Course details

Typography and Publishing

ITY Acad. year 2020/2021 Summer semester 4 credits

Current academic year

Students learn the basics of typography and tools for creating documents. We concentrate on the LaTeX system for preparing professional documents and publications. The course consists of six lectures (one 100 minutes long lecture per two weeks). Students practise their knowledge within five LaTeX projects. The final test is at the end of teaching part of the term.

Guarantor

Course coordinator

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Completion

Classified Credit

Time span

  • 13 hrs lectures
  • 26 hrs projects

Assessment points

  • 30 pts mid-term test (20 pts written part, 10 pts test part)
  • 70 pts projects

Department

Lecturer

Instructor

Course Web Pages

Subject specific learning outcomes and competences

Students learn typography basics and how to create documents by the LaTeX system.

Learning objectives

To understand the common principles of typography. To take an overview of tools for creating documents of high typographic quality. To be familiar with the system LaTeX for preparing professional documents and publications.

Why is the course taught

Learning how to use the LaTeX system is not an easy task. This was the main reason for creating the course. Students will exercise using LaTeX by projects. After the course, they will be able to create documents in LaTeX more efficiently as they can concentrate on a document itself rather than on handling LaTeX. There are discussed general typography rules within lectures despite their main focus on LaTeX.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Text editors.

Study literature

  • Rybička, J. LaTeX pro začátečníky [LaTeX for Beginners]. 3. edition. Konvoj, Brno, 2003. ISBN 80-7302-049-1. (In Czech)
  • Kopka, H., Daly, P. W. LaTeX podrobný průvodce [A Guide to LaTeX Document Preparation for Beginners and Advanced Users]. Vydání první. Computer Press, Brno, 2004. ISBN 80-722-6973-9. (In Czech)
  • Kottwitz, S. LaTeX Beginner's Guide. Packt Publishing, Birmingham, 2011. ISBN 978-1847199867.

Fundamental literature

  • Hanáček, P., et al. Jak publikovat na počítači [How to Publish by Computer]. SCIENCE, Velentiny, 1996. ISBN 80-901475-77. (In Czech)

Syllabus of lectures

  1. Goals and organization of the course, writing as a basis of typography, review of tools for document preparation.
  2. Introduction to LaTeX system - philosophy, software, plain and hybrid composition.
  3. Document composition - common rules and LaTeX commands for document structuring, the composition of mathematical expressions in LaTeX.
  4. Handling tables, algorithms, and images in LaTeX.
  5. Standards for references, references in LaTeX.
  6. Basics of presentations, presentation tools in LaTeX.

Syllabus - others, projects and individual work of students

  1. Plain and hybrid composition (10 points)
  2. Document composition, mathematical expressions (15 points)
  3. Pictures, algorithms, and tables (15 points)
  4. References (15 points)
  5. Presentation preparing (15 points)

Progress assessment

Students can obtain up to 70 points from 5 projects and up to 30 points from the final test.
Exam prerequisites:
Students get points in the projects during the term and in the final test at the end of teaching part of the term. It is necessary to get at least 50 points for the accreditation. Classification is according to the standard scale.
Plagiarism as well as not permitted cooperation on projects and/or cheating during the final test will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action may be initiated.

Controlled instruction

No attendance on lectures is monitored within this course. The knowledge of students is examined by the projects and by the final test.
In case of illness or other relevant obstacles that are properly reported and documented, the student can ask a responsible teacher to postpone a project submission or to provide an additional date for the final test.

Exam prerequisites

Students get points in the projects during the term and in the final test at the end of teaching part of the term. It is necessary to get at least 50 points for the accreditation. Classification is according to the standard scale.
Plagiarism as well as not permitted cooperation on projects and/or cheating during the final test will cause that involved students are not classified and disciplinary action may be initiated.

Course inclusion in study plans

  • Programme BIT, 1st year of study, Elective
  • Programme IT-BC-3, field BIT, 1st year of study, Elective
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