Understanding Computer Programming as a Literacy

Authors

  • Annette Vee University of Pittsburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21623/1.1.2.4

Keywords:

literacy, computers, computer programming, history, code, multimodal composition, digital media

Abstract

Since the 1960s, computer scientists and enthusiasts have paralleled computer programming to literacy, arguing it is a generalizable skill that should be more widely taught and held. Launching from that premise, this article leverages historical and social findings from literacy studies to frame computer programming as “computational literacy.” I argue that programming and writing have followed similar historical trajectories as material technologies and explain how they are intertwined in contemporary composition environments. A concept of “computational literacy” helps us to better understand the social, technical and cultural dynamics of programming, but it also enriches our vision of twenty-first century composition.

Author Biography

Annette Vee, University of Pittsburgh

Annette Vee is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research explores intersections between alphabetic and computer code writing in historical contexts as well as digital intellectual property debates.

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Published

2013-10-31

How to Cite

Vee, A. (2013). Understanding Computer Programming as a Literacy. Literacy in Composition Studies, 1(2), 42–64. https://doi.org/10.21623/1.1.2.4

Issue

Section

Articles