ENGL 428 Fall 2016 1

ENGLISH 428
Fall 2016
MWF 9-9:50 / MH 117

Dr. Sheila Liming
sheila.liming@und.edu
701-777-2782
Office: Merrifield 1B

Course Description

D igital

Humanities

Office hours:
MWF 1-3 PM,
and by appointment

What is digital humanities, and whats it doing in English departments? This is the question
that Matthew Kirschenbaum, a digital humanities scholar and professor of English, asks in a
2013 essay. And in his answer to the question, Kirschenbaum keeps things simple: the digital
humanities comprise a common methodological outlook that unites the kinds of research,
teaching, and invention taking place at the intersection of humanities and digital computing.
Today, we live in the age of information -- information that is constructed and digitally relayed
via vast amounts of text. What's more, that constant exchange of information requires constant
interpretation and interpretation, in turn, requires modes of textual literacy and expertise. And
thats where English departments and English scholars and students come into play.
This course offers students an introduction to the concepts, tools, and techniques of digital
humanities. It does so by encouraging students to put new technologies, tools, and methods to
use in answering complex questions about culture and society -- questions, that is, which have
traditionally formed the bedroom of humanistic inquiry. Over the course of the semester,
students will have the opportunity to study and interact with:
- Tools and techniques for analyzing text in both print and digital formats
- Software and specialized computer programs, designed to help users navigate textual resources
- Electronic research methods and approaches to critical thinking required to find and evaluate
electronic textual sources
- Methods of analyzing humanities research problems including appropriate computing solutions,
where applicable
- Methods for collaborative and multimodal research projects
- The social, ethical, legal, and philosophical implications of using digital technology in
conjunction with traditional humanities research

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 2

At its core, this course offers students a chance to apply their interests in reading, writing, and
literary study to a variety of digital formats and tools. For this reason, students need not worry
about their own levels of digital competency. No specific computing skills are required: we will
be learning as we go, and experimenting all along the way.
Course Objectives

To provide students with an introduction to the field of the digital humanities, including its tools,
resources, methodologies, goals, and its scholarly proponents / opponents.

To allow students to engage in the production of multimodal texts, and to encourage them to
think critically about those processes of production (and the tools required for their production).

To professionalize and train students for advanced work in literary arts curricula and in fields of
humanistic inquiry more generally.

To familiarize students with basic software platforms and packages (WordPress / Comment Press,
Adobe Creative Suite components, Omeka, TextWrangler, etc.) and basic computer languages
(HTML, CSS, PHP)

To identify the vocabulary and terms that are central to humanities computing (and computing in
general), and to develop working definitions for those terms.

To establish standards for academic discourse and participation through in-class discussion, peer
evaluation, and collaborative assignments.

To acquaint students with the histories and critical controversies surrounding the field of the
digital humanities, and to permit students the chance to craft informed responses to those
controversies.

Required Texts
Terras, Nyhan, Vanhoutte, eds. Defining Digital Humanities: A Reader. Burlington, VT:
Ashgate, 2013. Print.
Gold, Matthew K., ed. Debates in the Digital Humanities. Minneapolis, MN: University of
Minnesota Press, 2012. Web. http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/1, 6 August 2016.
to access the digital edition of Debates in the Digital Humanities, go to
http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/ and then select the 2012 edition (bottom left) and
proceed using the table of contents feature
NOTE: I highly recommend you bookmark / save this link so that it remains easily
accessible throughout the semester
Plus these additional readings, provided by the instructor:

