English 487/687: Multi-Touch, Interactive eBooks and the Future of Publishing |
English 489/689 |
http://parlormultimedia.com/information_design
Early in the semester, most of our class meetings will be in the MATRF, Daniel 409. As projects begin, individuals and groups may also work in the 1941 Studio for Student Communication, which is currently being transformed into a high-end production and design studio geared toward publishing high quality print and digital publications. Unless the course calendar indicates otherwise, class will begin in the MATRF. Access to the MATRF During Open Hours: Students may use the MATRF facility and equipment during its open hours throughout the semester. If you do want access, however, there’s a required materials fee of $45, which can be paid by check (payable to Clemson University) or cash to Kristin Sindorf in the English Department main office, Strode 801.
The primary readings for the course will be from the three required course texts, each available at the Clemson University Bookstore. The course calendar specifies what should be read and when.
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Joel Katz, Designing Information: Human Factors and Common Sense in Information Design (Wiley, 2012); ISBN: 978-1118341971 |
Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things (Basic Books, 2002); ISBN: 978-0465067107 |
Edward R. Tufte, Envisioning Information (Graphics Press, 1990); ISBN: 978-0961392116 |
Digital Readings: This will be distributed electronically via Dropbox, the course website, our Feed Aggregator, a shared folder in Instapaper, and other sources. t will include timely articles on information design, interface design, visual communication, and more. Although not all feed articles will appear on the course calendar, you should read thee feeds regularly at our site's feed aggregator and via the blocks on the front page of the course site. Required readings will be listed on the course calendar at least a week in advance of the due date.
This course is designed to give students in-depth knowledge and experience in information design, data visualization, and information architecture, with extensions to the new field of interaction design. Course projects will teach the principles and practices of design, visual rhetoric, and visual analysis and will involve developing digital and print-based projects designed for publication on the Web or in print. At least one project will teach the principles of interaction design useful for creating apps for smart phones and tablet computers. Another may involve designing an interactive exhibit in which information design, usability, accessibility, user-experience design, and human-computer interaction may play a significant role.
The course is offered in the MATRF lab and on occasion in the Production and Design Studio in the Pearce Center for Professional Communication to allow for hands-on learning, collaboration, and design practice. Students will also gain experience useful for securing future internships or positions with local publishers like Parlor Press (http://www.parlorpress.com) or the Center for Electronic and Digital Publishing (CEDP).
Prior experience with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver) and software that allows for data integration (Word, Excel, Google Docs) will be helpful but is not required at the start. Students may need to learn some coding with HTML and CSS.
Further details about each of these project will be discussed in class and linked from the calendar.
Reading Responses | 20% |
Bi-Weekly Modules | 10% |
Individual Projects | 40% |
Collaborative Project | 20% |
Showcase | 10% |
Total
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100% |
To earn full credit for reading responses and bi-weekly modules you will need to complete all of them and, in the case of reading responses, actively respond to your peers on the course website. Your reading responses and replies should show that you’re engaged with the topic and open to new possibilities and ideas. Bi-weekly modules, because they must be completed during class, cannot be made up. The criteria for evaluation of the individual and collaborative projects will be spelled out on the full description of each. For the collaborative project, you’ll be asked to complete a Collaborative Project Evaluation Form and submit it privately to me on or before the project’s due date. For the showcase, you’ll be expected to participate actively in its planning and to present your work for the semester during the event.
You’ll receive oral feedback along the way throughout each project (in or out-of-class) and a grade on the individual projects after they’re completed. Individual projects may be revised once for further review, with the qualification that the revision be submitted within one week of their return to you.
Attendance is required at all scheduled meetings. Three absences may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences will only be granted for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being excessively or regularly late for class can also be counted as an absence. Note: If the instructor is late to class, you only need to wait fifteen (15) minutes.
Clemson students and their instructors are expected to adhere to the community and ethical standards for behavior and academic integrity at the University:
"As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson's vision of this institution as a "high seminary of learning." Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust 2 and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form."
"When, in the opinion of a faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean for Curriculum in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student privately of the nature of the alleged charge."
Unless otherwise noted in assignment guidelines, you should not submit work for this course that has been submitted for a grade in other courses.
Students with disabilities who need accommodations should make an appointment with Arlene Stewart, Director of Student Disability Services, to discuss specific needs within the first month of classes. Students should present a Faculty Accommodation Letter from Student Disabilities Services when they meet with instructors. Student Disability Services is located in G-20 Redfern (telephone number: 656-6848; e-mail: sds-l@clemson.edu). Please be aware that accommodations are not retroactive and new Faculty Accommodation Letters must be presented each semester.
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing, texting, or calling me using the information provided on this course description, or by contacting me through the English Department at (864) 656-3151.
The majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted.