WRA 210 Introduction to Web Authoring

WRA 210-002 T/Th 8:30-9:50 am

214 Bessey

Dr. Casey Miles milescas@msu.edu

@soulsmiles 161 Bessey

Office Hours:

Mondays 3:30-4:45pm Tuesdays 10-12pm

or schedule a meeting

<description> “The coding class.” The word “code” is intimidating. You might assume that everyone taking this class already knows how to code and that you’re the only one who doesn’t. But most of you have never coded anything before. Some of you have dabbled in other coding languages. And a few of you are somewhat familiar with HTML/CSS. This class is for all of you. Yes, you will learn to code by designing and coding your own professional portfolio using HTML and CSS. You will also gain experience with the web development process, from understanding content and information architecture, to sketching wireframes, to developing style tiles and visual mockups. You will also develop a conscious understanding of your professional identity. And you will also culturally and rhetorically situate the histories and practices around technology that have been historically raced and gendered, thus exclusionary. Designing for the web is not so much about learning complex programming as it is about engaging users, technologies, and the networks that link them together. As participants and creators in a networked world, we need to understand the limitations and strengths of the web and the ways in which

information must be modified for screen viewing. The objective of this course is to introduce you to these systems and to provide a supportive but critical environment for engaging them.

<goals> By the end of this class, you will have:

§ framed web design and development as a rhetorical practice and a useful professional skill

§ analyzed digital works and communities to understand rhetorical, social, and cultural implications of emerging media environments

§ learned and practiced principles of user-centered design § gained experienced in design genres crucial to building useful and

usable websites § designed and built a working version of your professional portfolio

<materials> § Access to a computer with reliable internet § File backup system – cloud service, flash drive, external hard drive,

etc. § Slack account (do what you need to pay attention to this space – turn

on notifications, etc.)

<assignments> Modules – You will complete a series of 10 short exercises designed to introduce you to key concepts and to give you hands-on practice with tools and techniques throughout the semester. Your work for each module will be posted to your personal course site. Personal Course Site – You will create 2 websites this semester. The first one is your own personal course site. All of your modules and projects will be stored and linked on this site. We will also use this site as a practice space, a place to experiment in class or on your own. By the end of the semester, your personal course site should be an intentionally designed space. Professional Portfolio Project – The second website you will create this semester is your professional portfolio. Over the course of the semester, you will design, build, and then present to your peers a portfolio website. This may be a starting point for your professional portfolio, something that you can maintain throughout your degree. Or this may be an opportunity to rhetorically understand your portfolio content in relation to your potential portfolio users.

Participation - To be successful in this class you must participate. In this course, you will learn by doing, by engaging with one another, and by asking questions. Workshops, small group problem solving, peer review, class discussion, doing your readings and homework, being attentive in class, asking questions, engaging your peers - these are the myriad ways to participate in this course. That said, what I mean by participation is active engagement in the community of our class. A NOTE ON WORK SUBMISSION – All coursework must be submitted via a link you send to me on Slack by the specific due date and time. This means your work should be uploaded into your Netfiles space and linked on your personal course site. Late projects will be deducted 50% for each day it is late (unless alternative arrangements have been made).

<grading> Personal Course Site - 150 points Modules - 300 points Professional Portfolio Project - 400 points

Portfolio Site: 200 points Reflection: 100 points

Presentation: 100 points Participation - 150 points TOTAL: 1000 points GRADING SCALE

Points Grade 1000-930 4.0 929-870 3.5 869-820 3.0 819-770 2.5 769-720 2.0 719-670 1.5 669-620 1.0 619-below 0.0

<policies> ATTENDANCE – Attendance is mandatory (even on workshop days). Per university policy, you are allowed 2 unexcused absences without penalty. Every absence beyond 2 deducts 25 points from your grade. I excuse absences with a doctor’s note, RCPD visa (see more in the Accessibility section), for conference presentations or other professional development opportunities, or via MSU’s Grief Absence Form.

If you are a parent/guardian or full-time caregiver, work more than 30 hours per week, or have a significant time commitment outside of school, please see me. If you have to be absent, let me know. However, it is your responsibility to find out that day’s activities. Your first stop should be Google Classroom, where I will upload each day’s slides; your second stop is your peers. Additionally, don’t be late; it’s distracting. You must be on time to fully participate in this class. Every 2 late arrivals or early departures is equal to 1 absence. COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY – In this class we may be reading, viewing, writing about, and discussing personal, intense, and controversial topics. I expect you to treat one another and me with respect and maturity. There will certainly be disagreements among us as we come to this class with a wide range of experiences and histories. In this class we will honor our differences. I will absolutely not tolerate any form of racism, white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or body discrimination. COMMUNICATION – Outside the classroom you will primarily communicate with me on our Slack workspace – 210spring2019.slack.com. Do what you need to pay attention to this space, ex. turn on notifications. For questions generally regarding the course, use the #questions channel in Slack and @ me. If you have a private concern (grading, absences, etc.) send me a direct message. If you have not received a response from me after 48 hours, please message me again. My office hours (161 Bessey) are Mondays 3:30-4:45pm, Tuesdays 10-12pm, or schedule a meeting. If you are ever unclear about an assignment, a policy, a task, please ask. ACCESSIBILITY – MSU is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at (517) 884-RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a verified individual services accommodation (“VISA”) form. Please present this form to me at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (project, etc). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. MANDATORY REPORTING OF ABUSE – Michigan State University is committed to fostering a culture of caring and respect that is free of relationship violence and sexual misconduct, and to ensuring that all

affected individuals have access to services. For information on reporting options, confidential advocacy and support resources, university policies and procedures, or how to make a difference on campus, visit the Title IX website at titleix.msu.edu. Sexual assault survivors are encouraged to contact the Sexual Assault Program (endrape.msu.edu) or MSU Counseling & Psychiatric Services (caps.msu.edu) for confidential counseling and advocacy services. LIMITS TO CONFIDENTIALITY – Materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University's student record policies. However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with me:

• Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child;

• Allegations of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment; and

• Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others. These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling & Psychiatric Services (caps.msu.edu). ACADEMIC HONESTY - I take academic honesty seriously. Plagiarism, of any sort, will not be accepted and/or tolerated in this class. Be advised: copying code, particularly as a programmer, is common practice. For the purpose of course assignments where you are asked to demonstrate your understanding of structure and syntax, you will be expected to compose your own and to document your work through comments. If plagiarism is evident and/or suspected, I will pursue it in accordance with the WRAC Department Guidelines and University Policy. Michigan State University has adopted the following statement about academic honesty: General Student Regulations 1.00 PROTECTION OF SCHOLARSHIP AND GRADES

The principles of truth and honesty are fundamental to the educational process and the academic integrity of the University; therefore, no student shall:

1.01 claim or submit the academic work of another as one’s own. 1.02 procure, provide, accept or use any materials containing questions or answers to any examination or assignment without proper authorization. 1.03 complete or attempt to complete any assignment or examination for another individual without proper authorization. 1.04 allow any examination or assignment to be completed for oneself, in part or in total, by another without proper authorization. 1.05 alter, tamper with, appropriate, destroy or otherwise interfere with the research, resources, or other academic work of another person.

Procedures for responding to cases of academic honesty and possible repercussions are outlined in Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide. They can also be found on the web at: msu.edu/unit/ombud/honestylinks.html. Note that the new procedures require instances of academic dishonesty be reported through the registrar’s office and forwarded to the Dean of the College in which the student’s major resides.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. For more information, visit aisp.msu.edu/about/land.

Updated January 4, 2018