Style Sheets

CLASS SYLLABUS

Instructor: Bruce Donald Campbell
Faculty, Continuing Education — RISD
Adjunct, Brown University, Computer Science (research)
Director, Bruce Donald Campbell Consulting

Email: bcampbel01@risd.edu
Website: bdcampbell.net

Prerequisites: None

COURSE DESCRIPTION

As the preeminent presentation language of the Web, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allows designers to effectively separate form and content, while reinforcing their control over a site's published appearance. With the introduction of CSS3 and HTML5 standards, the Web is becoming a much more stable and robust platform for designers, whose work must now stretch from traditional desktop browsers to an ever-widening array of mobile devices. In this course, you'll become familiar with CSS behavior through video, readings, and exercises in a project-based learning model that anticipates the likely changes in CSS standards. You can expect your resulting webpages to be more structurally sound, as they demonstrate the qualities that have long been associated with inspired design.

GRADING

Class participation - 30%
Homework - 30%
Final project - 40%

RESOURCES

Books

There are no required books associated with this class — instead, we will use the wide resource library available from Web sites promoting and explaining CSS practices.

Course Handouts and On-line Readings as identified below and in class.

LINKS

CSS Home Page
W3C CSS Validator
CSS Cheat Sheet
W3C Schools CSS Page
CSS Zen Garden
CSS Reset
CSS Sprites
Color Scheme Designer

TOPIC1

welcome to css

Goal: To understand how style sheets decouple style decisions from other coding decisions

For Class:

  • Understanding your responsibilities:
    • Reading all the Provided Resources
    • Participating in the Weekly Forum by Submitting Work and Discussing the Materials
    • Using Inspect Element to see CSS application explicitly
    • Validating your code before submission
    • Submission of am ostrich progress page before our fourth class.
    • Submission of a class project before the end of our time together.

Readings:
Homework:

TOPIC2

advanced content selection

Goal: To become competent at writing CSS to couple with a content-based document.

For Class:

Readings:
Homework:

TOPIC3

applying css with other technologies

Goal: To understand clearly how style sheets can be incorporated to work with a technology.

For Class:

Readings:


Homework:

TOPIC4

interactive CSS design components

Goal: To understand that CSS has evolved into specifying interactivity behaviors

For Class:

Readings:
Homework:

TOPIC5

CSS feature smorgasborg

Goal: Play around with lots of interesting CSS features


Readings:
Homework:

TOPIC6

Where to go next with CSS

Goal: To take what you have learned so far forward with you.

In class:

  • Animation
  • 2D and 3D Transforms
  • Preparing for Project Critique

Homework:
  • Master the week six examples through interactive study.
  • Check out the student projects.
  • Make a plan for keeping your CSS skills active.
  • Submit your project on the last day of class.
  • Provide a critique of other student work by responding to their submission in the forum