Multimedia Web Programming as an Interdisciplinary Art
Don Crabb in action at WGN
Bill Sterner in his element

Students in the Class:
SCHEDULE
Week Tuesday Thursday
1 January 5 January 7
2January 12
Assignment 1		 January 14
Assignment 2
3 January 19 January 21
Assignment 3
4 January 26 January 28
5 February 2
Assignment 4		 February 4
6 February 9 February 11
7 February 16 February 18
8 February 23 February 25
9 February 2 February 4
10 March 2 March 4

Welcome to the website of Multimedia Web Programming as an Interdisciplinary Art. This website will be a valuable center of information for the course so, if you are a student, you should check back frequently. The two professors, pictured at left, are Don Crabb and Bill Sterner, respectively. Joshua Reisner, not pictured, is the TA.

This two-course sequence provides students with both practical programming skills and core ideas in computer science in relation to interdisciplinary applications. Across all disciplines, ourideas of the arts, the character of "images" and "texts," and the ways we form communities are being transformed by the convergence of content creation and delivery technologies on the World Wide Web (e.g., by scripting languages and the QuickTime Media Layer). Students learn to program on an Apple Macintosh using HyperCard,QuickTime, and a variety of user scripting languages including Lingo, JavaScript, HyperTalk, AppleScript, and related scripting languages. As an introduction to programming in a multi-media context, the course presents techniques of problem solving, program coding, algorithm construction, and debugging using the Web as its programming environment. W. Sterner, D. Crabb, Winter. 3:00-4:20pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ryerson 177. Recitations are at 6pm on Wednesdays, 7pm on Thursdays in the inner lab of the MacLab.

Required Texts:

  • Beekman, George HyperCard 2.2 in a Hurry (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley © 1994.
  • Winkler, Dan et al. HyperTalk 2.2 2nd Ed (New York: Random House © 1994)
  • Bolter, J. David Turing's Man (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press © 1984)
Email Addresses:

  • don@doncrabb.com
  • bill@mdway.uchicago.edu
  • jwreisne@midway.uchicago.edu

    • Assignment 1 - HTML - Due: Tuesday 1.12.99

    Go to any web page and view the page source (under the View pulldown menu from any browser). Select a small-to-medium sized chunk of the code and write a paragraph about it, speculating on its function. It is not necessary that you be correct, just that you think.

    Assignment 2 - HyperCard - Due: Thursday 1.14.99

    The first assignment's purpose is to familiarize you with one of the imporant programming environments that we will be using this quarter: HyperCard. Briefly skim the intruduction to HyperCard 2.2 in a Hurry (xxi-xxvii) and do sessions three and five. Do the exercises for each session and email them to the TA.

    Also, make a web page if you don't already have one. The University gives every student a website: 1) open Telnet and 2) type /usr/www/bin/web-install 3) wait about half an hour. Using Fetch or another FTP program will allow you to look in your directory. Also, go to the Student Server FAQ.

    Assignment 3 - Paper Help Stack - Due: Thursday 1.21.99

    Compose a HyperCard stack to assist a writer in writing an expository paper. This stack should also provide an explanation of the features and the usefulness of your stack.

    Assignment 4 - Pie Chart - Due: Tuesday 2.2.99

    Compose a HyperCard stack which improves upon the pie-chart feature of Don's chart stack (soon to be available on Johnny 3) in three ways: 1) improve the interface, 2) add robustness, and 3) consider the labelling options. This stack should provide an explanation of the improvements that you made, and their value.

    Last updated 1.28.99.