Stance
I support Donahue’s position in the debate of whether humanities students should learn to code. Sure, learning to code can be enriching, but there are also benefits to interacting with computer sciences in different capacities outside of coding. Coding is not a prerequisite and it isn’t everything.
Argument
I’m annoyed by the inaccurate wording in the assignment directions: “Kirschenbaum for, or Donahue against”. In his blog post, Donahue explicitly states, “I chose this title not to argue against anything Kirschenbaum says.” Donahue adds nuance to Kirschenbaum’s argument. Aligned with liberal arts education values, he maintains that the answer to this debate isn’t all or nothing, for or against:
Everyone’s circumstances are different. In his post, Kirschenbaum acknowledges his privilege in being able to leisurely explore and interact with computers in his household early on. Donahue recognizes that humanities students have different experiences and while “students should learn to program…they should not let their inability to program prevent them from engaging with the computer sciences”. I agree with this sentiment.
Kirschenbaum’s argument makes sense. Donahue’s go further.
Kirschenbaum
“programming was a unique and startling way of looking at the world;…a kind of world-making, requiring one to specify the behaviors of an object or a system from the ground up;…such an activity was connected to the long traditions of humanistic thought I encountered in the classes devoted to my major”
Matthew G. Kirschenbaum
Donahue
“the very idea that [the humanities and the computer sciences] are, a priori, separate and distinct bodies of knowledge may be the king hobgoblin of any attempts to create something that professes to be a digital humanities situated somewhere between the two. Learn to program whenever it is convenient, but start thinking about the computer sciences as relevant areas of concern right now”
Evan Donahue
Prior Coding Experience
Before this class, my only coding experience was a two week coding camp when I was ten years old with my friends Ava and Astrid where we coded flappy bird games with the guidance of unenthusiastic, disengaged employees in their late twenties. While those two weeks developed in me an apprehension to any sort of computer science class until now, I did gain something valuable from the experience: two best friends.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>To Code or Not to Code</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>To Code or Not to Code</h1>
<h2>A Great Learning Experience</h2>
<p>Really cool & satisfying to create a web page, yay!</p>
<h2>So, should humanities students learn to code?</h2>
<ul>
<li>Yes, if they want to</li>
<li>It has great benefits!
<ol>
<li>Interdisciplinary</li>
<li>Creative</li>
<li>Empowering</li>
<li>Uses different ways of thinking to pursue the same goal</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>There's other cool stuff in the field of computer sciences too!
</ul>
<h2>Kirschenbaum's Argument</h2>
<p><a href="https://mkirschenbaum.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/hello-worlds/">Hello Worlds (why humanities students should learn to program)</a></p>
<h2>Donahue's Argument</h2>
<p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220516075231/https://www.hastac.org/blogs/evan-donahue/2010/05/28/hello-world-apart-why-humanities-students-should-not-learn-program">A "Hello World" Apart (why humanities students should NOT learn to program)</a></p>
</body>
</html>2 thoughts on “Lab 2 – To Code or Not to Code”
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Hey Sylvie! I agree that Donahue’s argument is not that he is completely against humanities students learning how to code altogether but rather that he is against the notion that programming is the only way humanities students can engage with computer science. I believe humanities students should take classes that utilize general problem solving skills instead of taking a required, specialized programming course. This will then make their college education more catered to their ultimate career goals while still encouraging interdisciplinary learning.
What an interesting perspective! Donahue’s point really can’t be simplified as just rejecting learning to code—it’s more about deeper reflections on computer science as a whole. I totally agree with Donahue. Humanities students should have different ways to understand and engage with technology and learn to use it effectively. It’s definitely not a simple yes-or-no issue.