This class will address the ways in which the task of composition changes in online contexts. All assignments will involve bottom-up website development. So, the first section of the course will cover the basics of coding in HTML and CSS. We will then look at the history of the internet, new media technologies, and writing for the web. From there, we will discuss the brief history of theorization of writing for the web, highlighting the specific features and capabilities, stakes and consequences of web composition. We will conclude by using these histories to analyze websites, web applications, and web-based narratives. Our final project will involve applying what we have discussed to develop a web-based discussion of course themes.

In keeping with the concept of the course, course readings will be available electronically. As mentioned above, course assignments will take the form of web pages that put into practice the tactics and theories discussed in class. There will be no final test, but there will be a final web-based project. Attendance is required, as is participation in discussion both on and offline.

N.B. This is not a composition class, nor is it a class on coding languages. It is a class on the theory and practice of web composition. As such, that will be our focus. This class takes place in a computer lab and we will talk about basic coding concepts, but students will largely be responsible for knowing or learning HTML&CSS on their own. In that vein, basic familiarity with a PC, the internet, and web browsers is recommended, but not required.

Recommended: Castro, Elizabeth HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition: Visual QuickStartGuide

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