Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Spelman College/First-Year Composition (Spring 2019)
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- Course name
- First-Year Composition
- Institution
- Spelman College
- Instructor
- JaneNova
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- English, Writing
- Course dates
- 2019-01-21 00:00:00 UTC – 2019-05-15 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 11
This course focuses on the nature and politics of language, composition, media, and communication. Students learn the basics of inquiry for the purposes of practicing argumentation. This course has a special emphasis on interdisciplinary knowledge-making and the politics of research production in the 21st century.
Timeline
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 5 March 2019 | Thursday, 7 March 2019
- In class - Select a Hacker Name and Join our Wikipedia Course Page
Before you can participate in the Wikipedia community, you need to choose a hacker name. When selecting your hacker name, you need to think very carefully about how you want to protect your government-issued personally identifying information.
- Read Dr. Lockett's Statement about Hacker Names
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 19 March 2019 | Thursday, 21 March 2019
- Assignment - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Learn about Wiki-Storming
- Read Adriane Wadewitz's Looking at the Five Pillars of Wikipedia as a Feminist (Part I)
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- In class - Critique an Article
Exercise
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
Note: Important Wiki Project's that involve increasing coverage of black women's intellectual and cultural traditions include:
Note: Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes Lady Fierce (talk) 00:43, 7 May 2019 (UTC).
- Assignment - Fourth Hour Justification
- Sources, Plagiarism and Wikipedia
Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Read: Rebecca Moore Howard "Understanding Internet Plagiarism".
- Read: Free Culture, Introduction and Chapter 1
Be prepared to have a class debate next week about copyright, creativity, and cultural appropriation
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 26 March 2019 | Thursday, 28 March 2019 | Monday, 25 March 2019
- Assignment - The Culture of Wikipedia
- Read Marshall Poe's "The Hive"
- Read how Wikipedians historicize Wikipedia
- Read Wikipedians are Editing the Gender Gap
- Read Howard Fills in Wikipedia Gaps in Black History
- View Jimmy Wales' 60 Minutes Interview
- Assignment - Discussion
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
Recommended: In preparation for the discussion, you should also read the article: What Motivates Wikipedians and Black Twitter on Wikipedia? Thanks, but We Need to Define Ourselves.
- Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
- What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
- Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
- What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
- How does editing Wikipedia enable us to further investigate the issue of homogeneity and diversity in knowledge spaces?
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 2 April 2019 | Thursday, 4 April 2019
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Creating a new article?
- Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
- A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Assignment - Fourth Hour Justification
- Exercise
- Assignment - Fourth Hour Justification
- Add Images to an Article
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 9 April 2019
- Assignment - Discussion
- Wikipedia and the Issue of Neutrality
- Read Wikipedia FAQ about Neutral POV
- Read Marshall Poe A Closer Look at the NPOV
Discussion Questions
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
- Assignment - Peer Review
- Activity #1 [Initial Feedback]
- Take the "Guiding Framework" online training.
- Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 16 April 2019 | Thursday, 18 April 2019
- Assignment - Peer Review
- Activity #2 [Respond to your Peer Review]
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 23 April 2019 | Thursday, 25 April 2019
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 30 April 2019 | Thursday, 2 May 2019
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
Week 15
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 May 2019 | Thursday, 9 May 2019
- Assignment - Finals Presentation [Lightening Talk]
Parameters TBA
Presentations take place from 10:30-12:30 p.m.