HIST 3814A/DIGH 3814A: Crafting Digital History

HIST 3814A/DIGH 3814A: Crafting Digital History
Fall 2025

Instructor: Scott Coleman

What does it mean to craft digital history? What impact(s) does the ‘Digital’ have on the production of ancient and medieval history? Who or what produces digital history? This course will explore the above questions by introducing students to Digital Public History. The course examines the intersection of digital theory and methodology. Public History, and the digital representation of the Eastern Roman Empire (300-1453 CE). We explore various computational approaches to data collection, personal knowledge management, and whether digital reproducibility is required to create legitimate scholarly digital history. This class critically assesses digital theory, methodology, and processes for creating digital narratives about the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire. We will discuss how digital/computational approaches are crafted and applied to the production of Roman medieval history for public reception. This is an asynchronous course, and students will be encouraged to experiment with different digital tools, engage with digital artifacts, and collaborate with their peers in a variety of digital environments.