This course will introduce you to the theory and practice of database application design in the context of the digital liberal arts. Beginning with the premise that the database is the defining symbolic form of the postmodern era, you will review critical and practical literature about databases, study examples of their use in projects from a variety of humanities disciplines, and engage in the actual design of a database application as a course project. Topics to be covered will include data models, web-based database development using PHP and MySQL, interface design, data visualization, and the role of databases in scholarship. Students will write code, keep a journal on the course blog, and collaborate to produce a final product.
What you will learn:
- Basic programming skills in HTML, PHP, and SQL
- Knowledge of common data formats such as CSV and RSS and techniques for working with them.
- Design principles at the levels of data modeling and interface design.
- A theoretical framework within which to conceptualize the structure and function of database driven applications
- Familiarity with the data and design goals of Digital Humanities projects.
