Start with the source
Welcome to the Real Thing
Most people live on the surface of the web: scrolling, clicking, tapping. But beneath all of that, there's structure. Logic. Craft.
In this class, you'll learn to read and write the source code that powers the modern internet. Not with drag-and-drop tools. Not through shortcuts. But with the foundational tools, HTML and CSS, the way it actually works.
You'll start from nothing. Build from scratch. And by the end, you won't just have a few websites. You'll have a lens: a way of seeing and shaping digital space that most people never access.
This isn't a bootcamp. This isn't a YouTube tutorial. This is the real thing.
Student pledge · Required
Student pledge
I will build my foundation tag by tag.
I will understand before I automate.
When I use AI, I will remain the architect.
I will review every suggestion.
I will know what my code does.
I will build with intent and intelligence.
Where things live
- Canvas
- Due dates, submissions, feedback, grades, and official course operations.
- The course site
- Welcome, syllabus, lessons, tutorials, shared story, examples, practice, and onward routes.
- Your repository
- Source work, project history, revisions, and the workspace that grows toward your portfolio.
Start
Week 0 · Lesson 1 of 13
Syllabus first
Start lessonYour route
- Start lesson 1
Look beneath a designed surface; change one element and explain its effect.
13 lessons Learn 3Workshop 3Apply 4Review 1Check 20/13 - Next
Week 1 · Give content a structure
Build Project 1 with headings, ordered steps, meaningful links, and an image you can credit.
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Week 2 · Make the structure visible
Use CSS to create hierarchy and breathing room, then demonstrate an independent change.
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Week 3 · Build a place for your work
Migrate one page manually, publish it, and plan Project 2 in Figma.
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Week 4 · Arrange the pieces
Use flexible layout for Project 2 and practice fixing one rule at a time.
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Week 5 · Build a repeatable pattern
Build Project 3 from reusable classes; consolidate known layout skills on October 28.
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Week 6 · Let the page respond
Repair the practice together and adapt Project 3 as space and reading needs change.
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Week 7 · Debug and publish Project 3
Use browser evidence to locate a fault and deliver Project 3 as a small, usable responsive page.
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Week 8 · Design a clear invitation
Create Project 4, a concise page that tells one audience what it offers and what to do next.
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Week 9 · Make interactions honest
Make calls to action and an optional form practice understandable, keyboard usable, and truthful.
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Week 10 · Finish, test, and curate
Finish Project 4 December 2, then curate existing work and prepare to explain it.
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