RANKE.2

The pervasiveness of digital technology in students’ learning environments is rarely called into question. This is surprising when considering the crucial role of source criticism in the realm of the humanities. When we look at how the transition from analogue to digital has impacted research practices and made us increasingly dependent on search engines, it is clear that we are in need of a new approach to source criticism. Despite being digital natives, students, and sometimes also their lecturers, are in need of new skills. Their traditional academic training in how to think and read critically has to be complemented with a basic technical and mathematical understanding of digital phenomena. They must be encouraged to reflect on the origins and process of creation of what appears on their screen or tablet, and to question the search results of their Google queries.

It was this concern that drove the Director of the C²DH, Andreas Fickers, to envision an open source teaching platform for students on this topic back in 2014. Stefania Scagliola took up the task in June 2014, forming a team to work on the project, and the result is the website Ranke.2 – Source Criticism in the Digital Age. It was launched during the Digital Hermeneutics in History: Theory and Practice conference on 25 October 2018 in Belval. The Ranke.2 platform is a colourful and playful web resource, created for lecturers and students who can visit the website and watch animations, take quizzes and complete assignments about a variety of data types.

“Sources have always been critically assessed by historians. In the past these sources were generally paper documents and material objects. Now we are increasingly consulting digital representations of historical sources without reflecting on the big difference between something that is tangible and something created out of digits. Our goal is to teach students how to treat these digits and how to think about their origins and creation,” explains Stefania.

To ensure maximum accessibility, three levels of complexity are offered, each requiring a different amount of time. SMALL modules consist of a short animation with a quiz for lecturers who have little time; MEDIUM modules offer a series of assignments to choose from; and LARGE modules are for digitally savvy lecturers with enough time and the right logistics to embark on a project with their students. There is no software to download, no account needed, no permission to ask – anyone can surf the website, watch the animations and complete the quizzes and assignments. These can also be downloaded as PDFs, together with answer templates designed to match the structure and logic of the assignments. The website is available in English, German and French.

The name Ranke.2 is a nod to good old Leopold von Ranke, the 19th-century German historian who is generally seen as the father of source criticism.

https://ranke2.uni.lu

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