The course will be conducted in the following manner:
- Monday: Introduction to weekly assignment, lecture, mini-exercises, and mini-workshops
- Wednesday: Class discussion of reading, workshops, and group or individual exercise based on concepts from the readings
- Friday: Studio sessions and critiques and group work for assignment #4
| WEEK 1Rhetoric, Technology, Culture, and Designing for the Web | MON06
JAN |
Introduction to the course | WED08
JAN |
Due: Journal #1Read: Introduction (Balsamo)
Workshop: Web Fundamentals; Setting up your web space; HTML glossary |
FRI10
JAN |
Read: Representing Macbeth (Ehses); Hacking Aristotle (Losh); SyllabusStudio Workshop: Using Web Fundamentals to work towards building a resume |
Unit 1: Rhetoric, Gender and Genre-Based Design on the Web
| WEEK 2Fundamentals of HTML, XHTML, and CSS | MON13
JAN |
Due: Assignment #1 and #2Read: Assignment #3; Pg 55—57 (Digital Classroom); Ch. 1, 2 and 10 (HTML and CSS) | WED15
JAN |
Due: Journal #2Read: Gendering the Technological Imagination (Balsamo) | FRI17
JAN |
Studio: Designing with HTML & CSSRead: Ch. 11 and pg. 409—412 (HTML and CSS); Pg. 77—78; Assignment #4
Lecture: Introduction to Project #4 |
| WEEK 3Graphics, Color, and Transparency | MON20
JAN |
No classMLK Holiday | WED22
JAN |
Due: Journal #3 and Assignment #3Read: Women of the World Talk Back (Balsamo and Hocks);
Watch: Women of the World Talk Back CD-ROM |
FRI24
JAN |
Studio: Working with Graphics, Color, and Transparency |
| WEEK 4Formatting Text and Layout with CSS | MON27
JAN |
Due: Assignment #4Read: Assignment #5; Pg 113—115; 139—141 (Digital Classroom); Ch. 4, 12 and 15 (HTML and CSS) | WED29
JAN |
Due: Journal #4Read: Digital Genres (Askehave and Nielsen) | FRI31
JAN |
Design Critique: Project #4 topic presentationStudio: Working with text and layout |
| WEEK 5Advanced CSS Layout and Browser Compatibility | MON03
FEB |
Due: Assignment #5Read: Assignment #3; Pg 55—57 (Digital Classroom); Ch. 5 and 10 (HTML and CSS) | WED05
FEB |
Due: Journal #5Lecture and Workshop: Genre analysis as invention | FRI07
FEB |
Studio: Benefits and issues with advanced layout design using CSS |
Unit 2: Rhetoric, Race and Visual Culture on the Web
| WEEK 6Typography for the Web | MON10
FEB |
Due: Assignment #6Read: Typography for the Web (Neylan); Assignment #7
Watch: Typography for the Web |
WED12
FEB |
Due: Journal #6Read: Delivering the Message (Trimbur); Electronic Typography (Helfand) | FRI13
FEB |
Studio: Working with typographic principles for web design |
| WEEK 7Choosing Fonts | MON17
FEB |
Due: Assignment #7Read: Assignment #8; Ch. 1 and 2 (Typographic Web Design); It’s about legibility (Haley) | WED19
FEB |
Due: Journal #7Read: Leveraging Stereotypes in Design (Johnson); Is Your Font Racist? (Yang); | FRI21
FEB |
Design Critique: Web typography choicesStudio: Word connotations and rhetoric |
| WEEK 8Typographic Grid Systems | MON24
FEB |
Due: Assignment #8Read: Assignment #8; Ch. 9 (Typographic Web Design); | WED26
FEB |
Due: Journal #8Read: Pgs. 14-22 in Rhetorical Handbook (Lupton and Ehses); Rhetoric of Typography (Brumberger, 2004); Rhetoric + Typography (Trummel) | FRI28
FEB |
Design Critique: Grid systemsStudio: Working with CSS and typographic layouts |
| WEEK 9Traditional, Modernist, and Post-Modernist Web Typography | MON03
FEB |
Due: Assignment #8Read: Assignment #9; Download lecture slides
Review typographic web sites |
WED05
FEB |
Due: Journal #9Read: TBD (on visual rhetorical criticism)
Workshop: Visual rhetorical criticism as invention |
FRI07
FEB |
Design Critique: Typographic stylesStudio: Design type historically |
| WEEK 10 | MON10
MAR |
No classSpring Break | WED12
MAR |
No classSpring Break | FRI13
MAR |
No classSpring Break |
Interlude: Designing Aesthetically for the Web
| WEEK 11Designing a Visual Interface for a Web Site with Photoshop | MON17
MAR |
Due: Assignment #9Read: Assignment #10; | WED19
MAR |
Due: Journal #10Read: Reimagining NASA (William); Guest Lecture: Mark Rofil, Gyu & Co. | FRI21
MAR |
D-Crit: Report Studio: Visual Interface |
| WEEK 12Imitating Principles of Composition and Visual Hierarchy | MON24
MAR |
Due: Assignment #10Read: Ch. 6 and 7 (Design for Hackers); Assignment 11;
Workshop: Visualizing design concepts, Part 1 |
WED26
MAR |
Workshop: Visualizing design concepts, Part 2 | FRI28
MAR |
D-Crit: Initial prototype with PhotshopStudio: Designing visual interfaces with Photoshop |
| WEEK 13Writing a Design Rationale Based on Multiple Analyses | MON31
MAR |
Due: Assignment #11Read: Journal #12; Design Rational (Wikipedia)Workshop: Conducting a usability analysis, Part 1 | WED02
APR |
Read: MHIN (Tondo)Workshop: Conducting a usability analysis, Part 2 | FRI04
APR |
D-Crit and Studio: Writing a design rationale based on analysis and interpretation |
Unit 3: Rhetoric of Designing Culture through Articulation
| WEEK 14Articulation and Rearticulation of Culture | MON07
APR |
Due: Assignment #12Read: Assignment #13; Ch. 10 and 11 (Clean New World)
Lecture and Workshop: Articulating/ rearticulating culture, Part 1 |
WED09
APR |
Lecture and Workshop: Articulating/rearticulating culture, Part 2 | FRI11
APR |
Workshop: Prototyping techniques for visual interface design |
| WEEK 15Prototyping | MON14
APR |
Due: Assignment #13 Workshop and Studio: Advanced visual interface design techniques | WED16
APR |
Workshop and Studio: Advanced visual interface design techniques | FRI18
APR |
No classSpring Holiday |
| WEEK 16Assessment and Iteration | MON21
APR |
Workshop and Studio: Advanced visual interface design techniques | WED23
APR |
D-Crit and Studio: Visual interface prototype | WED25
APR |
Reading day |
| WEEK 17Production | MON28
APR |
WED30
APR |
FRI02
MAY |
Final Exam 8—11aDue: Final design rationale presentation; Sliced HTML prototype |