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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Virginia Commonwealth University/Seminar in Errol Morris (Spring 2020)

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Course name
Seminar in Errol Morris
Institution
Virginia Commonwealth University
Instructor
Gardner Campbell
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Course dates
2020-01-15 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-05-07 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
11


A private eye, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, a New York Times essayist, a MacArthur “genius award”
winner, a philosopher, and a Julliard-trained cellist walk into a bar … and their name is Errol Morris. This course studies the life and works of one of the most accomplished and mysterious creators of our time.

Morris’s films range in subject matter from pet cemeteries, to quantum physics, to topiary gardens, to history and politics. His writing ranges from investigative journalism to the philosophy of science. Morris’s friend and fellow filmmaker Werner Herzog once bet Morris that he would eat his shoe if Morris ever finished his debut film, Gates of Heaven. Morris finished his film, and Herzog ate his shoe (and Les Blank made a film of it).
We will explore Morris’s movies and writings from the 1970s to the present, in all their richness and uncanny wonder. Because Morris’s work spans so many disciplines and addresses such diverse topics, research opportunities for students will be unusually wide and full of interdisciplinary possibilities. Because your instructor has known Morris for over twenty years and often
talked with him about his work, you will likely encounter unique perspectives and information about both the life and the works.

As a major part of the course, we will do our best to bring as many Wikipedia articles on Morris's works as possible to GA status.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Iceblinkluck98 The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography
Emjii499 The Thin Blue Line (1988 film)
Nguyena36 Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.
Hardenam The Thin Blue Line (1988 film)
WordsfromaSong Gates of Heaven
Gmuckey96 Vernon, Florida (film)
Zerritrosper A Brief History of Time (film)
Joe oet Tabloid (film)
Jackie Petras Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
Adamgoehle The Ashtray (Or the Man Who Denied Reality)
Wren Dalton American Dharma

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 January 2020   |   Thursday, 23 January 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.)


Assignment - Wikipedia assignment blog

Begin a blog about your experiences. You can use discussion questions to frame your entries, or reflect on the research and writing process. Create at least one blog entry each week during the Wikipedia assignment.

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 28 January 2020   |   Thursday, 30 January 2020
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 4 February 2020   |   Thursday, 6 February 2020
Assignment - Review the rules for health topics
Assignment - Exercise
In class - Discussion
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Books

Films

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 11 February 2020   |   Thursday, 13 February 2020
Assignment - Add to an article
Assignment - Exercise

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 18 February 2020   |   Thursday, 20 February 2020
Assignment - Start drafting your contributions

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 25 February 2020   |   Thursday, 27 February 2020
Assignment - Peer review two articles

Guiding framework

In class - Discussion
Milestones

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

Week 7

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

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 March 2020   |   Thursday, 19 March 2020
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


Assignment - Exercise

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 24 March 2020   |   Thursday, 26 March 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 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 31 March 2020   |   Thursday, 2 April 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 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 7 April 2020   |   Thursday, 9 April 2020
Assignment - 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!


In class - In-class presentation
Assignment - Reflective essay
Assignment - Original analytical paper

Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 14 April 2020   |   Thursday, 16 April 2020
Milestones

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