Personal Knowledge Management and Linked Thinking 
Week Six: October. 6th, 2025. Digital Excavation: Annotation as Archaeological Practice. 
Week Seven: Oct. 13th, 2025. Defining Data, ‘Dark’ Data, and Identifiers: The Politics of Data. 
Week Eight: Oct. 20-24, 2025. Fall Break - No Classes - Relax or Catch Up. 
Week Nine: Oct. 27th, 2025. Seeing the Past? Interpretive Visualization and Digital Objects. 
Week Ten: November. 3rd, 2025. Consolidation and Check-In Week. 
Consolidation Reflection Due Nov. 9th 11:59 pm
<h2 id="module-three-arguingcommunicating"><a aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" href="#module-three-arguingcommunicating"></a>Module Three: Arguing/Communicating</h2>
Historical Data on the Web and Narrative Production. 
Week Eleven: Nov. 10th, 2025. Authority and Positionality in Your Own Research: Deconstructing the Historical Self. 
Week Twelve: Nov. 17th, 2025. Publicly Crafting a Historical Argument: Open-Access Notebooks. 
Week Thirteen: Nov. 24th, 2025. Open-Access Notebook Workshop and Peer Feedback. 
Week Fourteen: December 5th, 2025. Final Project and Exit Ticket. 
Exit Ticket, .zip of memex/Obsidian Vault Due Dec. 7th 11:59 pm

Welcome

1. Course Description

2. Learning Outcomes

3. Course Schedule

4. Evaluation

5. Course Communications

6. Common Regulations

6. Contact the Professor

how the course tech is built; how the course came to be

7. Colophon

8. Reuse

Orientation and Digital Setup

Week 1

Personal Knowledge Management and Linked Thinking

Week 2

Thinking about the “Craft” of Digital History

Week 3

Crusading into the Digital Age of LLMs

Week 4

Consolidation & Check-In Week

Week 5

Digital Excavation

Week 6

Defining Data, 'Dark' Data, & Identifiers

Week 7

Fall Break

Week 8

Seeing the Past?

Week 9

Week 10

Authority and Positionality in Your Digital Research

Week 11

Publicly Crafting a Historical Argument

Week 12

Open-Access Notebook Workshop

Week 13

Exit Ticket

Week 14

1 Setting up your vault

2 Create your first note

3 Templater Plugiin

4 What Goes into a Note?

5 Properties

Hypothesis

The Simplest Online Memex Worfklow

How To Read An Academic Article

FAQ for Common Tech Issues

Where to Find help

Text Formatting

Introduction to your vault

index note

Atomic Note

Literature Note

Process Note

Weekly Journal

Topic Proposal

Weekly Work & Tasks

Consolidation Reflection

Open Access Notebook/Memex

Benchmarking Your Memex

Exit Ticket/Final Project

1 Welcome to Crafting Digital History Transcript

2 Obsidian User Interface (UI) Guide

3 Templater and Hotkeys Setup

4 How to use PDF++

5 Canvas Core Plugin Introductory Tutorial

6 Hypothes.is and Annotating the Web

7 Omnisearch Plugin for Obsidian

8 How to Use Process Notes for Digital Research Projects in Obsidian

9 Properties, Identifiers and Data Management with Obsidian Core Plugin Bases

1 Welcome to Crafting Digital History

2 Some Logistical Updates

3 Welcome to Week Two

4 What is Digital History?

5 Crusading into the Digital Age of LLMs

6 Week Four Exercise Example

7 Using Obsidian for Digital History Research and Note-Making

8 Reflection Feedback Update and Hypothes.is

9 Week Five Update

10 Consolidation Reflection Submission

11 Module Two Wrangling and Critiquing

12 Week 7 Update

13 Week 9 Welcome Back

1. Course Overview

Module 1 Contextualizing

Module 2 Wrangling & Critiquing

Module 3 Arguing & Communicating

2. Schedule

01  memex help

8. Course Files

3. Tutorials

4. Assessment

5. VideoTutorials

Crafting Digital History

News