Critical Code Studies

Critical code studies is an approach that applies critical hermeneutics to the interpretation of computer code, program architecture, and documentation within a socio-historical context. CCS holds that lines of code are not value-neutral and can be analyzed using the theoretical approaches applied to other semiotic systems in addition to particular interpretive methods developed particularly for the discussions of programs. (Critical code studies - Wikipedia)

Methodologies

• Critically Reading Source Code
• Close Reading Source Code
• Read 100’000 lines of code
• Write Literate Programming Code

Core Texts

Marino, Mark C. 2020. Critical Code Studies. Software Studies. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Höltgen, Stefan. 2024. “Humanities of the Digital: Philologische Perspektiven auf Source Codes als Beitrag einer computerarchäologischen Knowledge Preservation.” In Digitale Schriftlichkeit: Programmieren, Prozessieren und Codieren von Schrift, edited by Martin Bartelmus and Alexander Nebrig, 1st ed. Vol. 8. Literatur in der digitalen Gesellschaft. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript Verlag. https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839468135.