Computers should not be black boxes but rather understood as engines for creating powerful and persuasive models of the world around us.
Hello Worlds (why humanities students should learn to program), Kirschenbaum
Digital Humanities (DH) is an interdisciplinary field that uses computational methods to study and analyze humanistic texts and cultural artifacts. Coding is an essential skill for students in the DH field because it allows them to manipulate, analyze, and visualize data in ways that traditional methods cannot.
One of the main reasons that DH students should learn how to code is that it provides them with the tools to analyze large amounts of text data. For example, using programming languages like Python or R, DH students can use natural language processing (NLP) techniques to analyze the frequency of certain words or phrases within a text. They can also use text mining techniques to identify patterns and trends within large collections of texts.
Coding also allows DH students to create interactive visualizations and digital maps, which can help to make complex data more accessible and understandable. For example, using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software, DH students can create interactive maps that show the distribution of certain cultural phenomena across time and space. Similarly, using data visualization tools like D3.js, DH students can create interactive charts and diagrams that reveal patterns and relationships within data sets.
humanitiesScholar + basicCoding = goodDigitalHumanitiesProjectAnother advantage of learning to code is that it allows DH students to create digital resources and tools that can be used by other scholars and researchers. For example, DH students can use programming languages like Python or Ruby to create web scraping scripts that can automatically collect data from online sources. They can also use web development frameworks like Ruby on Rails or Django to create custom databases and interfaces for accessing and analyzing data.
Finally, learning to code can also help DH students to develop key employable skills. DH is a rapidly growing field, and there is a high demand for professionals who have expertise in both digital tools and humanistic methods. By learning to code, DH students can demonstrate to potential employers that they have the skills and knowledge to work effectively in a digital environment.
In conclusion, learning to code is an essential skill for Digital Humanities students. It allows them to analyze large amounts of text data, create interactive visualizations and digital maps, create digital resources and tools, and develop key employable skills. It also helps students to approach the study of humanistic texts and cultural artifacts from a computational perspective and make use of the latest technological tools to study the past and present. It is thus important for students to take up coding classes and workshops to master the skill.