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 3

Allington, Daniel, Brouillette, Sarah, and Golumbia, David. Neoliberal Tools (and Archives): A
Political History of Digital Humanities. Los Angeles Review of Books, 1 May 2016.
Web. 1 lareviewofbooks.org, August 2016.
Anonymous. Im a Serious Academic, Not a Professional Instagrammer. The Guardian, 5
August 2016. Web. TheGuardian.com, 8 August 2016.
Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Atlantic, July 2008. Web. Atlantic.com, 8
August 2016.
Fish, Stanley. The Old Order Changeth. New York Times, 26 December 2011. Web.
Nytimes.com, 6 August 2016.
Gannon, Kevin. Ive Got a Serious Problem with Serious Academics. The Tattooed
Professor, 6 August 2016. Web. TheTattooedProf.com, 8 August 2016.
Golumbia, David. Death of a Discipline. Differences, 25.1 (2014): 156-176. Web. Jstor.org, 3
December 2014.
Hayles, N. Katherine. How We Read: Close, Hyper, Machine. ADE Bulletin, 150.1 (2010): 6279. Web. ADE.org, 3 May 2016.
Kirschenbaum, Matthew. Am I a Digital Humanist? Confessions of a Neoliberal Tool.
Medium.com, 12 May 2016. Web. 8 August 2016.
Assignments and Grading
Blog Posts [B] [10 pts. each]
These are brief, 500-word (i.e. two pages typed, double-spaced), written responses that
will be posted to our class website / blog. In most cases, these will be completed in class
and students will be given a prompt or a set of directives based on the reading they
completed over the weekend. Blog responses ought to offer targeted commentary on the
assigned readings and so must include at least two direct quotations from or references
to (citations) the text.
Blog Comments [C] [10 pts. each]
These are written comments crafted in response to a peers blog post and posted to our
class website / blog. In most cases, these comment responses will be completed in class;
peer couples will be assigned at the start of the class period and students will be required
to add 3-5 substantial comments (about 200 words total) to their peers work.
NOTE: blog [B] days and comment [C] days are marked in the course schedule. If
you are absent from class on either a [B] or a [C] day, it is your responsibility to
get in touch with me in order to receive or [B] or [C] instructions / assignment.
You will then be expected to complete the assignment as homework before the
start of the next class. Late [B] or [C] assignments i.e. those completed after the
start of the next class period following the class period that you missed will
receive a maximum of half-credit.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 4

Re-Covering Design (i.e. book cover) Assignment [50 pts.]
Working With Metadata (i.e. EWL.org) Assignment [50 pts.]
Final Assignment: Digital Portfolio / Personal Website [50 pts.]
[See Assignment Sheets, included at the end of this syllabus, for additional instructions.]
Course Participation [60 pts., or approximately 15% of your total grade]
Course Policies and Procedures
Attendance
Since this is a small discussion class, attendance is mandatory. You are allowed four absences
without penalty following your fifth absence, your grade in the class will begin to drop by a
half-a-letter grade per absence (5% of your total grade). Plan ahead if you think you might miss
class for religious holidays or for other scheduled events. I do not distinguish between excused
and unexcused absences. You are allowed four absences be they excused or unexcused
before your grade begins to decrease, unless other special arrangements have been made with
me ahead of time.
If you have extenuating circumstances significantly affecting your attendance throughout the
semester (such as an illness or a family emergency), it is your responsibility to notify me about
your situation and obtain authoritative documentation to excuse your absences (either from a
Dean or from your advisor). If you miss more than the allotted days due to your situation, we
will discuss whether its prudent for you to continue in the course.
If you miss class, you are responsible to contact your peers for materials and information youve
missed. Do not email me asking whether or not there was a daily assignment. Missing a class is
no excuse for not completing the homework. Likewise, I expect you to have read the assigned
readings and to be ready to discuss them, even if you were absent from class the day before.
Finally, you are responsible for keeping track of your own absences. A sign-in sheet will be used
to record and verify daily attendance. You may check in with me at any time to confirm the
numbers of absences you have accrued in the course.
Late Arrival
Arrive on time. You will not receive an A in this class if you do not arrive on time. Lateness not
only disrupts the class but also demonstrates disrespect for your peers and for your instructor.
For every two days you are late to class, you will be marked for one absence. If you are more
than 15 minutes late to class, you will be marked absent for that day.
Class Participation

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 5

Since this is a discussion course, its important that you participate in class. Participation, which
includes both classroom involvement and physically being in class, makes up roughly 15% of
your total grade. While your class participation grade falls to my discretion, there are several
steps you can take to ensure you achieve a satisfactory grade:

Come to class prepared, having read the required reading, and with questions,
thoughts, or comments at the ready.

