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AS.460.665 Syllabus Syllabus

Introduction to Archives

Course Information

Course Information: 

Introduction to Archives
AS.460.665 ( 3.0 Credits )
Description
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of archives, including an overview relating to the elements of an archival program and the role and work of archivists. Special attention will be paid to the work of archivists in a museum context. The theoretical component of the course will be supplemented with a variety of hands-on exercises, case studies, and informed anecdotes designed to illustrate the relationship between theory and practice. Although American archival tradition will be the focus, international perspectives on archival theory and practice will play an important role in the course of study. Topics include: acquisition; appraisal; arrangement and description; preservation; reference; outreach; archival access systems; legal and ethical issues; and born-digital curation, including digital preservation.
Department: AAP Museum Studies
College:  Advanced Academic Programs - AS

Instructor Information: 

Instructor

  • Instructor Name

    Instructor Campus Address
    instructorEmail@emailaddress.edu

Course Location: 

Online

Course Structure

What to Expect in this Course: 

This course is 15 weeks in length during the fall and spring semesters and 12 weeks in length during the summer semester. Each week begins on a ______ and ends on the following _______. Please review the course syllabus thoroughly to learn about specific course outcomes and requirements. Be sure to refer to the Checklist each week, which provides a week-at-a-glance and shows targeted dates for the completion of activities.

Required Text and Other Materials

Textbooks: 

There are no textbooks required for purchase for this course.

Textbook Search: 

You can search for your class textbooks via the AAP Online Bookstore here.

Minimum Technology Requirements: 

Computer

The minimum operating systems for Canvas are:

  • Mac – OSX 11 or higher
  • PC – Windows 7 or higher

Also, your computer should be equipped with a Microphone and a Camera.

Note: you may use a mobile device for access, but it’s recommended you have a laptop or desktop prepared in case the mobile device has issues with any of our software.

Browser

For the best experience with our Canvas Integrations (e.g., Panopto and VoiceThread), the recommended browsers are Chrome and Firefox.

You should always use the most current version of your preferred browser. Your browser will notify you if there is a new version available. You will also need Java, Cookies, and JavaScript, but the majority of the time, this will be managed by your browser automatically. To verify these are enabled, you can check this Canvas page.

Additionally, you will need to ensure that Third Party Cookies are enabled for our integrations to work. You can do this by following these instructions.

Internet Connectivity

You will be expected to log on to Canvas frequently (daily), so a reliable internet connection is essential. We recommend that you have access to a stable internet connection with speeds of 5 Mbps or higher.

Software

Expectations for additional software or plugins will be communicated within the details of each course:

  • Adobe Reader – other PDF viewers are not supported.
  • Microsoft Office 365 - other software such as Google Drive may cause issues when converting between file types and isn’t integrated into Canvas.
  • Zoom – Instructors may designate real-time virtual office hours via Zoom. For more information on Zoom, please see the Zoom Quick-Start Guide.

The above list includes the most common required software used to support our online courses. Please note: Courses may or may not use all the software listed.

Support

For questions regarding Canvas or issues you are having, feel free to review the Canvas Student Resources or reach out to AAP technical support through any of the following methods:

Specific Technology Requirements and Skills for this Course: 

Learning online requires some basic knowledge of computer technology. At a minimum, you need to be able to:

  • Navigate in and use Canvas; the Canvas Student Orientation course
  • Create and save MS Word documents; review MS Word training and tutorials for PC users (all versions); Word Help for Mac users
  • Find basic resources on the Internet
  • Create and organize files & folders on your computer
  • Send, receive, and manage email

Evaluation and Grading

Grading Breakdown: 

Course Requirements Assignment Value
Archives in the Public Square: Presidential Libraries OR Presidential Records paper 25 pts
Finding Aids Analysis 25 pts
Ask an Archivist paper 25 pts
Literature Review 25 pts
Discussion 50 pts

Grading Scale: 

A 94% to 100%
A- 90% to 93.999%
B+ 87% to 89.999%
B 83% to 86.999%
B- 80% to 82.999%
C 70% to 79.999%
F   0% to 69.999%

There is no rounding of grades.

Assignment Description: 

Archives in the Public Square paper: For this assignment, you will write a paper (approximately 1500 words) on either Presidential Libraries or Presidential Records, based on the recorded guest lecture and readings on Presidential Libraries and Presidentials records, in addition to readings for the topic you choose. See the Assignment for more information.

Finding Aids Analysis: This assignment is a paper (approximately 1500 words) that analyzes and critiques a finding aid that you will choose from the Online Archive of California, a large repository of finding aids provided by the California Digital Library.  Three sample finding aids, in addition to readings, provide the context for your analysis.  See the Assignment for more information.

