Digital History Reader

Digital History Reader: Teaching Resources for European and United
States History
http://www.dhr.history.vt.edu
The Digital History Reader is a free, online set of resources for
teaching university courses in United States and modern European
history. These materials are available online: www.dhr.history.vt.edu.
The eighteen modules in the Digital History Reader address critical
questions appropriate for survey courses and advanced analysis in United
States and European history. An introductory module, “How to Use the
DHR,” provides instructors and students with an overview of module
structure as well as suggestions in how to approach each section. The
individual modules all follow a standard structure. A short Introduction
defines the historical question for the students to consider throughout
the module. The Context section contains an approximately 2,000-word
narrative that provides the historical background necessary for the
students to understand the central question and to be able to place the
primary documents within a larger framework. The Evidence section is the
heart of the module; it includes a broad range of primary source
materials, including texts, photographs, political cartoons, posters,
songs, video clips, and recorded speeches, that allow the student to
explore possible answers to the initial historical question. After
students complete the evidence section, the Assignment section allows
students to gauge their own comprehension with a self-test and offers
suggestions for written and in-class exercises. The Conclusion returns
to the central question and asks students to consider the larger
historical significance of the evidence they have contemplated. Finally,
the Resource section lists published and online sources that allow
students to further explore the topic. All DHR materials are available
for free, and are fully contained with this website, hosted by the
Virginia Tech Department of History. Faculty contributors are Tom Ewing
(Project Director), Robert Stephens, Marian Mollin, David Hicks, Amy
Nelson, Hayward “Woody” Farrar, Kathleen Jones, Mark Barrow, Daniel
Thorp, C. Edward Watson, and Jane Lehr. For more information about the
modules, see the “About DHR” page: www.dhr.history.vt.edu/about.html.
Questions may be directed to the Project Director, Tom Ewing, email:
dhr@vt.edu.