Be prepared to participate; plan to participate. You should anticipate contributing

to course discussions on a regular basis. This means that you must both be
prepared (having done the required assignment or reading) and must formulate
and offer contributions to the discussion on a regular basis (at least once a
week).

Be courteous toward your peers. When you raise disagreement in class either
with the instructor or with your peers try to do so respectfully. Articulate your
reasons and grounds for disagreement and direct them towards an idea, rather
than a person. Failure to show adequate respect towards your peers or towards
your instructor may result in your being asked to leave the classroom. Such a
request will, in turn, affect my assessment of your class participation, and
possibly your attendance record as well.

Respect your peers (and your instructor) by staying focused in class. We will be
using laptops on a near-daily basis in this course, but that ought not to prevent you
from listening when your peers speak, or from following instructions and paying
attention to the class discussion. Practice respectful laptop use; take notes, review
the reading, or look up answers to questions that relate to the class discussion.
Other uses of your laptop constitute a misuse of time and resources in this class.

Scholastic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Cheating

At the University of North Dakota, we believe in the excellence of our students and in the
integrity of our academic programs. We also believe that your good ideas become better when
you test them against the ideas of others. So for this course, feel free to discuss your ideas about
the major writing assignments with other students. Collaborating on question/answer homework
assignments or open-book quizzes, however, is not acceptable; these types of assignments are
designed for me, your instructor, to monitor how you are handling specific parts of the course
material. Blatantly taking someone elses words, ideas or concepts, and using them without
citing your source is plagiarism. So is using another students essay, or part of his or her essay,
as your own. In the world of writing (academic writing especially), this is a serious crime, and is
treated as such. Anyone who uses non-documented material from another source, including
online sources, will receive a failing grade for the entire course and will be referred to university
administrators for possible further disciplinary action.
These policies are concurrent with the University of North Dakotas policies regarding scholastic
honesty. For more information about these policies, please refer to the Scholastic Honesty
section of the Undergraduate Academic Information materials available online at und.edu.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 6

All final versions of essay assignments will be submitted to Blackboard, which runs digital
comparisons of submitted assignments in order to identify possible cases of plagiarism. For this
reason, you must submit final versions of papers to Blackboard. You may additionally submit
versions of your assignment through other electronic means (via email, for instance), but if you
fail to submit your paper to Blackboard, it will be treated as late, and lateness penalties will
apply.
In this course, we will talk about the differences between plagiarism and the misuse of sources. If
you have any questions regarding the appropriate use of source material (readings, critical
opinions, or supplemental research), please feel free to ask me. In my experience, those students
who plagiarize are also those who feel overwhelmed by the assignment and thus compelled to
use someone elses work as their own. If you get so frustrated with an assignment that you feel
like your only option is to plagiarize, come see me. My role as a teacher is to help students, not
to punish them please use me as a resource to help you write, brainstorm, or work out
assignments and essays.
General Guidelines for Submitting Assignments
There is no homework for this class. Rather, writing assignments and digital projects alike will
be completed in class. However, in order to complete those assignments successfully during the
time allotted, you must come to class having already completed the required reading. Failure to
do so will affect the quality of the writing assignments that you produce and, by extension, your
grade as well.
See the course schedule and assignment sheets (at the end of the syllabus) for specific
instructions on submitting digital projects.
Deadlines
All assignments must be submitted on the due date, and missing the class when the assignment is
due doesnt mean your assignment isnt late (see guidelines above regarding Blog Posts and
Comements).
It is important that you adhere to deadlines, especially since this class is constructed around
collaboration and peer feedback. If, however, you submit a digital project or assignment late, you
will receive a maximum of half credit for that particular assignment.
Cell Phones
Cell phone use during class is prohibited. If I see you using your cell phone, you will be asked to
leave the classroom and will be marked absent for the day.
Campus Resources
Learning Disabilities
If you have a learning disability that could impair your progress in this course, please contact
Disability Services. Students are encouraged to register through Disability Services in order to
receive recommendations for learning accommodations.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 7

