98872 - Diplomatics of contemporary records (1) (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course aims to introduce the basics of “modern diplomatics” starting from the comparison with “classic diplomatics”. At the end of the course students will be able to: analyze documents on the basis of their form, formation, functions and uses; distinguish between documents and records; assess the trustworthiness of records in terms of reliability, authenticity, accuracy, and authentication. Students will also be able to use diplomatic analysis as useful instrument for all archival functions, from appraisal to arrangement and description, and from preservation to communication.

Contenuti

The following topics will be covered during the lectures:

1. Introduction to the discipline
2. The concepts of fact and legal act, document, and archival document (record)
3. The persons concurring in the creation of archival documents
4. The formation of archival documents and the characteristics they derive from it: the extrinsic and intrinsic elements, form and functions of archival documents
5. The concepts of reliability, accuracy, authenticity, authentication and usability
6. The status, methods, and forms of transmission of archival documents
7. Introduction to digital record legislation: International and Italian context
8. Case-study: InterPARES Project

Part of the course will be dedicated to document analysis and diplomatic criticism.

Testi/Bibliografia

For the final exam, attending and non-attending students should read:

L. Duranti, Diplomatics: New Uses for an Old Science, Lanham, MD, and London, Scarecrow Press 1998 [The book contains a series of six articles published in «Archivaria» 28-31, 1989-1991/’92].

L. Duranti, Diplomatics, on Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, ed. by M. Bates, M. N. Maack, M. Drake, New York, Basel, Hong Kong, Marcel Dekker, Inc. 2009, pp. 1-9.

L. Duranti, Structural and formal analysis: the contribution of diplomatics to archival appraisal in the digital environment, on J. Hill, The Future of Archives and Recordkeeping: A Reader, London, Facet 2010, pp. 65-88.

Luciana Duranti, Corinne Rogers & Kenneth Thibodeau (2022) Authenticity, Archives and Records, 43:2, 188-203, <https://doi.org/10.1080/23257962.2022.2054406>

L. Duranti, P. Franks, Encyclopedia of Archival Science, Lanham, MD, Rowman&Littlefield Publishing Group 2015. (View entries about all concepts covered in class).

C. Williams Director, Diplomatic Attitudes: From Mabillon to
Metadata, Journal of the Society of Archivists, 26:1 (2005), pp. 1-24, <https://doi.org/10.1080/00039810500047417>

Readings, together with the slides of the course, are available on Virtuale.

Metodi didattici

The course will be conducted through traditional lectures during which documents, from various historical periods, will be read and analyzed from a Diplomatic perspective. 

Class attendance is recommended but not strictly required. The exam schedule and methods of verifying learning are the same for both attending students and those who choose not to attend class

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The final exam consists of three parts:

1. written exam based on the topics covered in class and the course bibliography The written test will be held using the Esami On Line platform. It is a one hour examination that includes multiple-choice and free-text answers.
2. practical exam involving an in-depth study of one or two topics that pertain to the discipline and that should be presented through examples from the documentation. PPT presentations or similar (max 5 slides) are allowed; it is possible to take this test in pairs as long as the responsibilities of the individual student are explicitly declared. The presentation must be sent at least 5 days before the oral colloquium;
3. oral colloquium in which the student is required to explain the in-depth practical exam performed.

The final evaluation is based on the scores obtained in the individual tests. 

Achievement of a clear understanding of all course topics, in-depth study of the topic chosen for presentation, and use of appropriate terminology will be graded with maximum grade (final score from 26 to 30 cum laude). Mnemonic knowledge of course topics or use of terminology that is not entirely appropriate will be assessed with an intermediate grade (final score between 23 to 25). Unknown topics and the use of inappropriate terminology will be assessed, depending on the severity of the omissions, with minimal or insufficient marks (final score lesser than 18 or from 18 to 22).

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Teaching materials will be provided by teachers during classes and published on Virtuale

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Annafelicia Zuffrano