@@ -13,3 +13,26 @@ The course will be hosted on the University of Zurich’s GitLab instance as [li
Git has become the defacto standard for software development, but is equally suitable for versioning other kinds of digital text, such as text documents or datasets. In the context of an increasingly digitised academia, familiarity with tools such as *git* are therefore increasingly central to the process of research. For these reasons, course materials will be shared via the *digizeit* repository, and students will receive introductory training in the use of various features of git and other key technologies as the course progresses.
Students will be expected to engage with various features of git/GitLab throughout the course, contributing to issue boards and adding content via merge requests, thereby gaining valuable competencies while still engaging with a syllabus that explores the impact of digitisation on history and the study thereof.
## Assessment
Because *History in a Digitized World* is not a regular MA Seminar, we will be requiring a mixture of assessments rather than a single Seminararbeit.
1. During the “first” semester (FS20), we shall have an in-course assessment in the form of some kind of digital project (the exact form of this project will be discussed in Week 1’s session). This in-course project will be instead of individual oral presentations. We have scheduled April to be the “project month”, during which time you can develop an original idea, and receive feedback and guidance on how to realise this project in digital space.
2. During the “second” semester (HS20), when you would normally submit a Seminararbeit, we will ask instead for a shorter written paper in which you reflect on your project with reference to relevant secondary literature. The deadline for this second assessment is Friday 4 December 2020.
## Support
In addition to Daniel McDonald (@daniel.mcdonald) who will be present in most classes during the semester, the Übung will also be supported by a Tutor, Leyla Feiner (@leyla.feiner). Martin Dusinberre (@martin.dusinberre) will also be available during regular office hours, which you can [book online](https://www.hist.uzh.ch/de/fachbereiche/neuzeit/lehrstuehle/dusinberre/sprechstunde.html).
## Winging it
This is the technical term for what is also known as "agile management". What this means in practice is that while we have a general course structure in mind, the way the course unfolds will depend on the feedback and interests of the students. Therefore, we shall try to liaise with you, the students, as much as possible about course content and assessment, expecting in return that you help maintain an ongoing dialogue that will shape the course according to your individual interests.
## Feedback/interaction
Part of what we're trying to do here is show you the utility of *git*, and get you aquainted with its features. For this reason, we will keep as much of our course content as possible inside the *digizeit* repository, and wherever possible, will use its features for announcements, managing assignments, and communication.
For example, by providing technical support via the Issues page (#1), problems and solutions are tracked and visible to everyone in the course. Keeping issues public and searchable, you can benefit from, and everyone is saved from duplicating efforts and emails.
You are encouraged to create your own issues, respond to issues of others, or submit merge requests with new content, corrections and the like. For example, if there's a particular part of digital history that interests you (e.g. an interesting project, an interesting paper, or a novel method), go ahead and make an issue or a markdown document about it, so that others can engage with your interests. **By semester's end, this repository will hopefully be a valuable resource for digital historians everywhere!**
