Code as a Liberal Art, Spring 2024
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LCOD 2000 (CRN: 10645)
Instructor: Rory Solomon
Tuesday & Thursday, 12-1:40pm
Office hours
Friday 10am-12pm, or by appointment; Location: 6 East 16th Street, Room 532, or via Zoom. Please click here to make appointments via Starfish. If you're unsure how to schedule office hours in Starfish or have any trouble with that link, please let me know.
Course Description
In this hybrid theory/practice seminar students will both critically examine, and learn how to craft, the code that drives computational machinery, focusing on its relevance to the domains of the liberal arts: the humanities, the arts, and the social and physical sciences. Students will learn the fundamentals of computational systems and ways that they relate to critical thinking and creative practice including: “distant reading” and the digital humanities, the production of generative artwork, techniques in data forensics, and methods for investigating algorithmic bias. Coursework will include weekly exercises using Python & Javascript. No prior coding experience is required. Students will need to bring a laptop computer to class, and can check one out from the university if necessary. This class fulfills the core requirement for the Code as a Liberal Art minor.
Photo of a computer, standing next to a computational
machine. This image is from a time when the term "computer" referred
to a person (typically female) who would perform mathematical
calculations. This particular computer is Melba Ray Mouton, a
mathematician and enginner who worked for NASA from 1959 -
1973. Mouton's story is similar to the women featured in the film
"Hidden Figures", although Mouton is not one of the three women
whose stories are directly depicted in the film. This photo was
modified with a process of "data
moshing" using the HexFiend
app.
Syllabus
You can find the course syllabus here.