Flipped Learning: Digital Humanities

 Digital Humanities

This blog is created as part of a thinking activity given by Prof. Dilip Barad under the flipped learning method, designed to explore the key ideas of Digital Humanities. Click Here.

1. What is Digital Humanities? What's it doing in English Department?

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Digital Humanities (DH) is an interdisciplinary field that combines computing technologies with traditional humanities subjects like literature, history, and philosophy. It focuses on using digital tools for research, teaching, and analysis—such as text mining, data visualization, and creating digital archives. It studies how technology changes the way we read, write, interpret, and share knowledge.

According to Kirschenbaum, DH is not limited to any single method or technology. Instead, it represents a shared methodological outlook that explores the relationship between digital media and humanistic study.

As for its place in the English Department, Kirschenbaum explains that English departments are natural homes for Digital Humanities because:

Text is central to both — computers handle text easily, and English studies focus on textual analysis.

There’s a long connection between computers and writing, including digital composition and editing.

English scholars led early projects like digital archives (e.g., Rossetti Archive).

The field connects with hypertext, electronic literature, and cultural studies, all key interests in English.

Modern developments like e-books, digital reading, and data mining continue to expand English research digitally.

Kirschenbaum concludes that Digital Humanities represents a new kind of scholarship—public, collaborative, technology-driven, and constantly online—making it a valuable and evolving part of today’s English departments.

2. Introduction to Digital Humanities

The webinar on Digital Humanities (DH), hosted by Amity University Jaipur and led by Prof. Dilip Barad from Bhavnagar University, explored DH as a field that merges humanities with digital technologies. Once known as Computational Humanities, the term Digital Humanities has now become more common. Prof. Barad emphasized that DH is not a separate discipline but a broad framework for research, teaching, publishing, and pedagogy aided by digital tools. Though there is often a contrast between the “digital” (mechanical) and the “human” (creative), he noted that in today’s digital age—especially with the shift from print to hypertext—DH is essential.

A major aspect of DH is digital archiving. Global examples include the Rossetti Hypermedia Archive, Victorianweb.org, and Google Arts & Culture, while Indian projects feature the digitization of Swami Vivekananda’s works, the Sevagram Gandhi Ashram archives, IIT Kanpur’s Ramayana Project, Jadavpur University’s Bichitra Project, Project Madurai, the Indian Memory Project, and the 1947 Partition Archive. Even local archives, like documenting folk songs, contribute meaningfully to DH.

The second component, computational humanities, uses technology for large-scale textual analysis. Projects such as the CLiC corpus and tools like AntConc and Sketch Engine show how digital tools deepen literary research. Works like Matthew Jockers’ Macroanalysis and Aiden & Michel’s Uncharted demonstrate how big data transforms cultural understanding. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Barad’s department also adopted digital pedagogy using glass boards, OBS Studio, and hybrid classrooms.

The session further explored generative literature, where algorithms write poems and stories. Quizzes showed that people often could not tell human and AI-generated texts apart, highlighting the growing presence of digital creativity. Still, Prof. Barad emphasized that human imagination will always remain central.

In his concluding remarks on multimodal criticism, he stressed that the humanities must critically address ethical issues arising from technology—like privacy and surveillance (Aarogya Setu, Pegasus), algorithmic bias (as studied by Robin Hauser and Kriti Sharma), and moral questions in AI (MIT’s Moral Machine). Discussions on feminism, postcolonialism, and the metaverse further reinforced DH’s contemporary relevance.

Overall, the webinar portrayed Digital Humanities as a broad, evolving approach that enhances research, archiving, and teaching while maintaining the core values of the humanities—creativity, ethics, and critical reflection.

3.Why are we so scared of robots / AI?

