Welcome…

Welcome to Digital Memory. Theory and Practice! My name is Aránzazu Borrachero (Arancha) and my email is aborrachero@gc.cuny.edu

Our Spring 2025 class meets every Wednesday in person from 6:30 to 8:30 in Room 7395.

Quick links and useful addresses

Technical support

Course description

Memory Studies, an interdisciplinary field focusing on “how, what and why individuals, groups and societies remember, and forget” (Memory Studies), has experienced important paradigm shifts since its inception in the 1980s. The onset of digital media is responsible for the latest and, arguably, most radical changes.

This course explores how the past is constructed, archived and communicated through digital media from a sociocritical angle:

  • What is the potential of digital memory and storytelling projects to change or break power structures?
  • Has digital technology opened spaces for contesting traditional narratives of the past?
  • Is civic action shaped by digital memory initiatives? Are digital memory initiatives shaped by civic action?

With these questions as a framework, we will analyze key concepts in Memory Studies, such as collective memory (Maurice Halbwachs), cultural memory (Aleida and Jan Assman), transnational memory (Astrid Erll), and postmemory (Marianne Hirsch) –concepts, all of them, interrogated by the emerging field of Digital Memory Studies (Andrew Hoskins). Armed with this theoretical work, we will examine a diversity of digital memory and storytelling projects, from well-established and institutionalized ones (e.g. Imperial War Museums, Forced Labor 1939-1945, Memorial Democràtic) to community-led projects and/or projects explicitly engaged in counter-hegemonic memory-making (e.g. 858 Archive, Documenting the Now, Torn Apart/Separados).

This course utilizes a project-based pedagogical approach to the study of digital memory. You will complete two interrelated projects: first, you will collaborate in the writing and publication of Digital Memory Project Reviews, Volume IV (see Volume I, Volume II, Volume III and Volume IV).This analytical work will familiarize you with project design, content collection, content management, and online publication. You will apply these concepts and skills to your second class project: developing a digital memory archive.

Learning outcomes

In this course you will have the opportunity to…

  • understand the concept of collective memory and its social and political uses, along with its main theoretical reformulations during the last one-hundred years,
  • understand the impact of digital technologies on collective memory construction, and the potential of such technologies in mobilizing memories for social and political purposes,
  • acquire analytical tools to evaluate digital memory projects and their social and political impact, and
  • acquire the necessary skills and tools to design, develop and publish a digital memory project.

Class materials & class work

Readings

I have posted most readings as pdfs or links on the class website. You and your peers will collectively discuss and annotate them using Hypothes.is (instructions here).

I’d like you to approach the texts with a critical mind and annotate them accordingly. Here are some questions and issues you might be interested in discussing:

    • Is this text useful? In relation to other readings, is it repetitive or does it complement other texts we have read?
    • Is the writing clear or convoluted?
    • Is the argumentation convincing?
    • What ideas are provocative? Which ideas don’t make sense?
    • “I don’t understand! Help!”
    • How does the text connect to political, social, historical, and artistic phenomena?
    • What do you want your peers to discuss with you or to respond to?

As the course moves forward and you begin conducting research for your project, feel free to share with the class those texts that you find worth discussing.

Reading discussion- Lead & moderate

Each week, one student will lead the discussion.

Guidelines:

  • Provide a brief summary of the readings (no more than 5 minutes).
  • Based on your interpretation and your peers’ annotations on Hypothes.is, prepare 2–3 discussion questions and facilitate the conversation.
  • Sign up here by writing your name next to your chosen date (May 14 is not included because this day is for final-project presentations).

Digital memory projects- Present

Each week, a student will present a digital project related to memory (approx. 5–10 minutes).

Project Options:

  • One of the three projects you are reviewing for Digital Memory Project Reviews, Volume V
  • A project from Digital Memory Project Reviews (Volume I, Volume II, or Volume III, Volume IV)
  • Any other memory-related digital project of interest 
  • Sign up here by writing your name next to your chosen date (May 14 is not included because this day is for final-project presentations).

Suggested guidelines:

  • You may follow Miriam Posner’s excellent orientation for “deconstructing” digital projects (How did they make that?) and talk about “sources, processed and presented.”
  • Consider the following questions:
    • How does this project connect to class readings or discussions?
    • What are its strengths and areas for improvement (technical or otherwise)?

Digital memory projects- Reviews

  • An essential objective of this course is to practice the critical appraisal of digital memory projects. To this end, you will write three in-depth project reviews. I recommend you work in teams of 2 students, but you may write your reviews alone if you prefer.
  • In this chart, write your name next to your selected project, followed by “Review #1,” “Review #2,” or “Review #3.” You are encouraged to explore digital memory projects beyond those listed and add them to the chart with your name and review number. If needed, take extra time to find a project that interests you before committing. However, ensure that your chosen project has not already been reviewed in Digital Memory Project Reviews (see Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV).
  • You and your group will write and edit your project reviews here. At the end of the semester, we will publish all reviews in Volume V of Digital Memory Project Reviews.
  • As the course progresses, you will be searching for projects that will guide and inspire your own final class project. Feel free to share with the class any project you find worth discussing.

Your digital memory project- Design and development

  • We will begin planning class projects early in the semester, and you will present a project proposal in March. Group projects are welcome.
  • For the technical aspects of your project, reach out early to our Graduate Center Digital Fellows or our advisory fellows, Nicole Cote and Sam O’Hana, to discuss possible tools such as Omeka, WordPress, Scalar, and others.

The Manifold review-archive

If any student or pair of students is interested in organizing, supervising and curating the collection of project reviews, and publishing it in Manifold, this would be their course project. I’ve written a “job description” here. Let me know ([email protected]) if you’d like to be our digital archive curator and publisher!

Assessment

Your final grade will reflect both your own evaluation and my evaluation of your work.

Self-evaluations

You will complete two self-evaluations of your work and progress in the course: one mid-semester and one in May. Your honest reflection will play a significant role in my assessment of your work.

Grading

Your final grade will be based on the following components:

50% – Class engagement and reviews

  • Active participation
  • Reading discussion (leading one class discussion)
  • Project discussion (leading one class presentation)
  • Three digital project reviews

50% – Final project

  • Project proposal
  • Digital memory project

A note on participation

It is through collaboration and scaffolding that learners move forward in the learning process. In the classroom, this applies to students and instructors equally. Thus, we are all responsible for our own and our peers’ learning, and we should make every effort to be present in all aspects of the course.

Accounts

You will need…

  • a CUNY Commons account (once you have your account, you will receive an invitation to join the group and the class website),
  • a Hypothes.is account to annotate and discuss class readings with your peers (follow these instructions to open an account and begin annotating),
  • a Google Docs account to write project reviews with your group and work on other assignments.

Accessibility

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the manager of Student Disability Services, located in Student Affairs, room 7301, or call 212-817-7400 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Academic integrity

Different classes at the GC could implement different AI policies, and it is the student’s responsibility to conform to expectations for each course. In this class, I expect that all work students submit will be their own. Please refrain from using ChatGPT, DeepSeek or any other generative artificial intelligence tools. Violations of this policy will be considered academic misconduct.

If you are unsure about how to properly acknowledge the work of others in your own work, here is an excellent guide prepared by the Graduate Center. For additional information, penalties for academic dishonesty and protocols, please read here.