Digital History Studies

The Digital History Studio (DHS) is both a place and a project, in the Department of History at Middle Tennessee State University. As a place, the DHS has had two homes; first in a room next to the History Department copy room, where the first three DHS films—the first film project—were produced with equipment funded by the Department. The second home came as a result of my application to MTSU’s Technology Access Fund (TAF) for equipment and a new space. In 2007 the TAF accepted my proposal, offering $114,000 to expand into a second DHS, a custom-designed studio in Peck Hall. MTSU’s Construction/Renovation Services created a space designed expressly to house the new filmmaking equipment and provide several workspaces. The new DHS opened in March 2008, in Peck 243, with an array of top-quality filmmaking equipment, including individual MacBook Pro laptop computers outfitted with iMovie (with access to Final Cut Pro) and other filmmaking software available for students to use during the semester-long film classes.

When I speak of the Digital History Studio Project (DHSP), I’m referring to the work completed thus far under the auspices of the Digital History Studio (DHS): 40 short documentaries, one website, and one podcast. Fostering digital history through the DHSP is my career goal, as I seek to provide students with the opportunity to develop an array of New Media productions using the technology available in the DHS.