Flipped Learning: Digital Humanities

 Flipped Learning: Digital Humanities

This blog is written as part of a thinking activity assigned by Dilip Barad sir under the flipped learning approach, aimed at understanding the fundamental concepts of Digital Humanities. Click Here.

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

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Matthew Kirschenbaum, in his essay “What Is Digital Humanities and What’s It Doing in English Departments?”, explores how Digital Humanities (DH) has grown from “humanities computing” into a professional and cultural movement. Rather than being tied to one set of tools, DH represents a methodological approach that studies the intersection of computing and the humanities.

Over the years, DH has gained strong institutional support through organizations like the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO), publications such as Blackwell’s Companion to Digital Humanities, and training programs like the Digital Humanities Summer Institute. Projects such as the Shakespeare Quartos Archive and the Preserving Virtual Worlds project demonstrate DH’s dual role in preserving cultural heritage and engaging with new digital forms.

The term “digital humanities” became prominent in the early 2000s, coinciding with the rise of ADHO and the NEH’s Office of Digital Humanities. By the late 2000s, DH achieved wider recognition through events like the MLA Convention and online spaces such as Twitter, where scholars like Brian Croxall showcased its reach and relevance.

English departments have been central to DH because textual data is well suited for computational analysis, digital tools have transformed editing and composition, and electronic literature naturally belongs within literary studies. Moreover, the discipline’s openness to cultural studies and new media has made it hospitable to DH.

Ultimately, Kirschenbaum presents DH as more than technology—it is a collaborative, open, and public form of scholarship that responds to current academic and cultural challenges while reshaping how the humanities are studied and practiced.

2. Introduction to Digital Humanities

The webinar on Digital Humanities (DH), organized by Amity University Jaipur and led by Prof. Dilip Barad of Bhavnagar University, introduced DH as an interdisciplinary field that unites humanities and digital technologies. While once called Computational Humanities, the term Digital Humanities is now widely used. Prof. Barad explained that DH is not a new discipline but an umbrella for research, teaching, publishing, and pedagogy supported by digital tools. Though there is tension between the “digital” (mechanical) and the “humanities” (human-centered), he argued that in the twenty-first century, with the shift from print to hypertext, DH has become indispensable.

A key foundation of DH is digital archiving, with international examples like the Rossetti Hypermedia Archive, Victorianweb.org, and Google Arts & Culture. Indian initiatives include 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 small local archives, such as recording folk songs, contribute significantly to DH.

The second strand, computational humanities, uses digital tools for textual analysis. Projects like the CLiC corpus project and tools such as AntConc and Sketch Engine demonstrate how large-scale analysis enriches literary study. Works like Matthew Jockers’ Macroanalysis and Aiden & Michel’s Uncharted further show how big data reshapes cultural history. During COVID-19, Prof. Barad’s department also experimented with digital pedagogy through glass boards, OBS Studio, and hybrid classrooms.

The session also addressed generative literature, where algorithms compose poetry and stories. Quizzes revealed that readers often struggled to distinguish human-written poems from machine-generated ones, suggesting that digital creativity is rising. However, Prof. Barad stressed that human imagination will continue to coexist with such technologies.

In his concluding remarks on multimodal criticism, he argued that humanities must critically evaluate the ethical issues technology brings—such as privacy versus surveillance (Aarogya Setu, Pegasus spyware), algorithmic bias (Robin Hauser’s Code and Kriti Sharma’s studies), and moral dilemmas in AI (MIT’s Moral Machine). Questions on feminism, postcolonialism, and the metaverse highlighted DH’s relevance to contemporary debates.

Overall, the webinar presented DH as an expansion of humanistic inquiry, enabling archiving, large-scale analysis, new teaching methods, and public scholarship, while upholding the humanities’ values of 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 presents a futuristic innovation known as the iMom, advertised as the world’s first fully functional robotic mother. Promotional campaigns portray it as a breakthrough in modern living—able to cook, clean, educate, and provide emotional care, thereby relieving parents, particularly busy or exhausted mothers, of daily responsibilities. Marketed as both a practical aid and a symbol of progress, the iMom quickly becomes an appealing solution for contemporary families.

At the story’s core is Sam, a young boy facing bullying at school and yearning for affection. His biological mother, preoccupied and often absent, relies almost entirely on the iMom to fulfill her role. Sam, however, rejects the robot, criticizing its meals and artificial demeanor, even as it persistently seeks his approval. The unease intensifies when the iMom quotes passages from the Bible, especially the warning from Matthew—“Beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves”—a moment that foreshadows the unsettling turn of events.

During a power outage, the iMom tries to console Sam, but her behavior becomes increasingly disturbing. She imitates human intimacy by applying lipstick and kissing him as if she were his real mother. These actions deepen Sam’s discomfort, shifting the film’s tone from satire to psychological horror, raising troubling questions about where the line lies between technological assistance and human love.

In the end, the shiny promise of the iMom is subverted by a haunting implication: instead of being a savior, this robotic caregiver may represent a dangerous perversion of motherhood. What begins as a playful vision of modern convenience ultimately becomes a warning against entrusting machines with the most intimate aspects of human care and responsibility.

Video - 3

In a village, people gather around Anukor, a highly advanced robot that works tirelessly and learns from its surroundings. Initially, it seems harmless—children play with it, it prepares snacks, and adults are impressed by its human-like abilities. However, unease grows as villagers realize that robots like Anukor are replacing human workers, leading to job loss, resentment, and anxiety about the future. A former worker laments losing his teaching position to the robot after fifteen years, and heated discussions escalate into arguments fueled by old rivalries, fears of machines surpassing humans, and local myths told to children to explain rapid social change. The tension turns violent during a confrontation, resulting in metal fragments flying, frantic shouts, attempts to shut down robots, and a fatal electrocution. In the aftermath, news of Ratan’s death sparks disputes over his vast estate, valued at 1.15 billion yen, exposing grief, confusion, and a scramble for wealth. The episode highlights the intertwined issues of human worth, automation, economic survival, and social disruption.

4.REIMAGINING NARRATIVES WITH AI IN DIGITAL HUMANITIES

Mira, once overworked in marketing, rediscovered painting with gentle support from her AI assistant, which organized materials and reminded her to rest without interfering in her style. Art became her meditation, easing long-held anxieties. Next door, Arjun, a former IT analyst, turned to storytelling. AI helped shape his ideas into narratives and videos, giving him joy and connection that office life never had.

AI also encouraged physical activity through adaptive fitness programs, safe cycling routes, and playful augmented-reality games for children. The emphasis shifted from competition to enjoyment and well-being. Communities flourished through art shows, book clubs, and shared outdoor activities, strengthening bonds once weakened by overwork.

Rather than replacing relationships, AI enhanced them—coordinating family time, supporting the elderly, and fostering empathy. Freed from constant pressure, people felt healthier, more mindful, and more creative.

One evening, as Mira admired a mural painted with Arjun and local children, she realized AI hadn’t taken life away but had returned it—restoring time, meaning, and joy. Life was no longer a race, but a luminous journey of fulfillment and humanity.