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Dynamic Web. 161A
Spring 2004
UCLA Design | Media Arts
Professor Casey Reas
(office hours Thursdays 5-6 in Kinross South 130)
TA Daniel Sauter (office hours Tuesdays 1-2 in Kinross South 122)
When and Where
Tuesday & Thursday, 9:00-11:50
Kinross South 122, UCLA
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 |
