D3 is an extraordinary library written by Mike Bostock (see some of his work for the New York Times here). You can use it for displaying all sorts of graphical data.
Please read chapters 2, 3 (only SVG part) and 5.
Optional - You can also work through Mike's tutorial, Let’s Make a Map, starting with Loading data. This is just to get an idea of the potential of D3. If you like, you can use this minimal example of a map of the world drawn using D3 as a starting point.
Short introduction to D3 and a quick discussion of your homework reading. Then you will be working through chapters 5, 6 and 7. After reading through the chapters we will discuss the chapter as a group, randomly picking someone to explain key aspects. We will also be looking at the interactive examples (js bins) together.
At the end of the day you will be given your challenge for the rest of the week and assigned roles.