English 573: Small Web Site

For your small Web site project, you have two options to choose from, both with the same overall requirements, listed beneath the options.

Option 1: Site Based on Research for Your Presentation

To help you explore your presentation topic, you may create a Web site that presents your most important research findings, broken into Web pages by subtopic. For example, if your presentation were over Web design, then you might have a page on using color appropriately, a page on liquid layouts, a page on fixed layouts, a page on proper typographical practices, and so forth. (By the way, please don't use my example topics, because we have covered and will cover these issues in class.)

If you select this first option, provide contextual links to your research sources. We will provide a means for your classmates to access these sites while you're delivering your presentation.

Option 2: Site Based on Need or Interest

If you don't want to build the small site around your presentation topic, then you may create a Web site based around a site that someone needs or a topic that interests you, as long as the subject is professional and appropriate for the course. The larger Web site project this semester will have roughly the same guidelines, so don't use your "blockbuster" subject for this assignment. If someone needs a small site, however, you could use this assignment to tackle the smaller project.

Requirements

The small Web site you produce must

• Be written for a particular audience and with a particular purpose.
• Contain at least five Web pages, including the home page.
• Offer appropriate navigation to help users arrive at other pages in your site.
• Provide appropriately developed and chunked content on each page. That is, each page should not have just a few lines of text, nor should it scroll from ceiling to floor.
• Validate against the XHTML 1.0 Strict DTD.
• Use a screen style sheet to control screen presentation and a print style sheet to control print presentation.
• Include necessary graphics with appropriate accessibility features.
• Look approximately the same in various Web browsers set at 800 × 600 pixels or higher.
• Follow standards we've addressed in class this semester for quality information-based Web sites.
• Result in a product you would include in a portfolio.

Analysis

Finally, if you're taking the class for graduate credit, please compose a separate Web page just for me in which you analyze your work. Addresses the choices and decisions you made during the site's creation. Also include an assessment of the site's strengths and limitations. If you encounter any victories or difficulties, please cover these aspects, as well.