Research in the Arts and Humanities is about asking questions and discovering new ideas, often based on analysis or close inspection of artifacts (texts, artwork, films or other human productions). Arts and Humanities research may be conducted by reading sources in the library or online, studying artifacts in a museum, interviewing people in the community, or collecting evidence in the field.
In contrast to common ideas of research in the sciences, it is not necessarily about using data to develop new products or processes. Instead, the outcomes of research in Arts and Humanities fields are often intellectual and artistic. Conducting research in the Arts and Humanities may mean questioning assumptions, finding new meanings or uncovering new perspectives.
How can you get involved in research in the Arts & Humanities?
- Enroll in HUM 196, a Mentored Research Lab offered by the Division of Arts & Humanities.
- Explore research opportunities through the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP).
- Apply for summer research programs through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF).
- Learn more about undergraduate research programs at UC Berkeley.
Where does research happen?
Research happens in every department and program in the Arts & Humanities. Additionally, UC Berkeley is home to numerous interdisciplinary research centers and museums, including:
- Arts Research Center
- Beatrice Bain Research Group
- Center for New Music and Audio Technologies
- Center for Race and Gender
- Center for the Study of Sexual Culture
- Center for the Tebtunis Papyri, the largest collection of papyri in the Americas
- Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities
- Emma Goldman Papers Project
- Program for the Medical Humanities
Regional Area Studies
- Center for African Studies
- Center for Buddhist Studies
- Center for Chinese Studies
- Center for Japanese Studies
- Center for Korean Studies
- Center for Latin American Studies
- Center for Middle Eastern Studies
- Center for Southeast Asia Studies
- Institute for South Asia Studies
- Institute of East Asian Studies
- Institute of European Studies
- Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
- Mongolia Initiative
- Tang Center for Silk Road Studies
