History and Artificial Intelligence (English)
About the Department
Turkey's First
Department of History and Artificial Intelligence
at Istanbul Medipol University
The Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University proposes a new educational model that brings together the most advanced techniques of historiography with instruction in artificial intelligence technologies.
Our goal is to equip our students with both the fundamental competencies of historiography and literacy and expertise in artificial intelligence, creating a structure in which, depending on their achievement and preferences, they can pursue a double major in History and Artificial Intelligence Engineering. In this way, pioneering graduates will be trained at the new frontiers of historiography.
Educational Approach
In recent years, the processes of producing, processing and circulating historical knowledge have been undergoing a profound transformation thanks to digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The reading, classification and analysis of historical sources, their conversion into data, the production of meaningful results from this data, and their visualization and dissemination are now largely carried out through digital tools. Artificial intelligence, in turn, enables these processes to be carried out in a more systematic, scalable and powerful manner.
The Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University adopts an approach that places the methodological rigor of the discipline of history at its center. The accurate reading of historical texts, the correct identification of document types and their contexts, the critical questioning of the relationship between sources and the knowledge produced from them, and the construction of reliable historical knowledge on this foundation are the indispensable principles of historiography.
The newly established Department of History and Artificial Intelligence aims not to weaken classical historical methodology, but to strengthen it further with the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence.
One of the program's core objectives is to train researchers capable of connecting the rich historical heritage of Turkey—and of Ottoman history in particular—to the major questions posed by global historiography.
When knowledge produced on the basis of primary sources in Turkish historiography is processed with sound methods and critical tools, it can serve as a powerful laboratory contributing to humanity's shared historical problems. AI-assisted digital methods, in turn, make it possible for this historical material to be analyzed at larger scales and to enter into global academic circulation.
On the other hand, the use of rapidly developing digital methods and AI-based systems in the production of historical knowledge also carries certain risks.
Our department will play an important role in identifying and remedying the aspects of current artificial intelligence workflows that are incompatible with historical methodology, thereby building a foundation that allows the integration of the discipline of history with digital developments to take place under expert oversight.
Our program aims to train students not merely as users of artificial intelligence tools, but as researchers who grasp the epistemological assumptions, modes of reasoning and methodological limits underlying these technologies.
We want our students to gain the ability to use artificial intelligence in the reading, interpretation, conversion into data and visualization of historical material, as well as the ability to develop the relevant technologies themselves.
In line with these goals, we offer our students the opportunity—and encourage them—to pursue a double major or minor with the Department of Artificial Intelligence Engineering.
Within this framework, the undergraduate program in History and Artificial Intelligence aims to offer a distinctive educational model at the international level, one that integrates historical methodology with contemporary artificial intelligence approaches.
We believe that the program will train qualified human resources not only for academic research but also for the fields of cultural heritage, digital archives, data analysis and public history.
Vision
Training a
New Generation of
Historians
Our goal, as the Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University, is to preserve the classical craft of historiography while training a new generation of historians who rethink it through artificial intelligence technologies, who produce reliable knowledge, who can use artificial intelligence systems critically and, where necessary, contribute to the design of these systems, and who command the expanding frontiers of historiography.
Artificial Intelligence and Historiography
Our answer is clear: No.
History will never be a field of knowledge that can be produced by artificial intelligence independently of human beings.
Historiography is not merely the collection of information. Locating sources, assessing their authenticity, conducting source criticism, comparing different testimonies, questioning reliability, developing meaningful research questions, and producing convincing historical explanations from all of this constitute the very essence of historiography.
These are not merely technical processes, but ones that require intellectual and ethical judgment as well.
However, this does not mean that the role of artificial intelligence in historical research is limited. On the contrary, a new era is opening up for historiography.
Unlike artificial intelligence models offered for general public use, reliable AI systems to be used in scientific knowledge production will be built not on information found on the internet, but on scientific data architectures created by domain experts.
Only historians can create data sets whose source value has been determined, whose authenticity has been assessed, which have undergone source criticism, which represent different points of view, and which preserve their historical context.
General-purpose artificial intelligence systems can produce answers to questions. But the answers to questions such as which sources carry representative power, how concepts have changed meaning over time, or which silences carry historical significance lie within the methodology of history.
Incorporating these into artificial intelligence algorithms can only happen with the contribution of those who know the craft of historiography.
If we fail to train historians who can critically evaluate artificial intelligence systems and contribute to their design, then history may begin to be written by machines.
Artificial intelligence offers historiography opportunities that were not previously possible.
The joint analysis of millions of pages of text, transcription, information extraction, data cleaning, classification, the construction of relationship networks, mapping, visualization, and the analysis of very large data sets are now becoming possible.
In this way, historians will be able to devote their time less to routine tasks and more to interpretation, comparison, critical thinking and the development of new research questions.
Our goal is not to replace historiography with artificial intelligence.
Our goal is to bring historical methodology to the center of the age of artificial intelligence.
International Education
100% English-Medium Education and an International Experience
The language of instruction in our department is 100% English.