Ask an Archivist paper: For this assignment, you will conduct a phone call or (ideally) a Zoom meeting with an archivist to ask them a series of questions about their work, their career path, and the institution they currently work for. A llist of potential questions is provided in the Assignment. Advance approval of your choice is not required, but please ask if you have questions about the appropriateness of a particular archivist, or if you need help finding someone to interview..

Literature review: This assignment consists of a final paper (1500-1750 words) discussing three journal articles on a topic of your choice. The readings should not duplicate any on the syllabus, but they can relate to topics you have chosen for discussion question reports. Advance approval of topics is not required; however, they should be archival in focus. A list of approved journals is provided in the Assignment.

Discussion/Course Engagement: You are expected to have an active presence in course discussions, and complete course activities as noted in the assignment guidelines to maximize your learning. Participation in activities should be consistent, of high quality, and reflect both a high level of academic thinking and your own personal perspectives, opinion, and ideas.

Assignment Submission: 

Students are required to adhere to the following guidelines when submitting written work:

  • Use APA citation format
  • Adhere to word limits for each assignment
  • Cite sources properly

The instructors may use the Turnitin tool for written assignments. Please review the JHU Ethics Statement prior to submission.

Assignment Feedback: 

The instructor will aim to return assignments to you within 5-7 days following the due date, depending on the length of the assignment. If there is a lengthy writing assignment the instructor may take 10-14 days to grade the assignment. You will receive feedback in the Grades area of the course which can be accessed via the navigation menu.

Learning Objectives

Program Learning Outcomes: 

P1. Examine the roles and responsibilities of museums and museum practitioners in changing times.

P4. Analyze museum practices, theories, and methodologies through the lens of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.

P5. Analyze the intersection of museum practice and technology.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs): 

  • CLO1: Examine the roles and responsibilities of museum professionals and archivists in the context of the information professions.

  • CLO2: Analyze the nature of archives as compared to museums and libraries.

  • CLO3: Apply the principles of selecting, arranging, describing, and preserving archival materials.

  • CLO4: Identify the ways in which technology is affecting archives and the work of archivists.

  • CLO5: Analyze legal and ethical issues that affect archival work.

Course Policies

Late Policy: 

You are expected to contact your instructor in advance if you think you cannot meet an assignment deadline. However, if an assignment is late and prior arrangements have not been made with the instructor, the assignment score will be deducted one letter grade on the first day of each subsequent week the assignment is late.

Participation/Attendance Requirements: 

Education requires the active involvement of students in the learning process. Students are expected to attend all classes and actively engage in all learning assignments and opportunities provided in their classes. Participation in activities should be consistent, of high quality, and reflect both a high level of academic thinking and your own personal perspectives, opinions, and ideas. Active participation within an online course requires students to log into Canvas multiple times throughout the week - a daily check-in is recommended. Students are expected to have an active presence in course discussions, read all announcements, and complete course activities as noted in the assignment guidelines to maximize your learning. Class attendance is a prerequisite to participation and, for all on-site courses, attendance should be treated as mandatory.

Course Protocols and Getting Help: 

Amendments to the Course

Changes to the course will be posted in the Announcements section of your course. Please check announcements every time that you log into your online course.

Course Communication
You should communicate often with your classmates and the instructor. The majority of communication will take place within the Discussion forums. When you have a question about an assignment or a question about the course, please contact your instructor, or post your question in the course’s “Course Q&A” discussion.

Email Communication

For questions regarding course activities and assignments that would be general interest to other students, please post those in the discussion board. If you have a question regarding course activities and assignments of a personal nature, please send an email message to the instructor and observe the following guidelines:

  • Include the title of the course in the subject field (e.g., JHU Insert Name of Course).
  • Keep messages concise, and check spelling and grammar.
  • Sign your full name (the sender’s email is not always obvious).

Feel free to contact your instructor with comments, questions, and concerns. All email messages will be sent to you via your JHU email account, so you should be in the habit of checking that account every day or you should ensure that your JHU email account forwards messages to another account of your choice.

Email messages will be responded to within 24-48 hours.

Artificial Intelligence Policy: 

If you choose to use Generative Artificial Intelligence software (for example ChatGPT, Bard, or Microsoft Copilot) in completing assignments for this class, you must include a proper reference in your work. If you choose to use precise language generated by the software, you must quote it. The reference must include the website and specific prompts used to generate the referenced output. For an example of how to reference, you may want to consult APA.

