I'm thinking of ditching computer science (as a major, at least) and creating my own field of study, which I'm calling "iHum" for now. The "i" is intentionally cliché, and I intend it to stand for "information" and "inter-disciplinary" although it's also supposed to invoke a sense of modernity and technology.

I got the idea after finding out that there's a program here called "inter-disciplinary studies in humanities", which is basically a fancy way to say "roll your own major". The requirement includes 6 courses in a major field, 4 in a supporting field, 3 in a minor field, and a final senior thesis to rule... er, combine them all. Basically, this is the closest thing yet that will allow me to do what I want to do: to study programming.

You see, computer science and programming are two different things. Saying "CS = programming" is like saying "English = Writing". I think that's what's been bothering me the whole time. I love programming, but I could care less about computers and machines. Or maybe it would help to put it this way: I'm a humanist stuck in the body of a technologist. So what exactly does "studying programming" mean, if not comp sci as we know it? Maybe it would help to throw out some potential questions and topics:

• If language and thought are intertwined, how do programming languages affect the human thought process?
• Programming languages can be seen as a medium to codify logical thought unambiguously. What other potential uses are there?
• Programming involves a thought process that is logical, iterative, recursive, reflective and creative. How does it compare to philosophical thought?
• If power and language are related, what power dynamics exist in relation to programming? Do programmers have power over non-programmers?
• How does the aquisition of programming languages compare to the aquisition of natural languages? Are there parallels? Can anything be learned from studying one or the other?
• How do artificial languages expand and/or limit our expressive capabilities?
• How does the development of programming compare to the history of literacy? What correlations can be drawn?

As you can see, all of these questions span across multiple fields, including linguistics, history, politics, philosophy, human development, psychology, social anthropology, and of course, computer science. For my major, I'll have to choose two (other than compsci), but that should give me enough diversity to keep me on my toes...