The class I teach about eighteenth-century travel to Italy using the Grand Tour Explorer is titled “Virtual Italy: Methods for Historical Data Science.” It is an undergraduate class, upper-division by catalog number, but regularly also attracting some first-year students who thrive in it regardless. By a mix of general requirements that the class satisfies and, I want to also imagine, by word of mouth or interest, it attracts both dedicated humanities students and computer- or data-science students. This mix is constructive, adding to the learning environment in discussion and project work alike.

I offer here a few notes on what has worked well in my experience, as well as a stripped-down syllabus built around the quarter system (which is short!), with two eighty-minute weekly classes.

The course description emphasizes the importance of reading and original project-based work using a variety of technologies but requiring no prior coursework. It makes clear the weekly structure: one day for lecture/reading/discussion of eighteenth-century travel, the other day focused on technology, with weekly assignments that build on the previous class’s readings. It also states that the making of the final project is supported step-by-step, from proposal to final presentation, starting with the midterm, and that much class time is to be dedicated to working on the project. A written submission, alongside visualization and a presentation, is expected for the final project. Group final projects are encouraged.

A visit to the library special collections to see and hold manuscripts and printed eighteenth-century travel accounts has always been an important part of the class, making concrete what the records of the past consist of and the materiality of recording travel. This component can work even in the absence of a rare books room populated by eighteenth-century travels, especially given the close relationship between the emergence of the museum as a signature modern institution and the world of Grand Tour travel. Even guided online searches for objects and books serve the students well. While some eighteenth-century collections remain proprietary—and the Adam Matthew Digital Grand Tour website, for example, is an expensive one that not every library can afford—more and more is becoming accessible in open access.

Here is a basic syllabus:

Readings	Class content
Week 1: Introduction
	Introduction to class, syllabus review
	Practicum 1: Examples of DH projects and intro to the Grand Tour Explorer (GTE)
Week 2: What was the Grand Tour?
J. Black, “Accommodations,” “Activities,” “Transport,” “Food and Drink” (1999, 68–118); A. Miller, Letters from Italy (1776, 174–95)	Discussion of readings
M. E. Davis, “The Database as a Methodological Tool,” Digital Medievalist (2017)	Practicum 2: Data & quantitative methods: Sort, filter, reformatting, formulas, pivot in Google Sheets
Week 3: Who were the Grand Tourists?
J. Brewer, “Whose Grand Tour?” (2012, 45–61); P. Findlen, “Gender and Culture in Eighteenth-Century Italy“ (2009, 1–31); A. Geurts, “Gender, Curiosity, and the Grand Tour” (2020); H. Piozzi, Observations (1789, 187–215)	Discussion of readings
M. Düring, “From Hermeneutics to Data to Networks” (2015)	Practicum 3: Networks and graphs in Palladio
Week 4: Where was the Grand Tour? (Part 1)
R. Sweet, “Cities of the Grand Tour” (2000, 1–11); R. Addison, Remarks (1718, 62–81, 148–61, 314–16, 322–31); T. Hammond, Memoirs (2017, 11–23, 78–108)	Discussion of readings
R. White, “Spatial History” (2010, 1–6)	Practicum 4: Spatial data and point maps in Palladio
Week 5: Where was the Grand Tour? (Part 2)
J. Wilton-Ely, Piranesi, Paestum, and Sloane (2013, 21–40, 84–91); G. Ceserani et al., “British Travelers in Eighteenth-Century Italy” (2017); C. Burney, Present State of Music (1771, 291–314); R. Colt Hoare, Recollections Abroad (1815, 191–95, 201–09)	Discussion of readings
J. Theibault “Visualizations and Historical Arguments” (2013)	Practicum 5: Edge maps, distance metrics, and pivot tables
Week 6: Special Collections visit and midterm
	Visit to Library Special Collections
	Visit to University Map Center
Week 7: Absence and presence of data
K. Walchester, Traveling Servants (2020, 36–60); S. Goldsmith, Masculinity and Danger (2020, 185–208)	In Class Midterm Assignment Presentations
L. Klein, “The Image of Absence” (2013); J. Guiliano, A Primer for Teaching Digital History (2022, 111–28)	Practicum 6: Absence & presence of data
Week 8: Framing and pursuing a research question
Due before class: Brainstorming notes about 3 different ideas for final project.	Cowriting exercises
E. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (2001, 13–51, 107–21); C. D’Ignazio and L. Klein, Data Feminism (2020, 2–38)	Principles of data visualization, layout, and design
Week 9: Project work with class support
Due: Final project miniproposal	In-class group work
Due: Primary source analysis	Data cleaning & troubleshooting
Week 10: Project in-class work and presentations
	In-class group work
	Class presentations of drafts, conference-style peer review
Final project due at submission deadline