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Fall 2004: Web Site Design and Development Syllabus

U48 218 - Web Site Design and Development
Washington University University College

Fall 2004
Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
11 September - 18 December 2004
Eads 14

Instructor: Scott Granneman
   Instructor, Washington University and St. Louis Community College
   Senior Consultant in Internet Services, Bryan Consulting
   Author for SecurityFocus and Linux Magazine
scott@granneman.com
http://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:

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

Policy regarding academic dishonesty: This course will follow Washington University's policies concerning academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty will 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.

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.

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

Topic: Introductions & Beginnings; HTML
Dates: Sat., 11 Sept. 2004
Software: Mozilla
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):

Topic: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 18 Sept. 2004
Software: Mozilla, TextPad
HTML: character entities, ul, ol, li, img, b, i, center, a
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topic: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 25 Sept. 2004
Software: Mozilla, Internet Explorer, TextPad
HTML:
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topics: Hand-coded HTML
Dates: Sat., 2 Oct. 2004
Software: Mozilla, Internet Explorer, TextPad
HTML:
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topic: XHTML & XML
Dates: Sat., 9 Oct. 2004
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:

Topics: Middleware ~ WYSIWYG & Dreamweaver ~ tables
Dates: Sat., 16 Oct. 2004
Software: Dreamweaver
HTML: table, tr, td
In class:

Dates: Sat., 23 Oct. 2004
NO CLASS!

Topics: Design principles
Dates: Sat., 30 Oct. 2004
Software:
HTML:
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topic: Intro to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Dates: Sat., 6 Nov. 2004
Software:
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 13 Nov. 2004
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 will make you think!
  • What Is Content Management? ~ An attempt to give a brief overview, and focused on the CMS we'll be using.

Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 20 Nov. 2004
Software: TextPad
Book: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
In class:

Dates: Sat., 27 Nov. 2004
NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING

Topic: CSS
Dates: Sat., 4 Dec. 2004
Software: TextPad
Book: Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
In class:

Topic: Intro to Content Management Systems (CMS)
Dates: Sat., 11 Dec. 2004
Software: TextPad
In class:

Readings for next class:

Topic: The future ~ Goodbye
Dates: Sat., 18 Dec. 2004
Software:
In class: