Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Spelman College/First-Year Composition (Spring 2021)
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- Course name
- First-Year Composition
- Institution
- Spelman College
- Instructor
- JaneNova
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- English, Writing
- Course dates
- 2021-02-03 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-05-13 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 19
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 Black Women's Literacies, interdisciplinary knowledge-making, and the politics of research production in the 21st century.
Timeline
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 8 April 2021
- Assignment - 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. You already did this when you filled out the Writer Information Sheet during Week 1. If you want to go by a different name, that's fine--just leave me a comment under the Google Classroom post about Wikipedia Sign-Up.
note: 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
- Introduction to the Wikipedia
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 Adrianne Wadewitz's:
- 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.
- The Culture of Wikipedia
Check out the following sources:
- Marshall Poe's "The Hive"
- How do Wikipedians historicize Wikipedia?
- Wikipedians are Editing the Gender Gap
- Howard Fills in Wikipedia Gaps in Black History
- Critical Reflection
- Wikipedia and the Issue of Neutrality
Contemplation 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?
Recommended Readings:
- Wikipedia FAQ about Neutral POV
- Marshall Poe A Closer Look at the NPOV
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. You should complete the training modules, as soon as possible.
Week 11
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 13 April 2021 | Thursday, 15 April 2021
- Critical Reflection about Content Gaps
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
Recommended Readings: What Motivates Wikipedians and Black Twitter on Wikipedia? Thanks, but We Need to Define Ourselves.
Contemplation Questions
- 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?
- Critical Reflection
- Sources, Plagiarism and Wikipedia
Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Read: Rebecca Moore Howard "Understanding Internet Plagiarism".
- Read: Free Culture, Introduction and Chapter 1
Reflection Question: How do copyright and cultural appropriation affect Black Women? In what ways do these laws and practices affect the invention and circulation of their intellectual and creative work?
- Assignment - 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 JaneNova (talk) 20:22, 9 May 2021 (UTC).
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
Week 12
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 20 April 2021 | Thursday, 22 April 2021
- Assignment - Final Examination
- Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon!
Use the sync final exam 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, peers, and instructor at any time!
- 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 - Add Images to an Article (Optional)
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
- 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
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.