When this course first began, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the idea of creating a website. So many questions buzzed around my head: How would I acquire the content for my site? What kind of software do I need to download? How would I be able to finish it in just one semester? To my surprise, this process has been rather smooth sailing. Within the past few weeks, significant progress has been made on the SUNY Geneseo project website. I am excited to share my work with you!

Although incomplete, the website homepage has a fun interactive music clip from The Golden Compass movie soundtrack. After some trial and error in last weeks class, it is finally working. Additionally, the website navigation has been updated. I have designed it around the five W words: who, what, when, where, and why. Underneath these headings, there are dropdown menus with smaller subcategories. I felt this was a good way to keep things organized.

I have dedicated most of my time recently to finishing up the pages about Halton Catholic School Board. I created three additional pages, one for each important document I received: (1) the selection of materials form, (2) the committee report, and (3) the school board minutes. Each page contains a short summary of the document, as well as a PDF file embedded into the page. For the majority of viewers, I anticipate the summary will be sufficient, but perhaps some would like to read the primary sources themselves. By providing both, the audience will get to choose their own learning experience.

My biggest accomplishment this week is that I have completed one interview, and secured two more. Dr. Patricia Ard sent me answers to all my questions via email. I will be analyzing her responses and posting some to my website this week. I also reached out to Dr. David Levy, chair of the philosophy department at Geneseo, to see if he knew anyone who would be of assistance. He recommended I contact Dr. Aaron Herold and Dr. Carlo Filice. Both professors responded promptly to my email, saying that they are willing to help, but unfamiliar with the details of the case. Nevertheless, this is fine considering I will be asking general questions related to censorship. Dr. Herold teaches a class titled “Constitutional Rights and Liberties,” which will likely come into play when discussing censorship. Dr. Filice teaches a class titled “World Religions and Contemporary Issues,” so perhaps he can provide insight on the religious component of censorship. I am currently working on drafting interview questions targeted at their fields of study.

Another focus of mine has been completing the timeline component of our website. Although it just needs the finishing touches, I wish I had more dates specifically related to the case. I have included some dates of important publications in order to paint the full picture of the publicity The Golden Compass received around the time it was censored in Halton. I am looking forward to hearing some feedback on my work in class.

I cannot believe that this course is more than half way over! As they say, time flies by when you’re having fun, or in this case trying to design a detailed website around a censored text. Aren’t they the same thing? Well, at least for me they are!