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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Spelman College/Honors First-Year Composition (Fall 2020)

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Course name
Honors First-Year Composition
Institution
Spelman College
Instructor
JaneNova
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
English, Writing
Course dates
2020-08-19 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-12-07 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
15


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.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Arini Christine Helen Octavia Dickens
VOBY Sloane Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Opal cannoli Georgia Rooks Dwelle
Sindiria Toni Cade Bambara, Frances Harper
East68 Inez Beverly Prosser, Mamie Phipps Clark
Pajaroracle Miss You (Aaliyah song), Margaret Garner
AvalonLog Etta Moten Barnett
LolaRose1007 Sophia B. Jones
Seshat34 Constance Baker Motley
Doce Koakh Elaine Brown
GraceApollo Alice Allison Dunnigan, Honorable Pamela Alexander
Nevaeh1223 Jewel Prestage
Da.morning Irene Griffin (activist)
Meta Bright Ruth Winifred Howard

Timeline

Week 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 3 November 2020   |   Thursday, 5 November 2020
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.  



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:


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:

 


Critical Reflection
Wikipedia and the Issue of Neutrality

Thinking about Wikipedia

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:

 

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. You should complete the training modules, as soon as possible.

Week 13

Course meetings
Tuesday, 10 November 2020   |   Thursday, 12 November 2020
Critical Reflection about Content Gaps

What's a content gap?

Now that you're 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 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


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

Evaluate an article

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 Seshat34 (talk) 20:09, 20 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]


Assignment - Add to an Article (4th Hour)

Exercise

Add a citation


Week 14

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 November 2020   |   Thursday, 19 November 2020
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.

Milestones

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