Course

Peter Burke wrote in Eyewitnessing: The Uses of Images as Historical Evidence: “Images embodied in film are more powerful yet. One mode of liberation from this power might be to encourage students of history to take control and to make their own films as a way of understanding the past.” This course sets out to test Burke’s proposition by using digital tools to make a short history documentary. To that end, the course will begin by screening several documentaries and continue on to writing a script, collecting and selecting materials, filming (including an interview), and editing the materials into a mini-documentary (7-10 minute). The finished products will be transferred to DVD format in time for our own film festival.

The course is designed for those who have an interest in exploring history in a different way, who work in applied or public history, or who want to try their hands at incorporating a different approach to teaching history. Although the course assumes no advanced computer skills, it does require a solid knowledge of computer use and a degree of enthusiasm for digital work and history. Except for graduate standing, therefore, there are no prerequisites for the course. Experience with image editing software, web design, or commensurate skills in music, art, or communication as well as a history course or two will, however, be assets. Enrollment limited to 18.

Books & Supplies

The texts (of one kind or another) serve three purposes: 1) to provide you with the background in several areas that might be relatively unfamiliar to historians; 2) to introduce you to some texts that are intended to promote some “left brain” thinking or provide inspiration; and 3) to furnish you with a modest technical, reference library. We will discuss some of the books briefly, some in depth, and some not at all, but they all should be read either in toto or in small bites.

TypePad

You are required to obtain a Plus-level subscription to Typepad, an online blogging service. All of your projects will be posted to your Typepad blog. The cost is $8.95 per month or roughly $27.00 for the semester (the cost of a trade paperback). The best thing to do is sign up for a free trial; this will furnish you with a month's free service. At the end of the term, you can cancel your subscription. Or, you may discover that you like blogging so much that you retain your subscription. The reasons for making the blog a part of the course are two: its photo album capability and its ease of use. It also furnishes the class with a “web presence” without spending time with web editing software. (We’ll have enough software challenges without coping with web design and construction.)

Alternatively, you can obtain the Movable Type software. (GMU has a license.) It is free, but the installation of the software is challenging and you will need to contact the IT folks here at GMU to arrange installation. I do not do tech support for Movable Type. Six Apart, the company that created Movable Type will install the application for you for a $40.00 fee, but you will need to arrange to have CGI and MySQL in place on your ISP. Be aware that most free web page areas do not support CGI or MySQL or charge extra. I do not recommend this option unless you have some solid computer skills and access to a sophisticated ISP, but there may some in the class who can avail themselves of this option. I am aware that there are “free” blogging applications available, but they come with the price of advertising, and the course is not a commercial venue. You are, of course free to use any blogging application that suits you, but it should have photo album capability and no, I repeat, no advertising.