User:Lfountain/sandbox

Welcome to my user page. I am a student at California State University East Bay pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Science, Administration and Management. I am an older student and I decided to complete my college education while helping my children through their college selection process. When I am not studying, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and I especially enjoy cooking for them.

Article evaluation

Is everything in the article relevant to the article? Is there anything that distracted you?

I’m not sure if everything in the article is relevant, such as the descriptions of the methods for making conventional documentary films. I was distracted by the numerous direct quotes, inconsistent use of quotation marks, italics and brackets for film titles. Some of the sentences were difficult to understand. The sections titled “Poetry” and “Writings” could be combined.

Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?

In many instances, the article is written in essay style. The quotes are used to convey Riggs’ personal views on racism and homosexuality. Although they offer insight into Riggs’ beliefs, I’m not sure if that is the purpose of Wikipedia. The section titled “Controversy” is long and it seems to be more about the political battle between Pat Buchannan and George H.W. Bush, and the American Family Association’s intent to discredit PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Are there viewpoints that are over-represented, or underrepresented?

His personal family life is underrepresented. The awards section does not include the Marlon Riggs Award, which is awarded by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle to honor Bay Area filmmakers who courage and innovation in the world of cinema.  His academic achievements are vague.

Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?

Most of the citations do not contain links, but the citations that do have links work. However, the New York Times obituary contains information about his college degrees that conflicts with the Wikipedia article. For example, the article states he graduated magna cum laude in 1978 from Harvard where he studied history, and that he received a master’s degree in journalism with a specialization on documentary film in 1981. The NY Times obituary states that he received a master’s degree from Harvard in 1981.

Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?

A lot of sentences are not cited; most paragraphs only have one citation. The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and USA Today make up 7 of the 18 total citations. Interviews with Marlon Riggs, his writings and films, books and websites made up the balance of the sources. No bias was noted in the article.

Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?

Since the information is about events that occurred at least 20 years ago, it is still relevant, and the facts should not change. More information about Riggs’ childhood, family and religious influences, if any, would be interesting.

Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?

The Talk page does not have very much on it, but Athomas001 and I are both interested in Marlon Riggs’ family life and the role religion played in his life.

How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?

The article is not rated. The article is part of WikiProject LGBT studies, WikiProject African diaspora, WikiProject United States, WikiProject Biography/Actors and Filmmakers/Politics and Government. The article has also been the subject of Wiki Education Foundation supported course assignments at Hunter College, Santa Clara University and California State University, East Bay.

How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Much of the writing is not supported by citations. A synopsis of each of the films is provided.

Plague article: Angel Island

For this assignment, I plan to write about the differences in how Asian, European, and Americans were treated as they were routed to Angel Island as they arrived by ship to San Francisco. I also plan to write about the physical examinations immigrants were required to endure and the general living conditions on the island. This information will be added to the Quarantine station section of the article. My sources are:

The Public Health Service on Angel Island. (1996). Public Health Reports (1974-), 111(1), 92-94. http://www.jstor.org.proxylib.csueastbay.edu/stable/4597972?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Markel, H. (1999). Which face? Whose nation?: Immigration, public health, and the construction of disease at America's ports and borders, 1891-1928. The American Behavioral Scientist, 42(9), 1314-1331. https://search-proquest-com.proxylib.csueastbay.edu/docview/214779862?accountid=28458&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

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