HHS 312, Technology and Society in America
Group Projects in Digital and/or Oral History

This semester, students in HHS 312 will create groups of 2-4 people who will conceive, plan, and execute a digital and/or oral history project. In keeping with the course's focus on "technology and society in America," the groups projects should focus on some aspect of science, technology, medicine, or engineering in American history.

• Groups that choose a digital history project will identify online primary and secondary sources that they can use, document their group's progress in a blog or wiki, and create a final group project that presents their interpretations in the form of a website.
  
  
• Groups that choose an oral history project will identify an individual or group of individuals to interview, research the subjects in order to prepare for the interview, conduct an interview (or interviews), and create a final group project that presents their interview (including text, audio, and/or video transcripts) in the form of a website or paper.

Deadlines:

Week 5 (Feb 16): Preliminary group project proposals due

Each group should send me your preliminary group project proposal via email no later than 8 pm on Tuesday February 15. Your proposal should include the following elements:

• Names of people in group
  
  
• Tentative title of Project
  
  
• Brief description (100-200 words) of your project, including the scope of the project and the types of historical questions you want to address. You might also include the names of specific people you plan to interview, a description of the type of people you plan to interview, and/or specific digital sources you plan to use.


• A timeline for different phases of your project (mind the various deadlines below!).
  
  
• Logistical aspects of your project (access to a website, recording equipment, hardware and/or software needs, etc.)
  
  
• A bibliography (or "Works Cited" list) of literature you have encountered so far, including websites or any passages from class readings that you find to be especially significant or relevant. At this point your bibliography will probably be brief. You should use MLA format - see this page of MLA Citation Examples (pay attention to their examples for Internet and Web citations).

Week 6 (Feb 23): Revised group project proposals due

Each group should send me your revised group project proposal via email no later than 8 pm on Tuesday February 22. Your revisions should address my written comments and pursue areas to add greater depth and breadth to your bibliographies and overarching questions.

Week 11 (April 6): Group project updates

Each group should send me your group project update via email no later than 8 pm on Tuesday April 5. Your project update should include your revised timeline, oral history transcripts, or links to your digital history project. It should also include an annotated bibliography noting how each work cited fits into the story you would like to tell.

Week 14 (April 27): Final group project reports due

For Oral History projects:
Your group should submit one printed copy of the transcripts of all oral history interviews, along with completed copyright forms. Each student, individually, should also submit a 1200 to 1500-word essay that describes your approach to the interview, significant aspects of the interview and transcription process, and any additional insights that you have gained in the course of the project. You should also assess the contributions that your interviews might make to historical understanding (teaching, research, etc) in specific fields of interest.

For Digital History projects:
Your group should send me a url or DVD of your final project. Each student, individually, should also submit a 1200 to 1500-word essay that describes your approach to your project, significant aspects of the process of building a digital history, and any additional insights that you have gained in the course of the project. You should also assess the contributions that your digital history project might make to historical understanding (teaching, research, etc) in specific fields of interest.