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university of baltimore

pbds 660

hypermedia: an introduction

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

Course Objectives

This is an introductory course in Hypertext Markup Language, information design, and visual design for the World Wide Web. It covers fundamentals of page construction, site architecture, and Web project management. It also introduces JavaScript and Web scripting.

This class prepares students for advanced work in Web production, interactive multimedia, and information design. It is one of the two alternative prerequisites for courses in Interaction Design and Information Architecture.

The course has four main objectives:

To develop solid fundamentals in both concepts and skills of Web production;
To introduce procedural design--direct manipulation of code structures--which is essential for serious, professional work in interactive media;
To acquaint students with technologies and practices of electronic publishing;
To survey the social, economic, and cultural background against which emerging technologies are being defined.

Required Readings

Kelly Murdock, Master Visually HTML 4 and XHTML 1. (IDG Books, 2000)
C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures (Cambridge University Press)
Lawrence Lessig, The Future of Ideas (Vintage Books, 2002)

All books have been ordered by the UB Bookstore.

The syllabus also includes various excerpts to be distributed in photocopy and a number of documents that may be obtained online. You will find links to these documents within the Web version of the syllabus (http://iat.ubalt.edu/courses/pbds660.185_Sp04/syllabus.shtml).

Two types of reading are assigned in this course: technical information (Murdock, Course Notes) and social/historical background. I expect full attention to both kinds. Weekly quizzes may include questions about major concepts from background as well as technical material.

There is a complete set of Course Notes for this class (http://iat.ubalt.edu/notes), compiled over the last few years as a guide to the technical material. You will probably find these notes useful. You may use the notes as a reference guide while taking the final examination.

Assignments and Grading Scheme

Weekly Quizzes	25%
Multi-Week Projects	35%
Final Examination	40%

There will be a brief quiz at the beginning of every class--so it is very important that you arrive prepared and on time. Quizzes will mainly cover technical information but may occasionally include questions about the background readings, especially if I suspect they are being neglected. In virtually all cases technical questions will concern material that has already been discussed and demonstrated in class.

There are five multi-week assignments during the term. One is due roughly every other week. You will:

Create and publish a basic Web page;
Start a Web log;
Build a small promotional or informational Web site;
Maintain your Web log regularly during the semester, making any technical and design revisions you wish, and submitting the final version at the end of the course.
Complete a simple assignment using Javascript.

The final examination will be largely if not entirely identical to the Hypermedia Proficiency Exam (http://iat.ubalt.edu/profExam). If the final differs from this model I will explain any differences well in advance. You must complete the exam within the allotted class time (2 hours 30 minutes) and you may not use any pre-written code. However, you are welcome to use on-line and printed reference materials.

Course Syllabus

Date	Topic	Readings/Work Due
Jan. 27	Introduction to the course	Murdock chapters 1 and 2 (skim); Murdock pp. 72-75, 88-89, and 102-45
Feb. 3	Hypertext and Linking	Murdock pp. 146-59 Vannevar Bush, "As We May Think" (online) Course Notes, Part 1 (online)
Feb. 10	Information Design and File Management	C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures (entire) Course Notes, Part 2 (online) DUE: Basic Web page
Feb. 17	Color and Simple Graphics	Murdock, pp. 162-99 Locke, Weinberger, et al., "Internet Apocalypso" from The Cluetrain Manifesto (online) Course Notes, Part 3 (online)
Feb. 24	Tables	Murdock, pp. 232-63 Murray, "Interactive Design" (handout) Course Notes, Part 4 (online) DUE: Web log assignment, Part 1
Mar. 2	Advanced Graphics	Murdock, pp. 200-229 Additional reading T.B.A. (handout)
Mar. 9	Forms	Murdock, pp. 286-323 Epstein, "The Rattle of Pebbles" (handout) Course Notes, Part 6 (online)
Mar. 16	Cascading Stylesheets: Internal	Murdock, pp. 480-85; 488-547 Neal Stephenson, "MGBs, Tanks, and Batmobiles" from In The Beginning Was the Command Line Course Notes, Part 7 (online)
Mar. 23	Spring Break
Mar. 30	Cascading Stylesheets: External	Murdock, pp. 486-87 W3C CSS Tutorial (Introduction through "List Properties" only --online) Neal Stephenson, "The Interface Culture" and "Morlocks and Eloi at the Keyboard" from In The Beginning Was the Command Line (online) DUE: Promotional/Informational Site
Apr. 6	Cascading Stylesheets: Advanced Applications	Murdock, pp. 550-59 Lessig, The Future of Ideas pp. 3-100
Apr. 13	Server-Side Includes	Lessig, pp. 120-42 Course Notes supplemental (online)
Apr. 20	JavaScript, Part 1	Murdock, pp. 414-435 Lessig, pp. 143-76 Course Notes, Part 8 (online) DUE: Web log assignment, Part 2
Apr. 27	JavaScript, Part 2	Murdock, pp. 436-455 Lessig, pp. 177-239
May 4	Final Exam Review	No Reading DUE: Javascript Project
May 11	Final Examination (regular class meeting time; place to be announced)