This syllabus is subject to slight alterations throughout the semester.
Dear Student,
In this class you will learn to communicate your ideas in the form of software.
You will make two web projects of your own design, write JavaScript source code effectively, and improve your knowledge of HTML & CSS by using their advanced features. As a class, we will discuss the history of randomness, what interactivity means in relationship to software, and whether computers are a good thing, in general.
Jeffrey Scudder
scudderj@newschool.edu
Catalog Description
This course will focus on extending students' knowledge of code to web and cloud. Students will be learning JavaScript, the programming language of the Web. Students will be introduced to a variety of application [sic] from server-side network programming, game development, and the creation of desktop and mobile applications.
Assignments & Assessable Tasks
This course consists of producing two significant pieces of software and digesting three associated readings. Your projects will be reviewed in the desktop and mobile versions of Google's Chrome web browser. See schedule for details. You must hand in a compressed archive file (a ".zip" that contains source code, screenshots, and a high resolution video) of each assignment by the date it is to be shared with the class, and all of them once more on the date of your final critique.
Readings
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 - Nick Montfort - RandomnessNo More Secondhand God: And Other Writings - Buckminster Fuller - Machine Tools
The Language of New Media - Lev Manovich - Myth of the Digital / Interactivity
Materials
Our class will be held in a computer lab, but it is recommended that you bring a laptop on which you have permission to install and run software.
Resources
- Students should download and use for this course.
-
JavaScript | Mozilla Developer Network
- Parsons' Lynda Access
- Jeffrey Scudder's JavaScript Class Google Doc
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Operate command line interfaces.
- Compose programs for the web and other contexts using the JavaScript programming language.
- Understand the affordances and limitations of using software as a medium.
- Read and understand the source code of both their own and their classmate's projects.
- Independently research and learn unfamiliar technical topics.
Schedule & Location
12:10 pm - 2:50 pm - Friday - 6 East 16th Street, Room 601
Check back weekly for links to assignment criteria, examples, and class notes.
1: Course Introduction. Syllabus & Prerequisites Overview. Read Machine Tools by Buckminster Fuller.
2: What is JavaScript and what can you do with it? What is software? Overview of JavaScript's data types. Notes
3: Working with functions, arrays and objects in JavaScript. Loops! Tools and text editors. Notes
4: HTML & CSS Review. Introducing jQuery and the JavaScript library ecosystem. Listen to Brian Moriarty's Psalm 46 in class. Notes
5: Reveal assignment 1: Hypermedia. Read Myth of the Digital / Interactivity by Lev Manovich. Notes
7: NO CLASS: Continue working on assignment 1.
NO CLASS: Thanksgiving!
Evaluation
Your performance will be evaluated based on class involvement, technical progress, and the novelty of your ideas.
- A: Exceptional
- B: Good
- C: Average
- D: Below average
- F: Poor
- 70% Assignments & Readings (equally weighted) see above
- 30% Class participation & dialogue
Grade of W
The grade of W may be issued by the Office of the Registrar to a student who officially withdraws from a course within the applicable deadline. There is no academic penalty, but the grade will appear on the student transcript. A grade of W may also be issued by an instructor to a graduate student (except at Parsons and Mannes) who has not completed course requirements nor arranged for an Incomplete.
Grade of WF
The grade of WF is issued by an instructor to a student (all undergraduates and all graduate students) who has not attended or not completed all required work in a course but did not officially withdraw before the withdrawal deadline. It differs from an "F," which would indicate that the student technically completed requirements but that the level of work did not qualify for a passing grade. The WF is equivalent to an F in calculating the grade point average (zero grade points), and no credit is awarded.
Grades of Incomplete
The grade of I, or temporary incomplete, may be granted to a student under unusual and extenuating circumstances, such as when the student’s academic life is interrupted by a medical or personal emergency. This mark is not given automatically but only upon the student’s request and at the discretion of the instructor. A Request for Incomplete form must be completed and signed by student and instructor. The time allowed for completion of the work and removal of the "I" mark will be set by the instructor with the following limitations:
Undergraduate students: Work must be completed no later than the seventh week of the following fall semester for spring or summer term incompletes and no later than the seventh week of the following spring semester for fall term incompletes. Grades of "I" not revised in the prescribed time will be recorded as a final grade of "WF" by the Office of the Registrar.
Divisional, Program and Class Policies
Responsibility
Students are responsible for all assignments, even if they are absent. Late assignments, failure to complete the assignments for class discussion and/or critique, and lack of preparedness for in-class discussions, presentations and/or critiques will jeopardize your successful completion of this course.
Participation
Students are responsible for all assignments, even if they are absent. Late or incomplete projects and lack of preparedness for inclass discussions and presentations will jeopardize your successful completion of this course.
Attendance
Faculty members may fail any student who is absent for a significant portion of class time. A significant portion of class time is defined as three absences for classes that meet once per week and four absences for classes that meet two or more times per week. During intensive summer sessions a significant portion of class time is defined as two absences. Lateness or early departure from class may also translate into one full absence.
Blackboard or Canvas
Use of Canvas may be an important resource for this class. Students should check it for announcements before coming to class each week.
Delays
In rare instances, I may be delayed arriving to class. If I have not arrived by the time class is scheduled to start, you must wait a minimum of thirty minutes for my arrival. In the event that I will miss class entirely, a sign will be posted at the classroom indicating your assignment for the next class meeting.
Electronic Devices
Use of electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops) is permitted when the device is being used in relation to the course's work. All other uses are prohibited in the classroom and devices should be turned off before class starts.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
The New School views "academic honesty and integrity" as the duty of every member of an academic community to claim authorship for his or her own work and only for that work, and to recognize the contributions of others accurately and completely. This obligation is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual debate, and creative and academic pursuits. Academic honesty and integrity includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on research findings or any aspect of the work of others (including that of faculty members and other students). Academic dishonesty results from infractions of this "accurate use". The standards of academic honesty and integrity, and citation of sources, apply to all forms of academic work, including submissions of drafts of final papers or projects. All members of the University community are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty and integrity. Please see the complete policy in the Parsons Catalog. It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their own work from that of others. Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences, including (but not limited to) one or more of the following: failure of the assignment, failure of the course, academic warning, disciplinary probation, suspension from the university, or dismissal from the university.
Student Disability Services
In keeping with the University’s policy of providing equal access for students with disabilities, any student with a disability who needs academic accommodations is welcome to meet with me privately. All conversations will be kept confidential. Students requesting any accommodations will also need to meet with Jason Luchs in the Office of Student Disability Services, who will conduct an intake, and if appropriate, provide an academic accommodation notification letter to you to bring to me. SDS assists students with disabilities in need of academic and programmatic accommodations as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. http://www.newschool.edu/studentservices/disability/