Welcome to English 405!
This course is constructed to help you expand your abilities to combine communicative, rhetorical, and visual knowledge with an understanding of navigation, content organization, and the common conventions of the web. No previous experience with digital media is required! Many class meetings will be devoted to "studio time" during which you will work independently and in groups on your projects for the class.
We will look at patterns and trends that have shaped the Internet and the web. We will also consider how individuals, businesses, government organizations, and others construct and distribute knowledge in electronic spaces. And we will look rhetorically at web sites to better understand effective web design and to identify trends in digital design and information architecture. We will then apply these principles by designing our own web spaces, composing with HTML editors, and capturing, creating, and manipulating graphics.
The major focus of the course will be the analysis and production of a personal web site that will serve as an electronic resume. We will also analyze other web sites and re-design the web site of a local non-profit organization (which will be an example of your work that you can include in your electronic portfolio). By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- make sound and informed technical, rhetorical, and design-related choices
- apply sophisticated strategies for web writing and digital content development
- critique, update, and troubleshoot web sites you have created
- continue to develop your skills in designing and creating web sites