University Policies

Academic Policies: 

  • University Policies

    University Policies

    General

    This course adheres to all University policies described in the academic catalog. Please pay close attention to the following policies:

    Academic Conduct

    All JHU students assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the Johns Hopkins University’s mission as an institution of higher education and with accepted standards of ethical and professional conduct. Students must demonstrate personal integrity and honesty at all times in completing classroom assignments and examinations, in carrying out their fieldwork or other applied learning activities, and in their interactions with others. Students are obligated to refrain from acts they know or, under the circumstances, have reason to know will impair their integrity or the integrity of the University.  Students and faculty in Advanced Academic Programs are required to adhere to the academic integrity guidelines and process laid out in the Graduate Academic Misconduct Policy. Refer to the website for more information regarding the academic misconduct policy.

    If you use Safe Assign or Turnitin or any other plagiarism detection tool add the following:  Please note that student work may be submitted to an online plagiarism detection tool at the discretion of the course instructor. If student work is deemed plagiarized, the course instructor will follow the policy and procedures governing academic misconduct.

    Ethics & Plagiarism

    JHU Ethics Statement: The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition. Report any violations you witness to the instructor.

    Read and adhere to JHU’s Notice on Plagiarism.

    Copyright Policy

    All course materials are the property of JHU and are to be used for the student's individual academic purpose only. Any dissemination, copying, reproducing, modification, displaying, or transmitting of any course material content for any other purpose is prohibited, will be considered misconduct under the JHU Copyright Compliance Policy, and may be cause for disciplinary action. In addition, encouraging academic dishonesty or cheating by distributing information about course materials or assignments which would give an unfair advantage to others may violate the Graduate Academic Misconduct Policy and the University’s Student Conduct Code. Specifically, recordings, course materials, and lecture notes may not be exchanged or distributed for commercial purposes, for compensation, or for any purpose other than use by students enrolled in the class. Other distributions of such materials by students may be deemed to violate the above University policies and be subject to disciplinary action.

    Student Conduct Code

    The fundamental purpose of the Johns Hopkins University's (the "University" or "JHU") regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.

    For a full description of the code please visit the Student Conduct Code Web Page (https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code)

    Students with Disabilities – Accommodations and Accessibility

    Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

    For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact AAP Student Disability Services at AAPDisability@jh.edu and visit our website https://advanced.jhu.edu/student-resources/disability-services/ for additional resources.

    Dropping the Course

    You are responsible for understanding the university’s policies and procedures regarding withdrawing from courses found in the current catalog. You should be aware of the current deadlines according to the Academic Calendar.

    Getting Help

    You have a variety of methods to get help on Canvas. Please consult the resource listed in the "Help" link for important information. If you encounter technical difficulty in completing or submitting any online assessment, please immediately contact the designated help desk listed on the AAP online support page. Also, contact your instructor at the email address listed in the syllabus.

    Title IX Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting

    As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe and inclusive learning environment on our campus. I also have mandatory reporting responsibilities related to my role as a Responsible Employee under the Sexual Misconduct Policy & Procedures (which prohibits sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking), as well as the General Anti-Harassment Policy (which prohibits all types of protected status based discrimination and harassment). It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information that I learn of regarding sexual misconduct, as well as protected status based harassment and discrimination, with the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). For a list of individuals/offices who can speak with you confidentially, please see Appendix B of the JHU Sexual Misconduct Policies and Laws.

    For more information on both policies mentioned above, please see: JHU Relevant Policies, Codes, Statements and Principles. Please also note that certain faculty and other University community members also have a duty as a designated Campus Safety Authority under the Clery Act to notify campus security of certain crimes, as well as a duty under State law and University policy to report suspected child abuse and/or neglect.

    Diversity

    Johns Hopkins is a community committed to sharing values of diversity and inclusion in order to achieve and sustain excellence. We firmly believe that we can best promote excellence by recruiting and retaining a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff and by creating a climate of respect that is supportive of their success. This climate for diversity, inclusion, and excellence is critical to attaining the best research, scholarship, teaching, health care, and other strategic goals of the Health System and the University. Taken together these values are recognized and supported fully by the Johns Hopkins Institutions leadership at all levels. Further, we recognize that the responsibility for excellence, diversity, and inclusion lies with all of us at the Institutions: leadership, administration, faculty, staff, and students.

    For more information on JHU’s commitment to diversity, please visit the Diversity at JHU website.

    Course Evaluation

    Please remember to complete an online course evaluation survey for this course. These evaluations are an important tool in the ongoing efforts to improve instructional quality and strengthen programs. The results of the course evaluations are kept anonymous - your instructor will only receive aggregated data and comments for the entire class. An email with a link to the online course evaluation form will be sent to your JHU email address close to the end of the semester.  

     


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