Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Vanderbilt University/African Politics (Spring 2022)
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- Course name
- African Politics
- Institution
- Vanderbilt University
- Instructor
- Kristin Michelitch
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Political Science
- Course dates
- 2022-01-17 00:00:00 UTC – 2022-05-16 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 35
This course introduces students to key topics in African Politics. Students have a "term project" to individually improve wikipedia regarding African politics topics in their assigned African country.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Friday, 21 January 2022
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. (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.)
- 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
- In class - Start investigating existing Wikipedia entries in your interest area
What types of pages exist regarding African politics in a few countries you are interested in? One way to think about this is to examine what pages exists for on politics in prominent countries in the Global North, where pages are more developed and compare to your country/countries of interest. It might be helpful to have a few ideas in mind for the library session, so you can follow along the librarian with some of those topics to see if resources exist.
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 24 January 2022 | Wednesday, 26 January 2022 | Friday, 28 January 2022
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 31 January 2022 | Wednesday, 2 February 2022 | Friday, 4 February 2022
- In class - Library Training Session with Frank Lester (Wed Feb 2)
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 7 February 2022 | Wednesday, 9 February 2022 | Friday, 11 February 2022
- Assignment - 1-2 page memo listing 2-3 topic ideas
For each idea, list at least 4 scholarly resources that you could use to create your page; also list why it is important to do the topic for the country, and why it is a good topic based on building on your personal interests. Instructors will give you individual feedback to help you settle on a topic.
- Assignment - Editing an Article
- In class - Discussion
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 14 February 2022 | Wednesday, 16 February 2022
- Receive feedback on your topic from Instructors (sometime this week)
- Assignment - Finalize your topic (assign yourself your article)
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 23 February 2022 | Friday, 25 February 2022
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
- In class - Discussion
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 28 February 2022 | Wednesday, 2 March 2022 | Friday, 4 March 2022
- Continue Working on your article
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 14 March 2022 | Wednesday, 16 March 2022 | Friday, 18 March 2022
- 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 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 21 March 2022 | Wednesday, 23 March 2022 | Friday, 25 March 2022
- Assignment - Add links and images
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.
- In class - Peer review
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 28 March 2022 | Wednesday, 30 March 2022 | Friday, 1 April 2022
- In class - Discussion
- Polish your work - consider writing studio appointments
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 11
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 4 April 2022 | Wednesday, 6 April 2022 | Friday, 8 April 2022
- 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 - Make sure article checks off for Wikipedia and grading reqs
Make sure to have a great (finalized? almost finalized?) draft article ready for your presentations.
- 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 the class Wikipedia Expert from Wikiedu at any time!
- Polish your work - consider writing studio appointment
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
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- Monday, 11 April 2022 | Wednesday, 13 April 2022 | Friday, 15 April 2022
- Reflective essay - due before class on the day of your presentation - 1-2p
- In class - In-class presentations
Week 13
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 18 April 2022 | Wednesday, 20 April 2022 | Friday, 22 April 2022
- In class - In-class presentations
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 25 April 2022 | Wednesday, 27 April 2022 | Friday, 29 April 2022
- In class - In class presentations
Week 15
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 2 May 2022 | Wednesday, 4 May 2022 | Friday, 6 May 2022
Week 16
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 9 May 2022 | Wednesday, 11 May 2022 | Friday, 13 May 2022
- Assignment - Final Article Due
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.