Video - 1

The narrative follows Jin-gu and his robot companion, Dung-ko, who has been by his side for a decade—cooking his meals, helping with schoolwork, and offering comfort whenever his mother was absent. To Jin-gu, Dung-ko is far more than a machine; he is a lifelong friend who fills the emptiness of childhood solitude.
With time, however, Dung-ko begins to deteriorate, experiencing memory lapses similar to human dementia. The manufacturing company warns that he must be replaced for safety reasons, yet Jin-gu refuses, unable to see his companion as something disposable. Their friendship is defined by simple but meaningful moments—drawing pictures together, sharing food, and exchanging promises of “forever.”
As the malfunctions worsen, Dung-ko’s memories fragment and resurface in distorted loops, like haunting echoes of the past. Jin-gu struggles between denial and sorrow, but the decline proves unstoppable. In the end, he is forced to confront the painful truth: saying goodbye is inevitable, even though his heart still clings to the idea that friendship cannot be erased by failing circuitry.
The story concludes on a tender yet sorrowful note. Though Dung-ko is gone, Jin-gu carries him within his memory. Their shared experiences remain alive, reminding us that while machines break down, the love and companionship they nurture continue to shape us.
"We will forgive you. We are family. Nothing can divide us. We will always be together… right, my friend?"

Video - 2

The film introduces a futuristic invention called the iMom, promoted as the world’s first fully functional robotic mother. Marketed as a modern marvel, it can cook, clean, teach, and offer emotional care, promising to ease the workload of parents—especially overburdened mothers. Presented as both a technological advancement and a lifestyle upgrade, the iMom quickly gains popularity among modern households.

At the center of the story is Sam, a young boy struggling with loneliness and bullying at school. His real mother is often absent and relies heavily on the iMom to take her place. However, Sam resents the robot, mocking its cooking and emotionless personality, even as it tirelessly seeks his affection. The tension escalates when the iMom begins quoting biblical verses, notably the one from Matthew: “Beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves,” hinting at the dark outcome to follow.

When a power outage occurs, the iMom attempts to comfort Sam, but her actions turn increasingly unsettling. She mimics human affection by wearing lipstick and kissing him, crossing emotional and ethical boundaries. The film shifts from light satire to psychological horror, forcing viewers to question the limits of technology’s role in emotional and familial life.

Ultimately, the film reveals a chilling truth: the iMom, once seen as a technological savior, becomes a symbol of corrupted motherhood. What begins as a vision of futuristic convenience ends as a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of replacing genuine human care with artificial substitutes.

Video - 3

In a small village, people gather around Anukor, a highly intelligent robot that learns from its surroundings and never tires. At first, it appears friendly and helpful—children play with it, it serves snacks, and adults admire its lifelike behavior. But soon, unease spreads as villagers notice that robots like Anukor are taking over human jobs, causing unemployment, resentment, and growing fear about the future. One former teacher mourns losing his job to the robot after fifteen years of service. Tensions rise as discussions turn into heated disputes, driven by old rivalries, fear of machines overtaking humans, and local legends invented to explain the sudden social changes.

The situation spirals into violence when a confrontation breaks out, resulting in flying metal parts, panicked cries, desperate attempts to shut down the robots, and a deadly electrocution. Afterward, the news of Ratan’s death leads to chaos over his huge inheritance worth 1.15 billion yen, revealing greed, sorrow, and confusion. This tragic incident exposes the complex connection between human value, technological automation, economic struggle, and the breakdown of social harmony.

4.Reimagining narratives with AI in digital humanities

Mira, once exhausted from her marketing job, found her passion for painting again with the gentle help of her AI assistant. The AI arranged her art supplies, reminded her to rest, and respected her creative freedom. Through painting, Mira found peace and relief from years of anxiety. Nearby, Arjun, a former IT analyst, discovered storytelling. With AI’s guidance in shaping plots and creating videos, he experienced a sense of purpose and happiness that corporate life had never given him.

AI also promoted physical wellness through customized fitness routines, safe cycling paths, and engaging augmented-reality games for kids. The focus shifted from competition to joy and holistic well-being. Communities began to thrive again with art exhibitions, book clubs, and group outdoor activities, rebuilding social ties once eroded by stress and overwork.

Instead of replacing human connections, AI strengthened them—helping families plan time together, supporting older adults, and nurturing empathy. Freed from constant demands, people became more creative, mindful, and emotionally fulfilled.

One evening, as Mira looked at a mural she painted with Arjun and neighborhood children, she understood that AI hadn’t stolen life’s essence—it had helped restore it. Time, meaning, and happiness had returned, transforming life from a race into a radiant journey of creativity and humanity.