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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Alaska Anchorage/ENGL A474 Sociolinguistics (Fall 2017)

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Course name
ENGL A474 Sociolinguistics
Institution
University of Alaska Anchorage
Instructor
David Bowie
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Linguistics
Course dates
2017-08-28 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-15 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
10


Investigates the relationship between language variation and social structures, and addresses theories and methods of sociolinguistic research, with a focus on the production and perception of linguistic variation.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Wtpillars
Tmedwards20
Vericima Feminization of language
Ajknight2
Aeroys
Klknight97
Kkanders55
Epcoker
WixWix
Digressionata

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Monday, 28 August 2017   |   Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Intro to the project

Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.


This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.


Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.

Week 2

Course meetings
Wednesday, 6 September 2017

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 11 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 18 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #1
Getting started with Wikipedia

This assignment is designed to get you set up to work on Wikipedia. To complete it, do all of the following:


  1. Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.)
  2. Review the following handouts:
  3. It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
  4. When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Assignment - Wiki assignment #2
Evaluate a Wikipedia article

 It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page. 


  • Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings.
  • Choose a non-stub article on Wikipedia related to your course to read and evaluate. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
    • 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?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
    • 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?
    • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
    • 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?
    • How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
    • How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
  • Optional, but recommended: Alongside the notes you make in your sandbox, choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes: DBowie (talk) 19:49, 5 October 2017 (UTC).[reply]

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 25 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 27 September 2017
In class - Discussion
Thinking about sources and plagiarism
  • Before Monday’s class this week, review the linked training on sources and citations.
  • Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
  • What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
  • What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
  • What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 2 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 4 October 2017
In class - To consider
What's a content gap?

Amidst thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional 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 and edits Wikipedia?
  • What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 9 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #3
Choose your topic

It's time to choose an article and assign it to yourself.


  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  • In advance of this assignment, Dr Bowie will provide you with a list of sociolinguistics stubs that could be expanded.
  • Choose one of those articles to work on. Find it on the list of "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page, and then click Select to assign it to yourself.
  • In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. Some things to do as you make your plan:
    • What can you add? You have been assigned a stub, which means that it needs information added to it. Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page.
    • Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources that you could use to add information to your assigned article. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 16 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Begin drafting your article

You've been assigned a topic and started finding your sources. Now it's time to start writing.


  • Go through the linked training modules for useful background information.
  • A suggestion: Start by writing an outline of your topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section" 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.
  • Keep reading your sources and expanding your list of them as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 23 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 25 October 2017
In class - Discussion
Thinking about Wikipedia
  • 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?


Expand your draft
  • In this and the following weeks, keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Pay attention to when peer reviews will occur, and make sure you plan your time so that it will be ready in time.
  • If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now—before peer reviews by classmates!—is the time. To make use of this resource, click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 30 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 1 November 2017

Week 11

Course meetings
Monday, 6 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #4
Peer review assignments
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • In class as this assignment approaches, you will learn about the topics that the other students are working on. You will provide Dr Bowie with a list of preferences for peer review (which could actually be an explicit statement of no preference at all).
  • Dr Bowie will assign you two classmates’ articles to peer review and copyedit. As soon as you are informed what they are, go to the Articles tab and find the articles that you are assigned. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review.
  • The actual peer reviews are due as part of wiki assignment #5, but you should, of course, start those reviews early.

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 13 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Continue improving your article

Others are now reviewing your draft, but that doesn’t mean that you have to keep it in some sort of static, unchanging form!

Please continue to do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.


  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other appropriate articles.
  • Consider adding an image to your article, if appropriate. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take the Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image.

Week 13

Course meetings
Monday, 20 November 2017

Week 14

Course meetings
Monday, 27 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #5
Peer review and copy edit
  • First, repeat the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Peer review your classmates’ drafts. Leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be looking at your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
  • As you review, focus particularly on tone (i.e., is the article encyclopedic?) and clarity, but also make spelling, grammar, and other mechanical adjustments.
Milestones

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.


Respond to your peer review

You now have some feedback from other students, and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!


  • Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
  • Return to your draft and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing first. Reach out to your instructor or your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.


Polish your work

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!

Week 15

Course meetings
Monday, 4 December 2017   |   Wednesday, 6 December 2017
Move your work to Wikipedia

Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper—the "mainspace."

Keep the following tips in mind:


  • NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
  • Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
  • Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.


Assignment - Wiki assignment #6
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!
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.

Week 16

Course meetings
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
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