I believe humanities students should learn at least some coding, even if only at a basic level. Coding is not just a technical skill—it’s a way of thinking through problems and making ideas visible in new forms. Having even a little familiarity with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript makes it easier to understand how digital projects are built, which is crucial if we want to take part in shaping the digital side of the humanities rather than just consuming it.
“To learn programming is to acquire a new kind of literacy, one that is a basic condition of understanding the world we live in today.”
Matthew G. Kirschenbaum
That line resonates with me because literacy in the humanities has always been about more than just reading texts—it’s about being able to navigate and critique the dominant mediums of an era. In the twenty-first century, coding is one of those mediums. By gaining some experience, even if only in modifying existing code, humanities students can better participate in conversations about technology’s role in culture, history, and art.
In terms of my own background, I’ve taken Intro CS and Data Structures before, so I know a bit of Python and how to think about problems logically through code. But I’m still nearly new to HTML and JavaScript, so working through the HTML Dog tutorials was a fresh experience. It helped me see how even small pieces of code can directly shape the structure and style of a webpage. It reminded me of how small word choices can reshape the meaning of a paragraph in writing. The process was both a little frustrating and exciting, because mistakes immediately broke something, but fixing them felt rewarding. That trial-and-error cycle made me realize how coding isn’t that different from other kinds of learning in the humanities—it’s a form of interpretation and revision.
Here’s one of the simple snippets I worked on that reinforced this idea:
Hello, world! This is my first line of HTML.
Learning to code lets me shape not only words, but also how they appear on a page.
<pre><code>
<p><span style="color:blue;">Hello, world!</span> This is my first line of HTML.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color:green;">Learning to code</span></strong> lets me shape not only words, but also how they appear on a page.</p>
</code></pre>
Seeing that short code render on a webpage made me think about how form and content are deeply connected. For me, that’s the strongest reason humanities students should at least try coding: it helps us reflect on how digital form shapes meaning, just as we do with literature, art, or history.
2 thoughts on “Coding as a Bridge for Humanities Students”
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I totally agree with your argument that coding is a form of literacy that enables creation. In addition, I think you rightly note that as new technologies emerge rapidly, many people lack clarity about how to approach them. Without informed discussion about their role, fear can take hold, such as people’s attitudes and reactions to AI. As a result, learning some programming skills would allow humanities researchers to participate in these discussions on the use of these technologies from new perspectives.
Hello Richy! Nice post, it’s very well written. I agree with you that coding is a bridge for humanities students and has huge benefits, even if it is only on a surface level. Just the experience can help you think about problems differently, and we have to get over the stigma of technology being a detriment to new ways of thinking. It is a tool like any other and has tremendous upside potential. I totally agree with your argument, and well done!