It goes without saying: the web is an integral part of society and our lives. As Alva Couch wrote, "web technology is (still) changing at a speed beyond belief and no one, guru or not, can keep up with all the changes." The web browser has also grown to be a critical piece of software on many platforms: PC, mobile devices, and video game consoles. This course will follow the course tradition of "looking under the hood," exploring ways to create web content and applications. Core technologies including HTML / XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL will be emphasized. Web security will also be discussed. Finally, this course will delve into modern web development. Concepts and technologies including Google APIs, Ajax, social networking, mashups, jQuery, and web analytics will be introduced.
Ming Chow (mchow@cs.tufts.edu)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30 - 8:45 PM in Halligan 111B
COMP 11 or COMP 10 with consent
In this course, both individual work and group work are important. Final grade will consist of the following components (and percentage towards final grade):
None. Look, literally all the information you need is on the web. I was once a college student and I understand how the cost of textbooks is absolutely outrageous. Chances are, if I select a single textbook for the course, only a few chapters will be relevant. Now why would I require my students to buy something for my course that is of questionable value? However, please refer to the References and Resources.
Q: Will we be creating a social networking website?
A: Yes. It will be the group (semester) project in this class.
Q: Will we be using APIs such as the Twitter API, Google Maps API?
A: Yes.
Q: Will we learn how to create Facebook apps?
A: No.
Q: Will we learn how to create web applications that can be used on the iPhone or Android phone?
A: Yes. However, we will not use the Android or iPhone SDKs.
Q: I am thinking of becoming an entrepreneur. Can this course be a springboard for my tech venture?
A: Potentially, yes. However, you cannot use the department's resources to run your business!