Course Projects

Digital scholarship is a core skill taught within the Digital Culture and Information (DCI) minor at Washington and Lee University.  In DCI 201: Digital Collections and Exhibits, students work in groups and choose an institutional history related topic they would like to research.  They curate a digital collection of items from the W&L Special Collections and Archives and create a digital exhibit about the topic.  They place their research within the framework of wider W&L history as well as the larger historic context.  As this course is taught in future years, this collection of exhibits will continue to grow.  

Browse Projects

Image of the 1966 program of the Contact Committee speaker series showing a city sklyine.

DCI 201: Contact Committee & Campus Speech Controversies

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2023 that is working to better understand W&L’s Contact Committee, its role in promoting free speech, and controversies surrounding freedom of expression on campus.
Glamour shot of a women found in the 1968 Calyx.

DCI 201: Evolving Images

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2023 that delves into the dynamic and often complex portrayal of women at Washington and Lee University from the 1960s to the 2000s.
Class picture of the W&L class of 1989, the first co-ed graduating class, in front of Washington Hall.

DCI 201: Coeducation (Fall 2023)

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2023 that highlights the University’s official coeducation process from 1980-1990.
Fancy Dress 1980 poster of Monopoly board.

DCI 201: Fancy Dress 1980's

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2023 about the history of Fancy Dress during the 1980s. Washington and Lee University is home to one of the largest events among southern higher education institutions: Fancy Dress. Often referred to as W&L’s prom, the annual Fancy Dress ball is one of rich historical and cultural significance. Aspects of Fancy Dress act as a window into the institutional history of Washington and Lee, reflecting the social changes of not only the school, but the national collegiate environment as well.
Image a football player running with the ball.

DCI 201: Football

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2021 that portrays the story of competitive football at Washington and Lee University, a small, private, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, through showing the evolution of the school as a pioneer of the sport, to dealing with academic scandal, and rebounding to become a prominent member of the NCAA Division III.
Cadaver society plaque.

DCI 201: Secret Societies

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2021 for DCI 201: Digital Collections and Exhibits that seeks to help broaden public knowledge of what secret societies are and their existence at Washington and Lee University.
Image of musician holding a guitar and singing into a microphone.

DCI 201: Music

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Fall 2021 for DCI 201: Digital Collections and Exhibits that details musical acts who performed at W&L from the 1940s through the 1990s.
Mock Convention Floor, 1972 - Flag Waving

DCI 201: Mock Convention: Student Involvement

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Winter 2020 that compares student involvement in the 1980 and 2020 Washington and Lee University's Mock Conventions.
Washington Hall on the Colonnade at W&L.

DCI 201: Coeducation

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Winter 2020 that portrays the impacts of coeducation at Washington and Lee University, a small, private, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, through evaluating its effects by comparing the university's social climate before and after the decision to become coeducated.
Release of red, white, and blue balloons.

DCI 201: Mock Convention: Processes Through the Years

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Winter 2020 that details the delegation selection of Mock Convention and how it has progressed as technology has advanced. This collection is primarily aimed towards Washington and Lee alumni but can also help to inform current students about the history of this tradition.
Collage of Fancy Dress posters.

DCI 201: Fancy Dress Gala

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Winter 2020 about the history of Fancy Dress, an annual formal gala, at Washington and Lee University.
This photo depicts four W&L students relaxing on the front porch of their house in 1974 wearing SABU jackets.

DCI 201: Integration

An institutional history digital exhibit created during Winter 2020 about integration at Washington and Lee University, including the creation of Student Association for Black Unity (SABU).