Disability Services
http://und.edu/disability-services/
McCannel Hall Room 190
We can arrange to accommodate your learning style based on DS recommendations. Please
notify me at the start of the semester if you have specific needs, or if Disability Services has
provided you with a Verification of Needs for Disability Accommodations.
Writing Help
All students are encouraged to take advantage of UNDs Writing Center to receive help in
preparing writing assignments.
To make an appointment or speak with a tutor, visit their website, or the visit the Writing Center
itself.
UND Writing Center
http://und.edu/academics/writing-center/
Merrifield Hall Room 12
Communications
You can reach me via email, office phone, or a note in my mailbox in Merrifield Hall. The best
way to reach me, of course, is through email I check it frequently and, while I cannot guarantee
an immediate reply, it is certainly the fastest way to get in touch.
If you have questions about the policies of this class, review the syllabus first, and then make
an appointment to speak with me.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 8

Course Schedule
Wednesday, August 24

Course introduction; review syllabus

Unit I: Defining
Friday, August 26

NO CLASS

Monday, August 29

DUE: Fish, The Old Order Changeth (Blackboard) and

Kirschenbaum, What is Digital Humanities and
Whats It Doing in English Departments? (Defining 195204)
Introduce Re-Covering Design Assignment
(see assignment sheet for details)

Wednesday, August 31

DUE: Blog Response 1: Design Summary

For this, your first blog post, follow the instructions on the
Re-Covering Design Assignment sheet for Steps 1-2,
Design Summary; craft and post your response to our
course blog, SheilaLiming.com/428DH/
In-class: work on book covers / design assignment

Friday, September 2

In-class: continue work on book covers

Monday, September 5

NO CLASS: Enjoy your Labor Day!

Wednesday, September 7

DUE: Final Book Cover image (submitted to BB)

and blog post / analysis
(see assignment sheet for details)
In-class: review and respond to peers images / posts

Friday, September 9

DUE: Ramsay, Developing Things (Debates Part II)

http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/11
In-class: discuss strategies for evaluating digital projects

Monday, September 12

DUE: McGann, Information Technology and the Troubled

Humanities (Defining 49-66)
[B]

Wednesday, September 14

Continue to discuss McGann; review the current status of

the NINES project
[C]

Friday, September 16

DUE: Spiro, This is Why We Fight (Debates Part I)

http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/13

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 9

Monday, September 19

DUE: Terras, Disciplined (Defining 67-96)

[B]

Wednesday, September 21

Continue to discuss Terras, disciplinarity, institutional

models for DH
[C]

Friday, September 23

DUE: Ramsay, Whos In and Whos Out (Defining 239241) and Forster, Im Chris, Where Am I Wrong?
(Defining 259-262)

Monday, September 26

DUE: Mullen, Digital Humanities is a Spectrum

(Defining 237-239) and Sample, Sharing (Defining
255-259)
[B]

Wednesday, September 28

DUE: continue do discuss the making vs. sharing debate

[C]

Friday, September 30

Introduce EWL.org project / Working With Metadata

Assignment (see assignment sheet for details); assign
EWL.org file numbers

Monday, October 3

DUE: before coming to class, you should have

registered for a Dropbox account (Dropbox.com)
received / accepted an email invite to view the
Mount Library Scans folder on Dropbox
received / accepted an email invite to edit the EWL
beta site (from Omeka)
-

logged into / enabled your Omeka user account via

the EWL.org beta site:
www.sheilaliming.com/ewl/admin/users/login
been assigned to a set of numbered files in the
Mount Library Scans Dropbox folder

In-class: work on EWL.org entries / metadata

Wednesday, October 5

In-class: work on EWL.org entries / metadata

Friday, October 7

DUE: Completed uploads / metadata (EWL.org)

assignments
In-class: peer review of completed uploads / tags / metadata

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 10

Monday, October 10

DUE: Selected Definitions (Defining 279-287) and

Definitions by Type (Defining 289-299)
[B]

Wednesday, October 12

Continue to discuss definitions, types of DH

[C]

Friday, October 14

DUE: Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? [Blackboard]

