Though I don’t believe that humanities students should be required to learn to code, I feel that it should be highly recommended. I feel that having no knowledge of coding limits the analytical capabilities of humanities students and researchers in multiple ways. Given that scholars in the humanities are interested in studying and modeling the worlds around us and inside us, coding allows for such complex items to be “imagined and expressed as a set of formal procedures – rules, models, algorithms – …” and offers “endless vistas in which to see our own world reflected” (Matt Kirschenbaum, Hello Worlds: Why Humanities Students Should Learn to Program).
Programming can bring concepts and representations to life and help educate others so that they too can build their own projects. Take these code samples, for example:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My first web page</title>
<!-- This is a comment, by the way -->
</head>
<body>
<h1>My first web page</h1>
<h2>What this is</h2>
<p>A simple page put together using HTML. <em>I said a simple page put together using HTML.</em> A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML. A simple page put together using HTML.</p>
<h2>Why this is</h2>
<ul>
<li>To learn HTML</li>
<li>
To show off
<ol>
<li>To my boss</li>
<li>To my friends</li>
<li>To my cat</li>
<li>To the little talking duck in my brain</li>
</ul>
<h2>Where to find the tutorial</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.htmldog.com"><img src="http://www.htmldog.com/badge1.gif" width="120" height="90" alt="HTML Dog"></a></p>
h1 {
color: #ffc;
background-color: #900;
font-size: 2em;
margin: 0;
margin-bottom: 7px;
padding: 4px;
font-style: italic;
text-align: center;
letter-spacing: 0.5em;
border-bottom-style: solid;
border-bottom-width: 0.5em;
border-bottom-color: #c00;
}
What this code does is allow for the creation of a structured webpage on the internet that millions of people have access to to see HTML in action and be directed to a helpful resource for learning HTML (first block). Furthermore, the webpage can be edited using CSS to include colors, borders, and different text sizes and styles to highlight and separate important information for a better reading experience (second block). Other tags and codes can be used to cater websites to those from disadvantaged backgrounds such as people with disabilities; using the <alt> tag contributes to the mission of equal access to information. Using this technology, scholars in the humanities can create and express projects in more ways than ever before and ensure that millions of people can learn about it, such as what’s been done for the Virtual Angkor project. There’s so much customization when it comes to programming; one can truly make almost anything and create a much more immersive, educational humanities project that works to create a greater impact on the general population.
I have very little experience in coding; I’ve used R for statistical analysis and started learning Python over the break, but I wouldn’t say I’m an expert in either software/language. I hope to get better as coding has permeated the barriers of multiple academic disciplines and because I expect some of my future endeavors to involve coding to an extent. I plan to learn on and take classes to improve my skillset and one day create a impact in the fields of medicine and biotechnology.
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I agree with your stance but I wonder why you do not think it should be required. If it limits one’s learning why should the school not encourage students to break the barrier. Based on your post would you not say it could be more useful for a humanities student to learn to code then fulfill their language requirement?