Students who demonstrate advanced academic English proficiency in the preparatory year complete their academic education in the field of history entirely through courses taught in English. In addition, students will have the opportunity, within the framework of the study-abroad programs supported by Istanbul Medipol University, to attend courses for one semester at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States.
The tuition fees and accommodation expenses of the study-abroad program are covered by our university.
Arabic Language Education and the Overseas Language Support Program
A command of the Arabic language is of great importance for access to sources on Ottoman and Islamic history.
Students will take Arabic courses from instructors who are experts in their field. Students who successfully complete these courses will reinforce their language skills by attending an intensive language course in Arabic-speaking countries such as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
All expenses for this process will be covered by our university.
Ottoman Turkish and Source-Reading Proficiency
Ottoman Turkish, one of the indispensable tools of Ottoman historical research, is a core component of the department's curriculum.
Within two years, students will reach a level at which they can read both printed and manuscript works.
In addition, in advanced-level courses, they will begin writing original articles based on primary sources in Ottoman Turkish.
Education Amid the Historical Layers of Istanbul
The Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University makes use of the advantage of being located in Istanbul—a city that has been home to many civilizations from the Roman Empire to the present day—by treating the city's historical richness as an educational resource.
Through archive, library, museum and field visits organized in connection with the topics covered in courses, students will come into direct contact with history and become active participants in the learning process.
Career Opportunities
Academic Career
The Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University aims to train well-equipped individuals who not only understand the past but are also poised to shape the future. This approach offers a wide range of career opportunities after graduation.
Graduates of our department may pursue an academic career, taking positions as faculty members or researchers at universities and research institutions.
The skills of reading, analyzing and interpreting sources acquired during their undergraduate education make them competent in fields such as historical writing, archival studies, document analysis and academic publishing.
A Wide Range of Career Opportunities
The opportunities offered by expertise in history are not limited to an academic career alone.
Our graduates can take on active roles in creative and communication-oriented sectors such as cultural heritage management, museology, publishing, media, documentary production, editing, screenplay consulting, historical consulting, television and radio broadcasting, and digital publishing.
They can work as content creators, researchers or consultants in the world of television, radio and digital publishing.
New Job Fields in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Through their training in artificial intelligence, our graduates are also qualified to contribute to the rapidly developing fields of data literacy and digital humanities.
New-generation job fields include the following:
Academic Staff
A Supportive and Selective Academic Environment
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of History and Artificial Intelligence offers a distinctive and high-quality learning environment through its student selection and academic support policies.
The program has a selective structure in which only candidates with high academic potential and a particular interest in the discipline of history are admitted.
Student quotas are kept limited, so that every student can receive individual attention and guidance.
All students enrolled in this special program receive full-scholarship education. Scholarships are designed to cover not only tuition fees but also living expenses.
Comprehensive support such as accommodation, book and research support is provided so that students can focus entirely on their academic development.
The department does not merely provide students with historical knowledge; through a multifaceted educational approach, it aims to train them to become critical thinkers with cultural awareness, digital competence and intellectual courage.
Our goal is to prepare a body of highly talented students equipped with these qualities to become the effective historians of tomorrow and intellectuals capable of contributing on a global scale.
Academic Staff and Close Interaction
Our students will work in close, one-on-one interaction with academics who not only convey knowledge but also think, question and produce.
Faculty members of the Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University hold international recognition in their fields of expertise, and also possess the competency to assess historical events from a long-term, global perspective.
Our curriculum is structured with the aim of sharing this accumulated knowledge directly with students.
Our Faculty
Prof. Dr. Cemil Aydın
Prof. Dr. Mehmet İpşirli
Prof. Dr. Tufan Buzpınar
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Demirel
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz
Assistant Professor İsa Uğurlu
Assistant Professor Abdullah Karaarslan
Research Specialist Şeyma Nur Temel
Research Specialist Fatih Doğan
Academic Advisory Board
Scholarships and More
Scholarships
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of History and Artificial Intelligence offers comprehensive scholarship opportunities to support high-achieving students and encourage academic success. These opportunities are intended to help our students have a rewarding university experience, both academically and socially. All students placed in the Department of History and Artificial Intelligence will study on a 100% full scholarship. Outstanding Achievement Scholarships, as described below, will be granted to students who achieve top rankings in the university entrance exams.
Outstanding Achievement Scholarship
For Students Ranking in the Top 2,000 in the Equally-Weighted (EA) Score Type
- Monthly education scholarship of 50,000 TL
- Paid over 7 months per year
- One semester of education in the United States
- Dormitory scholarship
- Meal scholarship
Aziz Sancar Doctoral Scholarship
- Financial support is provided to students who rank in the top 500 in the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) and complete the undergraduate program of the Department of History and Artificial Intelligence at Istanbul Medipol University, on the condition that they pursue their doctoral studies in the field of History at a university ranked in the top 20 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
- Under this scheme, a scholarship of up to 40,000 US dollars per year is granted for up to 5 years during the course of the doctoral studies.