Unit II: Debating

Monday, October 17

DUE: Hayles, How We Read: Close, Hyper, Machine

[Blackboard]
[B]

Wednesday, October 19

Continue to discuss Hayles, Carr [C]

Friday, October 21

DUE: Liu, Where is the Cultural Criticism in the Digital

Humanities? (Debates Part VI)
http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/20

Monday, October 24

DUE: McPherson, Why are the Digital Humanities So

White? (Debates Part III)
http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/29
[B]

Wednesday, October 26

DUE: Bogost, The Turtlenecked Hairshirt (Debates Part

III) http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/12
[C]

Friday, October 28

DUE: Nowviskie, Eternal September (Debates Part

III) http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/35

Monday, October 31

DUE: Anonymous, Im a Serious Academic, Not a

Professional Instagrammer and Gannon, Ive Got a
Serious Problem with Serious Academics (both on
Blackboard) [B]

Wednesday, November 2

Continue to discuss the use of social media in DH,

professionalization, etc. [C]

Friday, November 4

DUE: Stommel, Twitter and the Locus of Research

read online via Hybrid Pedagogy / Digital Pedagogy Lab:
http://www.digitalpedagogylab.com/hybridped/twitter-andthe-locus-of-research/

Monday, November 7

DUE: Golumbia, Death of a Discipline [Blackboard] [B]

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 11

Wednesday, November 9

Continue to discuss Golumbia, critics of DH

[C]

Friday, November 11

NO CLASS Veterans Day

Monday, November 14

DUE: Golumbia et al, Neoliberal Tools and

Kirschenbaum, Confessions of a Neoliberal Tool
(Blackboard) [B]

Wednesday, November 16

Continue to discuss the neoliberalism debate [C]

Friday, November 18

Introduce final assignment (see assignment sheet for

details); review DH projects, professional websites, etc.

Monday, November 21

In-class: lab time, get started on setting up domains,

accounts, etc. for final website assignment

November 23 / 25

NO CLASS enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 28

DUE: Chun, et al., The Dark Side of the Digital

Humanities (Debates 2016, Critics)
http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/89
[B]

Wednesday, November 30

Continue to discuss Chun, et al., in class

[C]

Friday, December 2

In-class: work on final assignments / websites

Monday, December 5

DUE: Final Assignment / Final Website

Be prepared to share your website with the class, and to
walk us through its various features.
You must post a link to your finished website on our
course blog so that your instructors and peers may view it

Wednesday, December 7

Last day of class: evaluations and semester review

Friday, December 9

NO CLASS Reading Day

Wednesday, December 14

DUE: Final Peer Assessment [C]

Provide comments / feedback to your assigned peers
finished website, and add those comments to your peers
blog post containing the link to his / her finished site

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 12

Re-Covering Design Assignment

[50 pts.]

The title of this assignment is a play on words: on the one hand, we will be covering some of
the basics of digital design by working with Photoshop and, on the other, we be designing new,
updated covers for some of our favorite works of literature.
This assignment is multi-phased, and can be completed by following these steps:
Step 1

Select a work of literature published before 1985 to use as your basis for the
project.

Step 2

Do some research. Log onto the Internet and see how many versions of book
covers or dust jackets you can find in relation to this title. Take note of how
imagery, fonts, colors, etc. differ in each one do these design choices reflect the
larger design trends of a specific era or timer period? How do you know?
Download, save, or bookmark a selection of the images that you come across for
use in your blog post.

Step 3

Summarize what you discovered in Step 2 in a blog post. Log onto our course
website / blog and start a new post, highlighting some of the design trends you
spotted while you were searching through earlier dust jacket designs. Be sure to
include at least two images of dust jacket / cover artwork. Analyze and interpret
these images, linking them to the design trends of a specific era, etc. Your
completed blog post should be between 300-500 words.

Step 4

Create a new, updated design for this work of literature.

