This entry level course in Python is tailored for humanities teachers, researchers, and students who want to learn the basics of this popular programming language. Over four full-day sessions, participants will learn to write simple programs using the most common structures. Led by the scientific developers of the Centre for Digital Humanities’ Research Software Lab, this hands-on training spans four Wednesdays, starting on 24 September 2025.

With computers being fast and widely available, it is highly empowering to be able to program them. This is especially true in academic research, where no two projects are the same and writing custom software enables us to tailor large-scale automated analysis to our specific needs.

This course will teach basic programming in the Python programming language, which is beginner-friendly and production-ready. We will also pay attention to elementary skills that help to avoid double work, find the causes of errors quickly and make future maintenance easier. The course is hands-on, with more than half of the time allocated to practice. In week 3 & 4 of the course, you will try your hand at implementing your own analysis.

Course objectives

By the end of this four-day course, participants will be able to:

1. write data-processing algorithms using basic Python techniques;
2. reorganise their code to improve future reusability and maintainability;
3. use a stepping debugger to find the cause of an error;
4. reuse code that already exists;
5. translate the analysis they want to perform into concrete Python code.

Practical information

This course spans four Wednesdays in a row:

• Wednesday 24 September from 10:00-17:00 hrs
• Wednesday 1 October from 10:00-17:00 hrs
• Wednesday 8 October from 10:00-17:00 hrs
• Wednesday 15 October from 10:00-17:00 hrs

For those participants in need of Python support after the workshop series ends, we offer two follow-up sessions during our Digital Humanities walk-in hours. A Python-workshop instructor will be present on:

• Thursday 30 October from 14:00 to 15:00 hrs
• Thursday 6 November from 14:00 to 15:00 hrs

The location for all four workshop days as well as for the follow-up sessions is the Digital Humanities Workspace of the Utrecht University Library, City Centre (room 0.32, Drift 27, Utrecht).

Lunch

Lunch will be provided each course day at Espressobar Lodewijk for all participants and instructors. You can indicate any dietary preferences in the registration form below. Coffee/tea will be available in the workspace throughout the day.

Level

This course aims to empower people who are new to Python and is therefore intended for absolute beginners. No prior programming experience is required. The course will be taught in English.

Preparation

Participants must bring their own laptop. Detailed instructions will be sent prior to the course. A dataset to work with will be provided: working with your own dataset is also possible. If you wish to do so, please email cdh@uu.nl in advance to discuss the possibilities.

For whom?

This workshop is open to all. However, due to our funding, priority will be given to teachers, researchers and students of the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht University. A number of seats are reserved for participants from other UU faculties, allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. If these spots are filled, please register to be placed on a waiting list. Should a space become available, you will be notified.

Minimum participants

In order to ensure the viability of the training and allocate the necessary resources, a minimum of ten registrations is required for this course to proceed. We will inform all registered participants of the status two weeks in advance, confirming whether the course will definitively take place.

Registration

To sign up, please complete the registration form below. Register early to secure your place, as spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Admission is free, but in providing these workshops, costs are incurred: registration therefore implies a commitment to attend. If you need to cancel, please email to cdh@uu.nl so your spot can be offered to another participant. Thank you for your cooperation.