In class we have been discussing how the digital humanities should be incorporated into the classroom. What does digital pedagogy look like? and furthermore, how do we convince departments and administrators to take the leap into the 21st century and fully embrace the possibilities of including digital pedagogy on an Intro to English syllabus, for example.
For this mini-project, I chose to create a final project that would provide students the relative freedom to incorporate a digital tool or social media of their choosing. The students will “perform” the role of a character from a text we have read and create that character’s “digital footprint” through close reading exercises that reveal the wants, desires, values, and ethics of said character. The following is the assignment that I have created:
Course: Humanities-Literature 121
Final Project: Students will pick from a character from one of the listed texts (all of which have been selected from the syllabus) and create their digital footprint using social media outlets (such as Facebook or Instagram) or other digital humanities programs (such as Omeka or a WordPress blog). Using close reading skills, the students will decide what aspects of their character (their actions, interactions, dialogue, or even appearance) will inform how their character would use digital media. For example, what would Iago, from Othello put on his facebook page? He might include articles on how to achieve the best revenge, links to personality tests, and maybe even posts about anti-feminism protests. The point is that the students will first read the text for an initial understanding of how their characters would use digital media to their benefit, and then read the text again but this time against the grain. What is not said about their character might be as useful as what is revealed.
Activity Objective: The objective of this activity is to demonstrate to students how digital tools can create engaging activities with the text that require more than just simple journal or blog entries for analyzing texts. By “performing” the characters, students will be encouraged to use their critical reading skills to fully understand the motives, values, and ethics of their character. Students will simultaneously demonstrate the current relevancy of issues that when read through the text may only seem significant to the plotline itself. Using Othello as an example again, if a student chooses to create Desdemona’s digital footprint, they may want to consider what the best digital platform would be to demonstrate issues of gender in Desdemona’s life. Would she use a blog post to talk about her relationship with Othello? Or would she be more of a visual person, using Pinterest to share pins that represent the challenges and joys she faces. It is assumed that the student will use their imaginations to view the character through a modern lens but without undermining the significance of the text.
Texts:
Othello-Shakespeare (or another Shakespeare play which must be approved by me)
“Winter Dreams”-Fitzgerald
“The Yellow Wallpaper”- Gilman
“Bartleby the Scrivener”- Melville
“A Rose for Emily”- Faulkner
“The Dead”-Joyce
The Coquette-Hannah Webster Foster
Requirements:
• If using Facebook, Instagram, or another type of social media, you must have 7-9 posts by your character. They should be critical in nature (for instance you can’t just update their status to say “Having bad day, locked away by my husband”) but rather, a well-structured, insightful post that considers the various elements of how that character functions. If one of your peers has also created a social media page for their project, you may interact with each other online but it must be in the form of your characters.
• If you are using Omeka, you must create two exhibits that surround the interests of your character. Each exhibit must include up to 5 items with well written descriptions.
• If you choose the blog option, you must also have 7-9 posts that are well-written and thoroughly demonstrate your character’s potential to successfully express his or herself through digital media.
• All students must write a 2-3 page reflection paper, double spaced that includes how they approached the project, the reasons they used the digital tool or social media they chose, an analysis on what was included in their projects. The reflection paper may be from their point of view, or if the student wants to practice their creative writing skills, they may write it from the perspective of their character to keep in line with the rest of the assignment.
Remember: This project requires you to look outside for different sources that you may think your character would read. For instance, would Dexter from Winter Dreams be more interested in an article published by the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times? It is absolutely necessary that students use their imagination for this assignment.
I made an example of what an Omeka page from a character’s perspective might look like. I used Dexter from the short story by Scott Fitzgerald titled “Winter Dreams.” It’s just a small example of how students would begin the project- I would expect more from them in the final draft.