Open up Photoshop (PS)

Go to File New to create a new PS file
In the pop-up window, fill in the following specs for your new project:

Width: 8.5
Height: 11
Resolution: 300

Select a background color: right click on the Gradient Tool (shaded box)
on the left-hand toolbar to reveal the Paint Bucket Tool

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 13

Once youve selected the Paint Bucket Tool, click on the Foreground
Color indication box (bottom left) and select a color from the palate to
serve as your background color. Finally, apply the color to the background
by using the Paint Bucket Tool and clicking anywhere on your blank
canvas.

Import and edit imagery

Locate and choose some imagery (photographs, graphics, shapes, etc.) to
se in your design. Do this by logging into your web browser and
performing a Creative Commons Image Search:
https://search.creativecommons.org/ & enter your search terms
use the boxes below the search field to filter your search
be sure to uncheck the box use for commercial purposes

Browse through CC available images; when you find the one you want to
use, download and save it to your desktop.

Open the saved image in Photoshop (right click Open with

Photoshop, or just drag it to the Photoshop icon)

Once it opens, go to Image Image Size and increase the resolution to

300 dpi (so it will match that of your overall canvas)

Experiment with editing options for your image by going to Image

Adjustments; here, you can change colors, lighting effects, textures, and
contrast options. You can also remove or recolor the images background,
clone, crop, or sample parts of the image, etc.
When you have edited the image to your liking and it is complete, go to
File Save As and save it as a .psd (Photoshop) file on your desktop

Navigate back to your original canvas (tab at top) and go to File

Embedded to import your new, edited image to your canvas. The image
will show up in your screen with size / proportion markers; adjust the size
and placement of the image and then click outside the canvas (or on
another tool in the toolbox) to permanently place the image. If you are
unhappy with your size / proportions / placement, simply delete the image
and re-import it by repeating these same instructions.

Add text: select the Type Tool

and browse through font libraries (tab
at top). Select a font and place the Type Tool cursor anywhere on your
canvas to begin typing. To experiment with shading, color, texture, etc.,

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 14

double-click on the current type layer (in the layer navigation panel,
bottom right) and browse through options.

Save your completed project. You need to do so by saving two versions of

the file:
1)
File Save as save as .psd (Photoshop) file
2)
File Save as save as .jpg (lower resolution image) file
The .psd file will remain open to edits in changes, in case you want to
make any alterations to your finished image. The .jpg file will not be
editable, and this is the version you will submit as your completed project.

Step 5

Submit your completed Book Cover Design to Blackboard

(under the appropriate assignment link: log onto Blackboard, click on the
assignment link, select View / Complete, and upload your final .jpg)

Step 6

Blog about your process / completed image.

Log onto our course website / blog and begin a new post. In your post, you should
include a .jpg of your final cover design, and you should explain / defend /
interpret the design choices that you made. Why did you select this specific
imagery? Or that specific font? What about the color scheme? How does this
update earlier versions of the book cover that you discussed in your previous
post? How does it compare to earlier covers?
As always, your blog post should be between 300-500 words.

Grading:
Design Summary Blog Post
Completed Image
Final Blog Post / Analysis

10 pts.
30 pts.
10 pts.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 15

Working with Metadata Assignment

[50 pts.]

For this assignment, you will be assisting and contributing to my work on the
EdithWhartonsLibrary.org database by uploading files and working with metadata to enhance the
sites searchability.
You will be assigned to a section of file numbers that correspond to numbers in the Edith
Whartons Library print catalog (available in the Mount Library Scans Dropbox folder you
should have received an email invite to view / access this folder). You will be responsible for
uploading these numbered files to the website, and for curating the metadata that goes along with
them.
Here are the basic instructions for uploading and adding files to the site:

Log into the EWL site: www.sheilaliming.com/ewl/admin/users/login

Enter your username (assigned to you and included in your email invitation to the site);
you will then be prompted to create a password for this site.
Your username should then appear in the right-hand corner toolbar (Welcome,
XXXX) click on your username to access the sites DASHBOARD

Using another tab on your web browser, log into your Dropbox account (Dropbox.com)
so you can access the shared files for this assignment

Starting from the Omeka Dashboard, select Add a New Item (under Recent Items)

Select Dublin Core from the menu at the top of the page, and fill in the fields as
follows:
Title

