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English 408C: The Rhetoric of Web Design

Contact Information
Professor: Andrew McMurry
Office hours: T - Th 10-11:30, and by appt.
Office: HH 258, ext. 2121
e-mail: amcmurry@artsmail.uwaterloo.ca

Overview
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of designing for the World Wide Web. Students will critique existing sites according to rhetorical and design theories, develop a set of guidelines according to these theories, and design and implement a Web site to be presented in class.

Texts
Stephen Johnson, Interface Culture
Lynch and Horton, Web Style Guide
Daniel Anderson et al, Connections (recommended)

Assignments and Evaluations
This is a portfolio class. Design work will not receive formal grades until the end of the term. Before that time, students can continue to work on their sites as needed. At various times during the term, students' work will receive formal and
informal critiques from the professor and from other students. As well, the consultation period will provide extensive opportunities for feedback.

Peer critiques = 20%
Over the term, students will critique their peers' work using rhetorical and design theories. Students' actual design work will not be graded by their peers;
rather, it is the usefulness and thoroughness of the
critiques that will be graded.

Midterm test = 20%
The mid-term will focus on the theoretical and
applied principles discussed in the first half of the course.

Web site project = 60%
Each student will design and implement a reflexive Web site on an approved topic, present it to the class, and provide a written rationale for the design choices. The approved Web site will consist of a home page and a series of associated pages. The site will be graded according to a variety of criteria, including content, design, functionality, and usability. The site itself will account for 40%, the rationale and the presentation 10% each.

Course Policies
All portfolio assignments must be on the Web by
5:00 PM, April 4, when grading begins. During the
term, a series of deadlines will help students keep
up with their work. If these deadlines are not met,
penalties will be applied to the final project grades.

Participation is encouraged, noted, and, in "close finishes," rewarded.

Date	Topic	Location
January 4 T	Course overview	ES 132
January 6 TR	Origins of the Web
January 11 T	Johnson Ch 1; Classical rhetoric
January 13 TR	Workshop 1 (optional intro to computer resources at UW)	ML 109
January 18 T	Johnson Ch 2; Metaphor and structure	ES 132
January 20 TR	Workshop 2 (optional intro to web authoring tools at UW)	ML 109
January 25 T	Johnson Ch 3; Visual grammars; website proposal due	ES 132
January 27 TR	Workshop 3 (Web document design lab)	ML 109
February 1 T	Johnson Ch. 4; Argument and narrative	ES 132
February 3 TR	Workshop 4 (Waking the Web Muse)	ML 109
February 8 T	Johnson Ch. 5; Ideology; Reading	ES 132
February 10 TR	Workshop 5 (graphics and images lab)	ML 109
February 15 T	Mid-term test	ES 132
February 17 TR	Website walk-around; home page and site structure due	ML 109
February 22 T	Reading week	Wherever
February 24 TR	Reading week	Wherever
February 29 T	Consultations; home page critique due	HH 258
March 2 TR
March 7 T
March 9 TR
March 14 T
March 16 TR	Website walk-around	ML 109
March 21 T	Presentations	ES 132
March 23 TR	Presentations; website critique due
March 28 T	Presentations con't
March 30 TR	Presentations con't
April 4 - 15	Grading begins; design rationale due	Cyberspace

Date

Topic

Location