My prior coding experience was during the last two years of high school, where I took AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A. Principles focuses on JavaScript while A is taught primarily in Java. I also learned some basic Python and SQL online the summer before college. I personally think I don’t have a lot of coding experience and would like to refresh my knowledge in college. Programming taught me a different way of approaching problems.

In terms of coding, I would like to argue that humanities students should learn basic programming skills. Like I previously mentioned, coding enables an individual to gain exposure and appreciate a programming mindset as a “unique and startling way of looking at the world” defined by “heightened critical awareness” and mindfulness toward one’s own scholarship. In an increasingly digital world, knowing how to code correlates with more “accessibility [and] self-reliance.” (Kirschenbaum) This is not to argue that coding eliminates the need for teamwork in Digital Humanities projects. It suggests programming skills enables digital humanists to better communicate with other departments the project’s desired mode of presentation and add on some customization options.

Besides introducing an individual to a different mode of thinking, programming is also beneficial because they are oftentimes used to create virtual worlds. These worlds are “interactive, manipulable, extensible … sites of exploration, simulation, play.” (Kirschenbaum) Interactivity and manipulability allows website visitors to simulate different situations and scenarios that might have happened in history. Being extensible gives researchers the opportunity to add onto and refine the project after it has been released.

Even though there are many differences between coding and the humanities, they share a commonality in using code/written text to “propagat[e] some particular view of reality.” (Kirschenbaum) In other words, programming lets digital humanists practice expressing and supporting their own thoughts in a digital format. As an example, here is some code I created from the HTML Dog tutorials:

Sci-fi glossary

    
Blue milk
    
A blue liquid from banthas used for consumption

    
Su cuy'gar
    
A greeting
    
Literally meaning You are still alive

    
Galactic basic
    
English
    
A language commonly spoken throughout the galaxy

From this block of code, it is easy to tell how I view and express my perception of reality from a science fiction perspective.