- The Evaluation of HSSH Progresses
- Brown Bag Seminar taking a break for 4.12. – Last seminar of the year on 11.12. with Elina Oinas
- International Networks in Indonesia and Australia: Building Bridges in Digital Media Research
- Visiting Professor Lars-Erik Malmberg in Helsinki
- ECHOES Policy Event & Workshop 12-13 December
- Try Avidnote AI assistant for your work and research – software trial continues until 1.2.2025 + webinar on 3.12.
The Evaluation of HSSH Progresses
Helsinki Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (HSSH) has initiated an external evaluation of its activities during the 2024–2025 academic year.
“Evaluation is a part of the institute’s ongoing development work. Feedback was gathered from various forums, providing valuable insights into the institute’s strengths and areas for improvement,” Risto Kunelius, Director of HSSH, says.
Feedback was collected in September and October through an online survey targeting colleagues who have been actively collaborating with HSSH. Additionally, faculty research committees provided comments on the first draft of the evaluation report.
“The institute’s mission is to develop the shared research environment of the City Centre Campus by supporting interdisciplinary initiatives, methodological development, and the shared use of research infrastructures.”
The first version of the evaluation report will be published in January. It will provide a comprehensive overview of HSSH’s activities, its impacts, and its future directions. An international evaluation group will visit the campus in March and April. Their observations and recommendations will be finalized by May.
This evaluation process reflects HSSH’s commitment to openness and continuous improvement, laying a solid foundation for the future of interdisciplinary research.
Brown Bag Seminar taking a break for 4.12. – Last seminar of the year on 11.12. with Elina Oinas
The Methodological Unit of HSSH hosts a weekly event, Brown Bag Seminar, to highlight novel methodological approaches in humanities and social sciences.
On December 4th there is no event but the final seminar of 2024 will be held on 11.12. with a talk by Elina Oinas!
The seminars are organized as hybrid events. You’re warmly welcome to join us at the HSSH Seminar Room, Fabianinkatu 24 A, room 524, 5th floor (access via door, not courtyard due to renovations), or on Zoom.
Click here to add the Brown Bag Seminar events directly to your calendar (.ics file).
According to a researcher at the Methodological Unit, Matti Pohjonen, the idea of the meetings “is to introduce methodological innovations and cutting-edge research in various disciplines in an easily accessible manner and have an interdisciplinary discussion in an easy-going atmosphere over lunch.”
Every Wednesday at 12.15. In the next meeting on 11.12. Elina Oinas will talk about qualitative interviews – epistemologies, ideals, and practical dilemmas. Bring your own lunch, we bring fresh methodological topics!
Read more about the event on our website!
International Networks in Indonesia and Australia: Building Bridges in Digital Media Research
HSSH University Researcher Matti Pohjonen recently took a break from the November chill of Finland to engage in international academic exchange, traveling to both Indonesia and Australia. His visit marked an important step in furthering collaborative research between institutions, particularly in the field of digital media studies and digital methods.
In Indonesia, building on his trip in February, Pohjonen gave a lecture for the Faculty of Cultural Studies at the Universitas Brawijaya, one of the top universities in Indonesia. The lecture titled “Generative AI and digital cultures: critical approaches in a global context?” discussed the significance of generative AI in especially the Global South context and the theoretical and methodological questions these new developments raise for digital humanities. He also met the Dean and the vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law to discuss further collaboration around possible collaboration in digital literacy training programmes related to policy and moderation around AI and social media. This leg of his journey emphasized the importance of understanding regional contexts in global digital media landscapes. Indonesia, with its rapidly growing digital ecosystem, serves as a vital example for exploring how digital politics and media platforms shape societies in Southeast Asia and beyond.
“As a rapidly emerging digital economy, Indonesia is always such an interesting case study. I am always happy to have the opportunity to share knowledge with my colleagues there even if I think that, in the end, I am probably the one who ends up learning more from this exchange,” Pohjonen said.
Following his time in Indonesia, Pohjonen traveled to Brisbane, Australia, to visit the QUT Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC). His visit was part of an ongoing collaboration initiated earlier this year when Professor Axel Bruns from QUT visited HSSH in Finland in September. Professor Bruns’ visit laid the groundwork for an exchange of ideas and expertise between these leading research institutions, highlighting their shared commitment to advancing the understanding of digital media’s role in contemporary society. Pohjonen spent a week at DMRC working with the new practice mapping approach developed by Professor Bruns and colleagues as well as getting familiarized with the work the DMRC team does around automated image analysis.
A key highlight of Pohjonen’s time in Brisbane was his participation in the DMRC’s Visitor Seminar, held on the 21st of November. In his seminar, Pohjonen presented a thought-provoking talk on the promises—and perils—of utilizing innovative digital research methods to analyze the “context” of digital politics. His presentation explored how global and comparative perspectives can provide deeper insights into the complex interplay of digital platforms, political discourse, and cultural contexts.
“I was happy to participate for a week in the vibrant and collegial environment at DMRC,” Pohjonen said.
“Their research community is currently composed of around 50 members and is an excellent example of how universities can combine new methodological development, including generative AI, and contemporary digital politics in interdisciplinary social sciences and humanities research.”
This academic exchange underscores the value of international collaboration in tackling pressing questions in the digital age. By working together, researchers from HSSH and DMRC are not only broadening their own academic horizons but also contributing to a richer, more nuanced understanding of the global digital media landscape.
Future collaborations between the institutions promise to further enhance research on digital politics and media studies, fostering connections that bridge geographical and cultural divides.
Visiting Professor Lars-Erik Malmberg visited Helsinki
Professor Lars-Erik Malmberg from the University of Oxford visited Helsinki on November 23-27 through the HSSH Visiting Professor program. Professor Malmberg is hosted by professor Katariina Salmela-Aro and the Faculty of Educational Sciences, and this is his fourth visit to Helsinki as an HSSH visiting professor.
Professor Malmberg is an expert of quantitative methods in education, and he has developed new analysis methods for intrapersonal approaches to learning processes and modelling intrapersonal data. In his November visit, professor Malmberg gave a keynote lecture entitled "Intraindividual stability and variability of students’ learning experiences" in the EDUCA seminar that was held at the end of November in the Minerva building.
ECHOES Policy Event & Workshop 12-13 December
HSSH, with work led by university researcher Jouni Tuominen from HSSH's Methodological Unit, is a partner in a EU Horizon project ECHOES led by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), that builds the Cultural Heritage Cloud (ECCCH).
In December ECHOES will host a policy event and a workshop:
- 12th December Policy Event: Toward the Cultural Heritage Cloud
- 13th December Workshop: Onboarding communities into the Cultural Heritage Cloud
Both events will take place both in person (at KIK-IRPA, Brussels) and online. Register for the events here.
Try Avidnote AI assistant for your work and research – software trial continues until 1 February 2025 + webinar on 3.12.
Avidnote is a browser-based AI tool currently being trialed at the University of Helsinki. It is designed to support the creation of research documents, offering features such as writing assistance, results analysis, and transcription capabilities.
The application is available to all University staff and students until 1 February 2025. If Avidnote is actively utilized during the trial period, its license may be extended.
On 3.12. at 11.00–12.00 Avidnote will host an introductory seminar for the staff and students of the University of Helsinki.
Register for the webinar on Avidnote’s website.
Follow our communication channels – HSSH will organize a lecture session about automatic transcription tools available at UH in early 2025.