U48 218 - Web Site Design and Development
Washington University University College
Fall 2005
Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
11 September - 18 December 2005
Eads 14
Instructor: Scott Granneman
- Adjunct Professor
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Webster University
- Author
- Don't Click on the Blue E!: Switching to Firefox (O'Reilly: 2005)
- Hacking Knoppix (Wiley & Sons: 2005)
- Columnist for SecurityFocus & Linux Magazine
- Professional blogger for The Open Source Weblog
- Full list of publications at http://www.granneman.com/publications
- Consultant
- Senior Consultant in Internet Services, WebSanity
- Contact Info
- scott@granneman.com
- www.granneman.com
Course Description
This course covers Web site development using the three methods that have been used since Web design first began: hand-coding HTML using a text editor; building Web pages using a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver; and using the most modern method, a Content Management System that separates design from content while making it easy for non-technical users to update a site. We will cover design principles, Cascading Style Sheets, server-side vs. client-side technologies, Web browsers, and Web servers. We will conclude the course with a brief overview of the future of Web development: XHTML and XML.
Required Texts
There are no required books. Readings will consist of articles, analyses, & ephemera from the Internet. Most of what you need you can access through my Web site; however, each week I will try to recommend a book useful for further study and reference.
In addition, students will need to sign up with the following listservs:
- GranneClass, the class listserv, hosted by Yahoo Groups. To subscribe, send a blank email to granneclass-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To review the home page and look at archived messages, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/granneclass; note, though, that you must be a Yahoo member (which is free and relatively painless) to use the group on the Web. To send and receive email, you do NOT need to be a Yahoo member.
- GranneNotes, an irregularly-published newsletter about interesting & important stuff in technology and on the Internet. To subscribe, send a blank email to grannenotes-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To review the home page and look at archived messages, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/grannenotes.
Grading
Your grade will be based on the following factors:
- Class attendance and participation (25%): You are expected to attend class prepared to learn and discuss the topics with your fellow classmates. We may also work on in-class exercises, and you are expected to take an active part in those exercises.
- 3 take-home mini-projects (25% each): We will practice HTML and CSS in class. After practicing each technology in class, you will have one week to complete an assigned mini-project involving the use of these technologies. Think of it as an open-book test, since you will be allowed to use your class notes and any other resources you can access.
Grades will be based on an average of the above as follows:
100 A+
94-99 A
89-93 A-
86-88 B+
83-85 B
79-82 B-
76-78 C+
73-75 C
69-72 C-
66-68 D+
63-65 D
59-62 D-
0-58 F
Accommodation of disabilities: If you have a disability that might affect your ability to complete the required assignments, please contact me during the first week of class to discuss an accommodation.
Academic Integrity
Policy regarding academic dishonesty: This course will follow Washington University's policies concerning academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty may result in failure for the assignment in question and/or referral to the college's Academic Integrity Office, which has discretion to impose a stricter penalty. While academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams and quizzes, it also includes plagiarism in written assignments. Plagiarism is not only passing off someone else's work as your own, but also giving your work to someone else to pass off as their own. It also includes submitting work from another course. While I strongly encourage you to discuss your work with each other in and out of class, and while you may research issues together, your writing should be your own. The papers you submit must be your work alone, and must include citations to all references in your work. Please include the URL, or Web address, for articles and resources found on the Internet.
Netiquette
It is paramount that we respect each other online in our email listserv. Follow this simple rule: disagree with the idea, but not the person. In other words, it's OK to say "That's a bad idea, because ...", and it's not OK to say "You're a bad/stupid/inconsiderate person, because ...". If you have an issue with a classmate's behavior online, please bring it to me privately by emailing me at scott@granneman.com. If you'd like to find out more, please feel free to read The Core Rules of Netiquette, by Virginia Shea.
Tentative Schedule
Dates: Sat., 3 Sept. 2005
Introductions
Topic: Introductions & Beginnings; HTML
Dates: Sat., 10 Sept. 2005
Software: Firefox
HTML: html, head, body, p, br, hr, h1, h2
In class:
Readings for next class (unless otherwise stated, you will NOT be quizzed over the contents of these readings):
- Definitely look through this
- HTML references: look & bookmark
- Colors
- Examples
Topic: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 17 Sept. 2005
Software: Firefox, TextPad
HTML: character entities, ul, ol, li, img, b, i, center, a
In class:
Readings for next class:
- HTML
- Firefox (a descendent of Mozilla)
- Advanced only!
Topic: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 24 Sept. 2005
Software: Firefox, Internet Explorer, TextPad
HTML:
In class:
Topics: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 1 Oct. 2005
Software: Firefox, Internet Explorer, TextPad
HTML:
In class:
Topic: XHTML & XML
Dates: Sat., 8 Oct. 2005
Software:
In class:
- XHTML and XML ~ An overview of XML and XHTML for Web developers new to the subjects. (251 kb PDF or 119 kb Flash)
Readings for next class:
- Dreamweaver
- Middleware
- The Next Big Thing: AJAX
Topics: Middleware ~ WYSIWYG & Dreamweaver ~ tables
Dates: Sat., 15 Oct. 2005
Software: Dreamweaver
HTML: table, tr, td
In class:
Dates: Sat., 22 Oct. 2005
NO CLASS!
Topics: Design principles
Dates: Sat., 29 Oct. 2005
Software:
HTML:
In class:
Topic: Intro to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Dates: Sat., 5 Nov. 2005
Software:
In class:
Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 12 Nov. 2005
Software: TextPad
Book: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
In class:
Readings for next class:
- SimpleQuiz ~ Short quizzes on the best way to format HTML & CSS, followed by the best responses. It'll make you think!
Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 19 Nov. 2005
Software: TextPad
Book: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
In class:
Dates: Sat., 26 Nov. 2005
NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING
Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 3 Dec. 2005
Software: TextPad
Book: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
In class:
Topic: Intro to Content Management Systems (CMS)
Dates: Sat., 10 Dec. 2005
Software: TextPad
In class:
- General CMS info
- Userland Frontier/Manila CMS
Topic: The future ~ Goodbye
Dates: Sat., 17 Dec. 2005
Software:
In class:
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