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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Pittsburgh/The Archaeologist Looks at Death (Fall 2020)

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Course name
The Archaeologist Looks at Death
Institution
University of Pittsburgh
Instructor
Sarah Kennedy
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Cultural Anthropology
Course dates
2020-08-25 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-12-11 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
32


This is a 15-week class that will meet once a week via Zoom, as well as use online content.

This class is part of the College of General Studies, which serves non-traditional students and non-majors. It fulfills general social science and cultural requirements.

We will take an archaeological approach to studying the ways that people disposed of their dead, which will tell us an amazing amount about life in the past. We will look at the wide range of burial practices around the world, including the modern "American way of death," and then concentrate on the physical remains themselves.

The research project for this course will be to create or expand on a Wikipedia article related to mortuary practices in archaeology. This could be an article about bog bodies, Egyptian or Mayan pyramids, skeletons, mummies, Otzi the Iceman, funerals, or other death practices. Students will focus on academic writing, editing, supporting their claims with citations and references, and peer review.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Pittarchy Jane E. Buikstra, Repatriation Repatriation and reburial of human remains
JWi1son African Burial Ground National Monument Aconcagua mummy
Tranquillitatis317 Archaeological ethics, Repatriation and reburial of human remains African Burial Ground National Monument, Spirit Cave mummy
Dmitter Grave goods, Guale, Timucua Ancient Egyptian funerary practices
E.k.robinson Chinchorro mummies, Old Croghan Man Archaeological ethics
Payton.dawson Ancient Egyptian funerary practices Bioarchaeology
Sarag720 Mos Teutonicus Black Death, Archaeological ethics
Mswintosky Post-mortem photography Bog body
ARH125 Paleopathology Bubonic plague
Lbaloga Spirit Cave mummy Mummy Juanita
Liziming99 Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Capacocha
Mmcandrew Capacocha, Tollund Man Cashel Man
Turtlesaregr8 Portsmouth African Burying Ground Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel
Viip42 Disposal of human corpses Chinchorro mummies, Capacocha
Fire lily445 Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel Disease in Imperial Rome
Adp2020 Medieval bioarchaeology Disposal of human corpses
Keanmc Black Death El Castillo, Chichen Itza
Heo16 Aconcagua mummy Grave goods
C.lof22 Mortuary archaeology Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Sofialr3931 Plomo Mummy Mos Teutonicus
DeathOnArrakis Plomo Mummy, Ötzi Maya death rituals
Cgpitt Bog body Medieval bioarchaeology, Tollund Man
Racheldeible Disease in Imperial Rome Roman funerary practices
Fejenn Bioarchaeology, Terracotta Army Post-mortem photography, Maya death rituals
Bet9 Mummy Juanita Paleopathology
Classaboutdeadpeople Bubonic plague Plomo Mummy
Ns.thot03 Roman funerary practices Portsmouth African Burying Ground
NOakes20 Tollund Man Spirit Cave mummy
N2020w Mesoamerican pyramids, El Castillo, Chichen Itza Tollund Man
Rag138 Cashel Man Ötzi, Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Amh285 Maya death rituals Mortuary archaeology

Timeline

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 7 September 2020
In class - 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:


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.)

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 14 September 2020
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 21 September 2020
Assignment - Choose possible topics

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 28 September 2020
Assignment - Add to an article

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 5 October 2020
Assignment - Start drafting your contributions

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 12 October 2020
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Cultural Anthropology

History

Science Communication

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 19 October 2020
Assignment - Peer review one article

Guiding framework

Milestones

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

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 26 October 2020
Assignment - 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

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 2 November 2020
Assignment - Continue improving your article

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 11

Course meetings
Monday, 9 November 2020
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!

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 16 November 2020
Assignment - Reflective essay

Week 13

Course meetings
Monday, 23 November 2020
Assignment - Final article

It's the final 2 weeks 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.