New to Java, need help emulating a site element.

When I say new to Java, I mean I've never scripted anything in my life.

What I'm hoping I can do, however, is point you fine folks in the direction of a site I think is aesthetically and functionally excellent, and hopefully emerge with a better idea of how to tackle something similar.

The site.

What I'm needing is a simple layout like the one found here. A small center area with navigation on the side that "slides" in new content. In theory it's simple, but again, I'm a complete novice and there's probably a lot of scripting going on there to achieve that effect.

I'm hoping I can take an existing design or element and modify it to fit my needs.

If anyone has any ideas on where/how I should start, I'd appreciate the help immensely.

After seeing that site i would suggest you would you should look over Java Script. Its very easy to learn and pretty amazing scripting language.
JavaScript Tutorial

And just to make this clear

Programming language and a scripting language are not the same.

Java is a programmming language, while something like JavaScript is a scripting language.

You need to learn CSS, html and Javascript.

W3Schools Online Web Tutorials

Not much java in that kinda site. Go to the above mentioned site and learn HTML,CSS, JAVASCRIPT.