This course is modeled very closely on one pioneered by emeritus Pitt Professor David Birnbaum, and we will be using much of the material available on his website: Obdurodon. (What is an "Obdurodon," you ask? An extinct platypus with molars, apparently... don't worry about it.) For our purposes, Obdurodon functions as an encylcopedia of information essential for this course, and many of the links to coding assignments on the syllabus redirect there as well. Just bear in mind that specific course information on Obdurodon (e.g., due dates, classroom assignments) may relate to a previous semester. For a more detailed description of assignments and policies, follow this link.
Dr. Birnbaum summed up the impetus for this course as follows:
"Humanities students often do not realize (or even imagine) that 1) they are capable of learning to write useful and practical computer programs within the course of a semester even if they have no prior background in programming; 2) the ability to write one’s own programs can be valuable for scholars in the humanities, especially because commercial software often does not address research needs in the humanities; and 3) practical computer programming, no less than reading, writing, and arithmetic, is a useful skill that is within the reach of any educated person regardless of academic specialization."