Digital Humanities

Melike Sümertaş

Data Science Fellow 2023-2024
History

I hold a PhD in History from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul and B.A and M.A degrees from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Department of Architecture, and Program in Architectural History. My research focuses on the urban/architectural/visual culture of the late Ottoman Empire and its capital city Istanbul, with a particular interest in the Greek-Orthodox community. My current project in the History Department of UC Berkeley under the umbrella of the Istanpolis collaboration led by Prof. Christine Philliou, focuses on utilizing digital humanities tools for urban/...

MAXQDA Fundamentals Departmental (90m)

April 14, 2025, 12:30pm
This 90-minute introductory workshop will teach you MaxQDA from scratch with clear introductions, concise examples, and support documents. You will learn how to download and install the MaxQDA software, upload multiple forms of data then how to use manual and autocode features. We will review some of the additional analytic features including visual, memo and the Questions, Themes and Theories (QTT) tools. We will briefly touch on the MaxQDA Team cloud-based version. Instructors will share recommended resources.

Antipodal Experiments: Digital Humanities & Social Science (D-HASS) in Australasia

May 19, 2025, 4:00pm
Professor Smithies will highlight recent initiatives, such as major national hubs like the HASS Digital Research Hub at ANU, and explore themes of collective well-being, pluralism, environmental sustainability, Indigenous data sovereignty, and human-centered design. This talk will challenge narratives of decline by presenting innovative, community-focused digital research strategies and the potential for renewal through antipodal, pluralistic, and inclusive thinking.

Claudia von Vacano, Ph.D.

Founding Executive Director, P.I., Research Director, FSRDC

Dr. Claudia von Vacano is the Founding Executive Director and Senior Research Associate of D-Lab and Digital Humanities at Berkeley and is on the boards of the Social Science Matrix and Berkeley Center for New Media. She has worked in policy and educational administration since 2000, and at the UC Office of the President and UC Berkeley since 2008. She received a Master’s degree from Stanford University in Learning, Design, and Technology. Her doctorate is in Policy, Organizations, Measurement, and Evaluation from UC Berkeley. Her expertise is in organizational theory and...

The Creation of Bad Students: AI Detection for Non-Native English Speakers

January 21, 2025
Valeria Ramírez Castañeda
by Valeria Ramírez Castañeda. This blog explores how AI detection tools in academia perpetuate surveillance and punishment, disproportionately penalizing non-native English speakers (NNES). It critiques the rigid, culturally biased notions of originality and intellectual property, highlighting how NNES rely on AI to navigate the dominance of English in academic settings. Current educational practices often label AI use as dishonest, ignoring its potential to reduce global inequities. The post argues for a shift from punitive measures to integrate AIs as a tool for inclusivity, fostering diverse perspectives. By embracing AI, academia can prioritize collaboration and creativity over control and discipline.

Digital Humanities Working Group (April 2025)

April 7, 2025, 1:00pm
The UC Berkeley Digital Humanities Working Group is a research community founded to facilitate interdisciplinary conversations in the digital humanities and cultural analytics. Our gatherings are participant driven and provide a place for sharing research ideas (including brainstorming new ideas and receiving feedback from others), learning about the intersection of computational methods and humanistic inquiry, and connecting with others working in this space at Berkeley.

Digital Humanities Working Group (March 2025)

March 3, 2025, 1:00pm
The UC Berkeley Digital Humanities Working Group is a research community founded to facilitate interdisciplinary conversations in the digital humanities and cultural analytics. Our gatherings are participant driven and provide a place for sharing research ideas (including brainstorming new ideas and receiving feedback from others), learning about the intersection of computational methods and humanistic inquiry, and connecting with others working in this space at Berkeley.

Digital Humanities Working Group (February 2025)

February 3, 2025, 1:00pm
The UC Berkeley Digital Humanities Working Group is a research community founded to facilitate interdisciplinary conversations in the digital humanities and cultural analytics. Our gatherings are participant driven and provide a place for sharing research ideas (including brainstorming new ideas and receiving feedback from others), learning about the intersection of computational methods and humanistic inquiry, and connecting with others working in this space at Berkeley.

MAXQDA Fundamentals Departmental (90m)

February 12, 2025, 3:45pm
This 90-minute introductory workshop will teach you MaxQDA from scratch with clear introductions, concise examples, and support documents. You will learn how to download and install the MaxQDA software, upload multiple forms of data then how to use manual and autocode features. We will review some of the additional analytic features including visual, memo and the Questions, Themes and Theories (QTT) tools. We will briefly touch on the MaxQDA Team cloud-based version. Instructors will share recommended resources.

Fritz_X_DargesBlue42… Who Are You?

January 14, 2025
Jonathan Pérez
by Jonathan Pérez. Reflecting on the complexities of the human experience is paramount to conducting research. Jonathan Pérez, through his exploration of a conspiracy subreddit, reflects on his experience trying to find the human behind the datum. Jonathan critiques the harmful effects of dehumanizing rhetoric and the researcher’s responsibility to navigate ethical implications. In doing so, he establishes three guiding rules to support researchers seeking to humanize their analysis: 1) a researcher must always find the story behind the data; 2) a researcher must protect themselves; 3) a researcher must still humanize participants (even those who perpetuate harmful narratives).