I believe humanities students should be fluent in a digital skill, though that skill doesn’t have to be coding. It could be 3D modeling, graphic design, video editing, etc. Being computer savvy is not just about programming, but about knowing how to use existing software and technologies.
Lacking a virtual car in this virtual world, you find that your dining options are limited mostly to fast food.
Kirschenbaum, Matt. “Hello Worlds: Why Humanities Students Should Learn to Program”
I agree with Matt Kirschenbaum that we are heading towards a society in which technology will become increasingly more ingrained and influential, so having a “virtual car” is crucial for not falling behind. However, I differ from his argument in my interpretation of the virtual car analogy. While he believes that having a “virtual car” means knowing how to code, I would argue it encompasses a broader subset within technology. With that being said, I do believe programming is a very useful skill that can be integrated into projects across any discipline, though its analytical and algorithmic nature isn’t for everyone.
I am very novice when it comes to programming. In high school, I took a computer science elective in which I learned Python to a very basic degree. Over the summer, I dabbled in web development. This piqued my interest enough to take Intro to Computer Science in my first term in college. Given my primitive coding background, I decided to take the HTML and CSS beginner tutorials. Below is the result:
Digital Arts and Humanities
- Uses digital methods
- Researches humanistic questions
- Innovative and collaborative
Yoel attempt
Programming excites me because of how much it mirrors the process of drawing – my go-to hobby. First, you sketch out the outline of the project, then you start testing out different ideas, and eventually you settle down and refine an idea. Both processes are creative and can be used to generate new ideas. This comparison shows that the fine arts – a humanistic discipline – is not much different than computer science, thus it is relevant for any humanities student to learn a digital skill, and vice versa.
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Great job with the customization of your post despite being a novice! I also really like the way you compared coding to drawing as I definitely feel similarly. What drew me to coding was the creative spark it gave me and I think that would be an unexpected aspect of coding for someone who has never tried it. Emphasizing the more appealing aspects of coding also seems like a good way to convince humanities students to engage further with digital humanities.