Research and
Creative Activity
in the College of Arts and Humanities

Digital Humanities combines the use of digital tools and methods with the study of the humanities, bridging the university’s strengths in technology with its commitment to human-centered research and innovation. Digital humanities use tools like data visualization, text mining, GIS mapping and digital archiving to explore culture, history, language and identity in new and impactful ways. This work preserves and interprets cultural heritage, while making it more accessible and engaging to broader audiences.

At UCF, digital humanities foster interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts, humanities, and STEM fields. They support public-facing scholarship, attract external funding and prepare students to think critically and creatively in a digital world.

Example: PRINT - About

Our arts and humanities scholars are engaging in critical and creative conversations around artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. These tools are rapidly reshaping how we create, communicate and understand the world. Our disciplines bring essential perspectives to questions about ethics, creativity, identity and the human experience — areas that are often overlooked in purely technical approaches.

At UCF, where innovation is a core value, our work helps ensure that technological development is guided by cultural insight, historical context and ethical reflection. By engaging with emerging technologies, our scholars expand the boundaries of their disciplines and contribute to shaping a more thoughtful and responsible digital future.

Example: Johnson, Emily K., and Anastasia Salter. Critical Making in the Age of AI. Amherst College Press, 2025. ISBN 978-1-943208-96-8 (Open Access).

https://services.publishing.umich.edu/Books/C/Critical-Making-in-the-Age-of-AI3

If you want to study Broadway, go to New York. If you want to study country or Christian music, head to Nashville. Films? Be in LA or Georgia. But if you are interested in themed experiences, Central Florida – the Theme Park Capital of the World – is the only place to be.
Central Florida is the global leader in immersive storytelling and themed entertainment, and UCF plays a central role in this space. Faculty and students engage in research that blends performance, design, narrative and technology to create transformative experiences. Through partnerships with industry leaders and interdisciplinary programs like themed experience and immersive experience design, the college contributes to the evolution of experience and entertainment innovation.

Example: Baker, Carissa. 2024. “Three-Dimensional Fear: The Presence of Narrative in Theme Park Halloween Festivals.” Event Management 28 (4): 631–47.

https://doi.org/10.3727/152599524X17077053867665

Our faculty and students conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research that explores past and present human experience through digital archives, oral histories and cultural analysis. This work not only preserves vital aspects of our shared heritage, but also generates new knowledge that informs national and global conversations. It attracts competitive grants, supports high-impact publications and strengthens our reputation as a hub for meaningful, socially engaged research.

Our commitment to cultural and historic research also drives collaboration beyond the university. By investing in this work, we demonstrate the value of the humanities in shaping public understanding, influencing policy and ensuring that voices and stories are preserved for future generations.

Example:Ancient Artifacts Unearthed in Iraq Shed Light on Hidden History of Mesopotamia | University of Central Florida News

Storytelling is at the heart of how we communicate meaning, explore identity and imagine the future — and it is a skill that is increasingly vital in our digital age and in fields like AI, gaming, virtual reality and digital media. Literary scholars and creative writers bring critical insight into how language, culture and imagination influence the technologies we build and the societies they transform.

By supporting research in these areas, UCF fosters interdisciplinary collaboration that enriches both the humanities and STEM. Creative writing and literary studies help humanize technology, challenge assumptions and ensure that innovation is guided by empathy, ethics and cultural awareness. In a world driven by data and code, these fields remind us why stories — and the people behind them — still matter.
Example:The Florida Review at UCF

Philosophy and ethics provide the framework for responsible innovation. As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology and data systems reshape society, ethical inquiry helps us navigate questions of privacy, equity, accountability and human impact. Philosophy equips students and researchers with tools to think rigorously about what we create…and why.

At UCF, where technological advancement is a core strength, research in philosophy and ethics ensures that innovation is grounded in human values. It fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, informs policy and prepares students to become thoughtful leaders who can anticipate and address the broader consequences of their work.

Example: Ethically Speaking Ethically Speaking - UCF Center for Ethics

Our scholars engage in critical and creative conversations the arts as powerful forces shaping culture, identity and innovation. In Orlando, a city known globally for its innovative approaches to hospitality, tourism and entertainment, our faculty and students explore how these economic drivers intersect with technology, storytelling, and community impact. This work reflects and contributes to a thriving creative economy that blends artistic vision with innovation.

Example: UCF Celebrates the Arts

https://www.cfpublic.org/podcast/spotlight/2025-04-10/spotlight-ucf-celebrates-the-arts-elevates-collaboration-of-arts-and-tech

At UCF, where innovation and interdisciplinary research are central, language studies connect the humanities with fields like AI, machine learning, cognitive science and digital media. This research supports everything from improving voice recognition systems to designing culturally aware user interfaces, ensuring that technological advancement is grounded in a deep understanding of human expression and interaction. Language studies also help us analyze how meaning is constructed, how narratives shape public discourse, and how linguistic diversity impacts access to information and opportunity.

Example: ELLE Elle 2.0

Public history and community engagement research at UCF is especially impactful because of Central Florida’s unique cultural and demographic landscape. As one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, Orlando offers a living laboratory for exploring how history is remembered, shared and shaped by communities. From its rich civil rights legacy to its vibrant immigrant populations and evolving urban identity, the city provides countless opportunities for students and researchers to collaborate with local organizations, museums and neighborhoods. We partner with community organizations like the Orange County Regional History Center and the Preserve Eatonville Community to create projects that are academically rigorous and publicly accessible, allowing the university to investigate contemporary issues — such as migration, social structure and community — through a historical and cultural lens.

At a university like UCF, where innovation and public service go hand in hand, public history research helps bridge the gap between the past and the present, and between the university and the people it serves.

Example: RICHES™

At a university like UCF, known for its strengths in technology and innovation, arts and wellness research adds a vital human dimension. It fosters collaboration across disciplines, leading to creative solutions like using digital twin technology to aid in stage fright or animations to provide healthcare advice to multilingual communities. This research also helps students and faculty design with empathy, not just efficiency, and supports student well-being and community engagement. Orlando, in particular, offers a unique environment for this work. As a diverse, rapidly growing city with a strong healthcare sector, vibrant arts scene and major entertainment and tech industries, it provides rich opportunities for real-world partnerships and impact. By focusing on arts and wellness, UCF is preparing graduates who are not only technically skilled but also creative, adaptable and ready to lead in a world that values both innovation and empathy.

Example:Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts & Wellness Innovation Awards - College of Arts and Humanities