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User:ZachMcDowell/Writing as Communication Spring 2015 -COMM375

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Course name
Writing as Communication Spring 2015 -COMM375
Institution
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Instructor
Zachary McDowell
Subject
Communication
Course dates
2015-01-20 – 2015-04-22
Approximate number of student editors
18


The primary goal of this class is to advance your critical thinking and reading skills, and to provide instruction in the research and composition techniques.

Although the final paper will consist of a more "traditional" reflection paper, the journey of this class will be one that engages the collaborative nature of knowledge creation and how you can participate in it. As of Spring 2015, there is no greater place for collaborative knowledge creation than Wikipedia, so this is where we will begin to engage our writing as a transformative communicative event.

This course will give students a chance to engage a variety of topics typical of those within the Department of Communication. These topics may include, but are not limited to: Media Studies, Mass Media, New Media, Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication, and Advertising Studies. Students will engage academic sources to synthesize new content on Wikipedia.

This class serves as the Junior Year Writing course for Communication Studies Majors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.


Timeline

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Week 1 (2015-01-19): Wikipedia essentials

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Course meetings
Monday, 19 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 21 January 2015
In class
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Wikipedia is a community: a brief overview of its rules, expectations, and etiquette
  • Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)

Week 2 (2015-01-26): Editing basics

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Course meetings
Monday, 26 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 28 January 2015
In class
  • Basics of editing
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
  • Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
  • Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
  • Wikimarkup Cheat Sheet
Assignment (due Week 3)
  • Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
Milestones
  • All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3 (2015-02-02): Exploring the topic area

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Course meetings
Monday, 2 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 4 February 2015
In class

Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement. Use the "choosing an article" handout for guidance.


Assignment (due Week 4)
  • Evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and create suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page (do not feel like you have to enter them yet, but be prepared to talk about them in class).
    • A few questions to consider (don't feel limited to these):
      • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
      • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
      • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
      • Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that biased noted?
      • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
      • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
      • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?


Week 4 (2015-02-09): Using sources and choosing articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 9 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 11 February 2015
In class


Assignment (due Week 5)
  • Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
  • Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback.
For next week
  • Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by next week.

Week 5 (2015-02-16): Finalizing topics and starting research

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Course meetings
Monday, 16 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 18 February 2015
In class
  • Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.


Assignment (due Week 6)
  • Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
  • Mark your article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. Add this code in the top section of the talk page:
{{course assignment | course = User:ZachMcDowell/Writing as Communication Spring 2015 -COMM375 | term = Spring 2015 }}
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 6 (2015-02-23): Drafting starter articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 23 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 25 February 2015
In class
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


Assignment (due Week 7)
  • If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.
Milestones
  • All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7 (2015-03-02): Moving articles to the main space

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Course meetings
Monday, 2 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 4 March 2015
In class


Assignment (due Week 8)
  • Move sandbox articles into main space.
    • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
    • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow these instructions on how to move your work.


  • Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” (see detailed instructions) and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors. Wiki Education Foundation staff can provide support for this process.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 8 (2015-03-09): Building articles, Creating first draft

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Course meetings
Monday, 9 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 11 March 2015
In class


Assignment (due Week 9)
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
  • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 9 (2015-03-23): Getting and giving feedback

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Course meetings
Monday, 23 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 25 March 2015
In class
  • As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.


Assignment (due Week 10)
  • Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 10 (2015-03-30): Responding to feedback

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Course meetings
Monday, 30 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 1 April 2015
In class
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


Assignment (due Week 11)
  • Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 11 (2015-04-06): Continuing to improve articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 6 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 8 April 2015
In class
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment (due Week 12)
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Week 12 (2015-04-13): Continuing to improve articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 13 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 15 April 2015
In class
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment (due Week 13)
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 13 (2015-04-20): Finishing touches

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Course meetings
Monday, 20 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 22 April 2015
In class
  • Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.


Assignment (due Week 14)
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.
  • Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 14 (2015-04-29): Due date

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Course meetings
Monday, 20 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Milestones
  • Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Grading

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  5%  
   Completion of Wikipedia training
  10%  
   Early Wikipedia exercises
  10%  
   Quality of bibliography and outline
  15%  
   Peer reviews and collaboration with classmates
  35%  
   Quality of your main Wikipedia contributions
  15%  
   Reflection Essay
  10%  
   Overall Class Participation
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