Resources
“Patient Zero” from Radiolab
Michael Widner’s visualization and analysis of your digital humanist interviews
Shawn Graham continues the conversation with the ur-text from his interview with HannaLore
A screenshot from Twitter:
Questions for discussion
1. How do the first 10 minutes of the Radiolab episode use the elements of storytelling described by Alexander? What makes this particular “Patient Zero” story compelling? What, if anything, do you find distracting?
2. Revisit Alexander’s description of the quintet of images “Farm to Food.” He notes the skills necessary to assemble the series: visual literacy, remixing, archival competence. What skills are necessary to interpret the series? What skills can historians assume their various audiences will bring to such an assemblage?
3. How much, and in what circumstances, should historians let viewers construct their own narratives from a collection of primary sources? What are the advantages and liabilities of allowing (or encouraging) viewers to craft their own narratives or interpretations of sources? And how might digital tools allow historians to offer a spectrum of (easier through more challenging) interpretive options to viewers of a single project?