The curriculum as a hypertext

In this paper the interdisciplinary nature of electronic publishing is addressed by raising two issues relating to the content and structure of an electronic publishing course. The first is whether it is possible to agree upon a generic curriculum, based on a set of headings or topics, which may be treated quite differently by those in different disciplines (e.g. typographers, computer scientists). The second related issue is whether it is appropriate to set down a single structure which puts topics under specific headings, given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. A course on the theory of electronic publishing given to typography students is used as an example of the type of material that might be covered and how it may be structured. A HyperCard has been developed alongside part of this course. The way in which this subject fits in with the course in Typography & Graphic Communication as a whole is briefly described. It is proposed that hypertext systems go some way towards providing students with alternative structures for organizing their knowledge of electronic publishing. This platform could therefore be used as the basis for a core curriculum from which various material is developed and structures created.