Authors name (Last Name, First Name)

Full title of text resource (from title page / catalogue entry)
Check the Use HTML box to display the text as it will
appear on the web; then select Heading 3 from the dropdown HTML menu bar to display titles in bold; select
underline option for titles
Titles should be appropriately capitalized (excepting articles,
conjunctions, and prepositions), and subtitles should be separated
first with a colon, then with a paragraph break and subsequent
colons, where necessary. The entire title should be underlined.
Example:
Smith, Vincent A.
The Early History of India:

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 16

from 600 BC to the Muhammadan Conquest, Including the
Invasion of Alexander the Great
NOTE: when working in html, you must add a space after every line of
text so that the lines of text wont run together when the html code is
processed. Like this:
extra space
extra space

Subject

Authors name (Last Name, First Name)

Example:
Smith, Vincent A.

Description

Add any notes from the Ramsden catalogue (in the Dropbox folder under
Ramsden_Complete.pdf), as necessary.
Make sure you interpret Ramsdens words, and do not
reproduce them directly, to avoid copyright infringement. Summarize his
comments about any interesting details, etc., concerning this particular
library book.

Source

Enter the abbreviation used by Ramsden to identify Whartons

bookplate, if any is mentioned
Example:
[PC]

Publisher

Press (City)
Example:
Clarendon Press (Oxford)

Date

(Original) Edition
Example:
(1861) 1891
In the Ramsden catalogue, youll notice publication dates in
parentheses. These are the original dates of publication for the first
edition version of the text. At the end of the line on each entry in
the catalogue, Ramsden also includes the date for Whartons

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 17

edition of the text, and these two dates are often different. Hence
the two-date system.
Include both dates in your Omeka entry and make sure you put
parenthesis around the first edition date.
Language

Language text is printed in

Example:
English

Identifier

Mount catalog number (also the name of the file itself, exlcuding
the file extension)
Example:
2005_047_1005

Hit Add Item before you move on and upload the file itself, and make sure to
the file as Public!

If necessary, add the file to an existing or new Collection

If the file is part of a set of texts, youll need to create a Collection and add it to
that collection so that all, related files are stored together.
How to tell: for the most part, the file numbers will look like this
2005_047_1005_xx
if there is another number following the four-digit identifier [1005], the
file is part of a multi-volume set and should be included in a Collection:
2005_047_1005_xx last two extra digits indicate the work is part of
a multi-volume set / collection

Upload the .pdf image file

Click Files on the top toolbar; click Browse and then locate and add the
appropriate file (the one that matches the identifier number you supplied in the
previous step)

Add tags
Click tags on the top toolbar; add tags that describe the text, focusing on the
following:
Authors name (First Name Last Name ex. Vincent A. Smith)
Shortened / useable title of work (History of India)
2-3 subject tags (India, history, Muhammad, Alexander the Great)

mark

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 18

anything of interest mentioned in the Ramsden catalog (i.e. if the book was a gift from
the author Henry James, include Henry James as a tag; if it previously belonged to
Edith Whartons father, G.F. Jones, include G.F. Jones as a tag
Separate tags with commas so that your tag list looks like this:
Vincent A. Smith, History of India, India, history, Muhammad, Alexander the Great
Finish by clicking Add Tags and review the tags that will be displayed

Save and Add Item

Click Add Item (box on the right-hand side of the screen) and be sure to mark the
item as Public!

REPEAT this process with all of the remaining files that have been assigned to you.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 19

Final Assignment
Personal Website / Personal Digital Portfolio

[50 pts.]

