FAVvp10 Digital tools in cinema research

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Terézia Porubčanská, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Michal Večeřa, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Michal Večeřa, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 C34, except Mon 21. 4. to Sun 27. 4.
Prerequisites
There are none.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 10 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 3/10, only registered: 0/10
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The digital turn in the humanities has fundamentally transformed the methodology of working with historical materials and cultural heritage - from data collection and storage to research and display to the presentation of results. Modern technologies developed for the needs of literary, historical and artistic research have enabled the digitisation of texts, the creation of audiovisual content and the building of large data collections. However, with the growing amount of digital material, a key question arises: how to make this content effectively accessible and engaging to new audiences? This course focuses on one method that galleries, museums, archives and other cultural institutions use to present their digital collections - the digital story. Students will gradually learn about the role of the online curator of digital content, its importance for cultural institutions and go through the entire process of developing a digital story. Through practical assignments and work on a seminar project, they will experience research in digitized archival collections and learn selected methods and tools for creating and presenting digital content in an online environment, including the basics of working with artificial intelligence.
Learning outcomes
By completing this undergraduate course, the student will acquire the following core competencies:

1) Digital Curation and Content Management - Understanding the role of the online curator and the ability to effectively manage and present digital content.
2) Working with Digitized Archival Materials - Skill in locating, analyzing, and interpreting digitized historical and cultural materials.
3) Digital Storytelling - Ability to structure and tell compelling digital stories using a variety of media formats.
4) Using Digital Presentation Tools - Mastery of selected software tools and platforms for creating and sharing digital content.
5) Working critically with data and sources - Developing an analytical mindset when working with historical sources and the ability to verify and evaluate the credibility of sources.
6) Teamwork and Project Management - Experience coordinating group projects and practical skills in planning and implementing creative deliverables.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the course
    Introduction to the course concept, required literature, assessment methods and theoretical frameworks for curating digital archives/galleries.
    Introduction to the thematic areas and subtopics for the semester project (digital story).
    Students select the topic and subtopic.
    Assignment for the next lesson: development of a project proposal according to the ÚFAV methodology - formulation of the research problem, description of the context, definition of key questions, formulation of working theses and definition of the project's benefits.

    2. Digital humanities and ArcGIS StoryMaps
    Introduction to digital humanities.
    Introduction to the ArcGIS StoryMaps application and demonstration of a model project.
    Consultation of working versions of projects.
    Assignment: editing the project proposal and the first work in the ArcGIS StoryMaps application.

    3. Digital Story Scenario
    Consultation of selected topics and reflection on work with ArcGIS StoryMaps.
    Joint preparation of a digital story scenario.
    Assignment: reading a methodological text on the topic of curatorship (recommended by the visiting lecturer).

    4. Visiting lecturer 1 – Curating digital archives/galleries
    Defining the competencies of curatorial positions (information curator, digital curator, online curator).
    Introduction to the issues of curating digital collections of cultural heritage and historical materials (texts, image formats, audiovisual content, physical artifacts).

    5. Digital mapping of history
    Using spatial data for historical research and storytelling.
    Spatial turn in historical research.
    Introduction to applications for visualizing map data.
    Working together with maps in ArcGIS StoryMaps.

    6. Presentation of student research
    Students will present the results of their research in accessible collections of historical materials.
    Presentation of tasks from the previous lesson.

    7. Guest lecturer 2 – Data visualization
    Basics of graphical display of information.
    Typologies of visualizations: graphs, timelines, networks.
    Methods of effective and readable data visualization.
    Assignment: create three illustrative graphs and a timeline (with at least three levels - general history, cinematographic history, development of the chosen topic).

    8. Reflection on visualization tasks
    Joint analysis and feedback on visualization tasks from the previous lesson.

    9. Podcast as a tool for presenting historical topics
    Introduction to the issue of creating a historical podcast.
    Introduction to freely available software for recording and editing audio recordings.
    Practical demonstration of recording and editing audio content.
    Possible options for publishing podcasts online.
    Assignment: create an audio recording based on agreed material and save it in the application.

    10. Presentation of map visualizations by students
    Students will present proposals for map visualizations based on collected historical materials.

    11. Historical stories on social networks
    Possibilities of using social networks (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) for telling historical stories.
    Assignment: preparation of a task related to the publication of content on social networks.

    12. Presentation of tasks by students
    Students will present the outputs of the assigned tasks from the previous lesson.

    13. Consultation and finalization of projects
    Individual and group consultations on the final adjustments of semester projects.

    14. Presentation of final digital stories
    Students will present the final versions of their projects.
    Feedback before submission during the exam period.
Literature
    required literature
  • Davis, S. B., Vane, O., & Kräutli, F. (červenec, 2016). Using Data Visualisation to tell Stories About Collections [příspěvek prezentovaný na konferenci]. Electronic Visualisation and the Arts.
  • ČERNÝ, Michal. Digitální informační kurátorství a jeho využití v konstruktivisticky orientovaném vzdělávání (Curating Digital Information and Its Use in Constructivist-oriented Education). Online. In INFORUM 2015: 21. ročník konference o profesionálních informačních zdrojích. Praha: Albertina icome Praha, 2015, 15 pp. ISSN 1801-2213. URL info
    recommended literature
  • Harvey, D. R. (Douglas R.) (2010). Digital curation : a how-to-do-it manual / Ross Harvey. Neal-Schuman Publishers.
  • Knowles, A. K., & Hillier, A., (2008). Placing History: How Maps, Spatial Data, and Gis Are Changing Historical Scholarship. Redlands, Kalifornie: ESRI, Inc.
  • Byrne, W. (2019, 30. září). What is digital storytelling and what has it got to do with cultural heritage? Europeana Pro.
  • Wojtczak, K. (2022, 7. září). How to write appealing art history stories - insights from DailyArt Magazine. Europeana Pro.
  • Berry, D. M., & Fagerjord, A., (2017). Digital Humanities: Knowledge and Critique in a Digital Age. John Wiley & Sons. Cambridge, Anglie: Polity Press.
Teaching methods
The course combines theoretical lectures with practical seminars focused on digital tools and their application.

Theoretical part
Presentation of key theoretical and methodological concepts through lectures by lecturers or visiting experts.
Examples of existing virtual projects to illustrate the approaches discussed.
Reading and analysis of selected texts as a basis for seminar discussion.

Practical part
Presentation of a specific digital tool and its application on a model example.
Students will learn how to work with the tool by repeating the procedure on their own materials.
Working versions of the assignments will be reflected on in the following tutorial.

Discussion and reflection
After each lecture and practical demonstration, space will be provided for discussion, clarification and review of key aspects.
This approach will enable students to link theoretical knowledge with practical use of digital tools and develop critical thinking in the area of methodology.
Assessment methods
The understanding of the theoretical part will be tested directly during the teaching through the KVIS application, the problematic passages will then be returned to or given space in the practical part through illustrative applications in practice.

Theoretical knowledge will be tested by means of two written tests (1. test after the fifth lesson, 2. test after the eleventh lesson).

Students will demonstrate their practical skills by preparing sub-tasks (audio, data visualization, map) which they will combine into one digital outcome story at the end of the course.

The final grade will be a composite of the grades for the written tests (20% of the grade for each test, 40% total) and the final project grade (60%).
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/phil/jaro2025/FAVh067/index.qwarp
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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