I just ran into this the other day too Matt. I find it an interesting proposal. I'm not sure about all of the proposal, esp. the extended length of the degree, but I do think that the performative aspects of the degree are fitting. I proposed oh two years ago now, a degree in humanities and social science computing that is structured on the performative basis instead of a research basis, where production of projects would culminate in the degree, adding group work in that is significant also.

One of the problems that occurs to me with the Software MFA is the politics of computing in most universities, which is a war that has been often fought to no avail, where anything that looks like a computer degree should arise in certain departments, and other departments should not propose that, which is why in the 90's information technology as a degree was a boon because it allowed other people to propose degrees that varied from the understood 70's era norm of computer science. However, 'software' especially with the rise of software engineering as a professional degree is to me heading right back into that problematized arena, and I'm not sure that there is any escaping it through a degree like this. thoughts?

First off, now that you mention it Jeremy I found this through your blog. I bookmarked it the other day, came back to it this morning, read and blogged it. So, credit where credit is due.

No magic bullets for the political issues you mention, which are real and obstinate. I am interested, though, in the way in which "software" is increasingly emerging as a locus of inquiry in all sorts of fields. I'd want to link up a degree program like this to Lev Manovich (and others') articulation of "software studies," for example.

Yes, software studies, i was just reading Behind the Blip, which talks a bit about software studies. It is an area in which I'm very much involved, i have a list that is occasionally active called softwareandculture, and my dissertation is looking at software production on the internet. I'm writing more as 'software and culture' and 'political economy of the internet', then as HCI/CSCW etc. specifically to outline a new territory for study.

It might be time to write up some sort of manifesto-ish bit of text for the transdisciplinary study of software, perhaps get together some money for a conference, though inarguably there has been conferences going on for years on this topic and related topics, especially in Europe, where the Code conference and Wizards of OS come immediately to mind.

In any case, software production as craft or artisanal method is something that I think can and should be taught, but is hard to make inroads for in the current american academy, but I'm sure it could work if it was put under a slightly different rubric, the Digital Humanities degree at UVA is a possibility, but I think they are going a different direction.

Well, synergy: I'm reading Fuller's Behind the Blip myself. I'd definitely be interested in pursuing the idea of a conference, etc. at some point--probably not for another year, though. It would be excellent to involve the UVa folks once their program is up and running.

Let's take the idea up again in the spring, then I'll have more of a feeling for the future than i do right now and be able to plan something like this more effectively. In the mean time, I might take this up on my alternatives in humanities computing list.