I’ll start by saying that this topic hits home in a strangely particular way that I think has completely changed the way I look at the intersection of computer science (coding) and the humanities. I am a CS major but came into college thinking I would be pretty much anything humanities-based (history, religion, classics being the running favorites), that’s a long story. BUT, what reckoning that shift in academic focus did was reveal the intense power coding has to enable and empower the humanities. Therefore, I am in the camp that all humanities students should learn how to code (but shouldn’t HAVE to).
In Matthew Kirschenbaum’s piece, “Hello Worlds (why humanities students should learn to program)” he argues for exactly what the title implies. Near the end, there was one quote that caught my attention but also sums up my thoughts well, “Computers should not be black boxes but rather understood as engines for creating powerful and persuasive models of the world around us”. It is a quote that invites us to use the power now readily at our fingertips to create wonderful new things. I see it as a call to empower the work of the humanities with the endless sea of technology. For lack of a better term it just feels like a win-win situation, not only will you gain new skills that can help visualize or organize your work but a new way of thinking that can totally reshape the world (ok maybe that’s a little corny).
At least this is how I approached my delve into Computer Science. I was convinced that the worst-case scenario would be that I have more experience with something I will work adjacent to but the best-case scenario, a brand new field to explore. I have now taken 3-ish years of CS classes, all here at Carleton, and can say with some confidence (not much) that I kind of know what I’m doing. This includes familiarity with Python and Java but more importantly a deeper understanding of thinking through algorithms. The ability to break down problems into manageable pieces that can build to some grand solution is not only helpful but extremely satisfying!
This blog post comes in with great timing, in the CS class I am taking this term (Software Design) I just finished a project that reads through CSV files and allows you to search for an author, book titles, or books published between two years! I would love to show that off here to bring forth a physical example of how helpful coding can be but there’s a lot to it. Instead, I’ll leave you with the thing that got me hooked on coding (I promise this isn’t a cop-out but a genuine statement!)
def print_hello_world():
print("Hello World!")
return
The intense amazement and joy I experienced when I typed that and the computer responded to me has lead me on the path I am now and I’d do it again.