For this assignment, you will be creating a personal, professional website. You can do this in one
of two ways, either by:
1)

registering / purchasing domain and server space, and then by downloading

WordPress.org design templates to create your website using your own domain

2)

registering for a free WordPress.com account, and using the WordPress server
space / templates / design parameters to create your website without establishing
your own web domain

Note: if you are a graduate student, I highly recommend that you consider purchasing
domain space and hosting services. Doing so will give you a stable url for the housing of
your web content; it will make updating much easier down the line; you will be provided
with customer support and web help for as long as you continue to operate and use the
domain; and, most importantly, your domain will be easily searchable.
Reclaim Hosting (ReclaimHosting.com) offers low-cost ($25 / year) hosting options for
students that come with free domains. Check out:
https://reclaimhosting.com/shared-hosting/#toggle-id-4
No matter which option you choose, you are tasked with creating a professional-looking personal
website. We will review examples of personal websites for humanities scholars, students, and
professionals in class.
Public vs. Private: WordPress.com gives you the option to create a private blog / website and
invite users to view. If you are uncomfortable with creating a public website at this
time, simply select the private option and send an invite to your instructor and peer
review partner so that they can view the site.
The following content areas are required for all students:
About
An about section should give viewers an idea of who you are, what your
status is as a student, what your professional goals might be, etc. You
might also consider giving us an overview of your education (fields of
study, majors / minors, etc.) and professional experience.
Projects /
Portfolio

This is the portfolio section of your website, wherein youll want to

post examples (even if theyre just snippets, images, or samples) of
your work. You can choose to organize this section however you like. For
instance, you might want to include a sub-section for Writing wherein
you include descriptions of (or previews of) completed writing
assignments, be they creative or research-related. On the other hand, you
might want a section labeled Design where you can post links to design
projects, like the Book Cover that you designed for this course.

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 20

If you are a graduate student (or an undergraduate student working
towards a thesis), you might want to label this section Research instead
of Projects or Portfolio, and you might want to use it instead to host a
description of your current research goals or projects.
Contact

This is a simple page that should give viewers the ability to contact you,
the site creator. Many WordPress themes have built-in comment forms,
which youre welcome to use; alternatively, you can create your own page
and include your email address, links to social media accounts, etc.

Images

Websites that are entirely text-based are boring. For this reason, you are
required to add some sort of imagery to your site. Consider, for example:
including a (professional) picture of yourself
creating a banner image to display at the top of your site
creating a site logo using Photoshop (some sort of artistic riff on
your name )
including footer imagery or logos at the bottom of your site

The following content areas are required for graduate students:

Teaching
This page should list courses youve taught, possibly with short
descriptions of the course subject matter, materials, assignments, etc. You
might also consider uploading links to sample teaching documents
(syllabi, grading rubrics, PowerPoints, assignment sheets, etc.)
You must also include a Teaching Philosophy, either as link to a
separate page or posted directly to the Teaching section of your website.
Teaching Philosophy statements are required on academic job
applications, and are 300-500 word descriptions of your pedagogical
outlook. Check out Columbia Universitys Graduate Schools guide on
how to craft a teaching statement (including samples):
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat/pdfs/teaching%20statement.pdf
If you havent already written a teaching statement, now is the time to
begin, and keep in mind that you can edit, remove, or alter it at any point
in the future. If you already have a teaching statement, simply upload or
post it to the Teaching section of your site.
The following content areas are optional for all students (but you might want to consider them):
Social
Consider linking to social media accounts and developing a page to
Media
specifically display / organize those links.
Service

Service includes any variety of volunteer work or unpaid professional

experience. If you have a leadership role in a campus organization, for
instance, you might want to describe that on a Service page; likewise, if
youve had an internship, volunteered for an organization, or if you are

ENGL 428 Fall 2016 21

active in a church or religious group, you might want to describe those
experiences on your service page.
Links

Link to other organizations, groups, websites, etc. that you support or find
interesting. A links page can also boost traffic to your site and elevate
your site in browser search results, which are based off of algorithmic
popularity that is determined by incoming and outgoing links.

Blog

You arent required to start your own blog page and add it to your site.
But, hey, its an option, and something to consider

Basically, this web site ought to be what you need it to be, though its important to keep a sense
of organization and clarity in mind. Proofread your writing; watch for errors, type-os, and dead /
inactive links; and make sure that the imagery and the language that you use is, at all times,
professional.
Be prepared to share and present your final website in class, and to receive scrutiny and feedback
from your peers and your instructor.
Grading
Personal Website
Peer Feedback

40 pts.
10 pts.