Concepts
The World Wide Web is difficult to define. While its origin reveals it to be a publication media, others see it as a broadcast media, a shopping mall, an environment for personal expression, etc. People are continually using the Internet and the Web for different reasons and the technologies are constantly shifting. In this class we will be reviewing a broad range of the possibilities of the Web and working toward understanding it as an open media.
Skills
The technologies involved in creating work for the Web are continually changing. The practical tools we will use in this class will only be useful for a short time. We will focus on learning the basic concepts behind the Web so that the skills you learn will be transferable to future contexts. You will build on your previous experience and create projects with HTML, CSS, and Flash. The most important skill to learn is how to teach yourself future skills.
We will work toward developing the vocabulary necessary to speak with developers and to gain a basic understanding of the technologies.
Activities
This class is an aesthetic course, not a technical course. We will be learning how to utilize various technologies in the service of perception and communication. Through the quarter you will have the opportunity to complete a group of exercises and present a research report. You will alternate weeks of technical exercises with aesthetic/communication exploration.
Evaluation
Feedback will be primarily qualitative but numeric scores will also be given for all work. All problem sets must be completed to pass the course. If a problem set is handed in late, one point (out of 10) will be taken off each day. Work will not be considered complete until it is accessible from the course website. Failure to complete all problem sets will result in not passing the course.
The numeric breakdown for your grade follows:
10% Participation (contribution & concentration during class)
90% Exercises A-H
If you will not be in class, it is your responsibility to inform the TA. More than two unexcused absences will result in failure (an excused absence is one approved by the TA before the start of class).
References
Required Books
Web Design in a Nutshell, A Desktop Quick Reference. 2nd Edition.
Jennifer Niederst
O'Reilly
Discussion materials
Understanding the Web as Media
by Curt Cloninger
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