This Course
|
Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contactwikiedu.org |
This course page is an automatically-updated version of the main course page at dashboard.wikiedu.org. Please do not edit this page directly; any changes will be overwritten the next time the main course page gets updated. |
This course explores deprivations and inequalities in capabilities in global and local communities, and how they are situated in social, institutional, and political economic systems. Of particular focus are racial/ethnic and geographic disparities, gender inequality, and interactions with social norms, work structures, and the environment. For example, human life requires not just market work but also the difficult-to-measure, interdependent, non-market work: childcare, eldercare, and provision for personal needs. Those who work in markets still require that these activities be taken care of, either as their own extra work, by a family member, or a paid helper. In exploring these issues, the course also considers connections with other inequalities, such as ethnicity, race, caste, class, and sexual orientation. Readings consider policies designed to improve standards of living and enhance capabilities of all people.
Wikipedia Assignment Overview:
Wikipedia has increasingly become the first resource many internet users consult whenever they encounter an unfamiliar topic. This reliance on Wikipedia is simultaneously exciting in its potential to democratize the availability and production of knowledge and troubling given evidence of systemic bias in Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Systemic_bias) and the possibility that inaccurate, and even malicious, information will be spread and reinforced through the site.
This semester you will have the opportunity to intervene in this social phenomenon by participating in the construction and revision of Wikipedia sites relevant to the themes of this course. For this assignment, you will propose and either (1) carry out a substantial revision of an existing Wikipedia article by rewriting it and creating additional sections, or (2) expand a “stub” for a topic that is not sufficiently covered on the site, or (3) create an entirely new article. Since new sections added to existing articles receive far more traffic than completely new articles, which can be orphaned in Wikipedia, you will need to provide a justification if you propose to create a new article rather than revise or expand upon an existing one.
Through this assignment, you will have the opportunity to educate readers about the topics discussed in class and be part of a worldwide conversation about these issues. You will also join the Article Talk page and WikiProject pages related to your entry, and participate in the discussions on these sites.
[The assignments, milestones, and other course features are under construction/revision; please check back for revisions.]
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 18.
Access and review
Editing Wikipedia
redirected to a page with a header that reads "Editing User:" with a large text box.
wish to contribute. For example, you may wish to look at the user pages of some former students. In the Wikipedia search bar, click User:Leejohnson898, User:Weatherby551, User:Twoods158. For the future: Be sure to continue to develop your Wikipedia user page over the course of the semester, and update it later as your life circumstances change.
now exists.
Special:MyPage/sandbox. You can practice Wikipedia editing in your sandbox until you are ready to begin editing in the Wikipedia mainspace.
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 27.
To complete:
Choosing your topic is the earliest decision you need to make for this project. Careful selection of a workable topic will help you complete this assignment efficiently and make a valuable contribution.
1. Considering possible topics:
Review this page.
2. Submit a very brief description of your proposed topics to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas.
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features: a. File name: [LastName] WikiTopics.docx
b. Document must include:
i. Your name on the first page of the document
ii. Page numbers
iii. Be doubled-spaced
iv. Careful proofreading
v. Preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
c. For each proposed topic:
i. Supply a few sentences to explain your interest and possible revisions. (Note you will later be submitting a full proposal -- this assignment is simply to help you identify a viable topic, so be concise);
ii. Note whether you would like to rewrite/add to an existing article or articles, expand an existing stub, or create an entirely new entry;
iii. If you are proposing a new article, describe the parent article and its quality; and
iv. For your top two choices, list at least ten new references to scholarly sources you would add in revising/creating the article. You may consider doing the same for a possible third alternative topic.
References: You may include references to newspaper, magazine, website, and blog sources, but these will not count toward the required number of scholarly references. All references need to be presented as formal full citations (do not simply provide links). Rank your proposed topics in your order of interest. If approved, one of these topics will become your final topic. You will lose points if your sources are not properly listed as formal citations.
d. Submit to Canvas by 9:00 pm Tuesday Jan 27
3. List the topics you are considering plus the references on your user page
4. Post a comment on the talk pages of the articles (or on the talk page of a parent or important related article if you are proposing a new article.)
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday Feb 15.
To complete:
________________________________
Overview
Things to consider before writing:
You will have the option of revising an existing article, creating a new one, or some combination that may involve adding to one or more articles and creating a new article. New articles are generally discouraged unless a clear and well-developed parent article already exists.
Issues to consider if you are considering creating a new article:
Issues to consider in planning a revision to an existing article:
Issues to consider for both new and revised articles:
Instructions:
The proposal should be a typed plan (a minimum of 500-700 words, not including references, describing the work you propose to do. The proposal should not be a draft of your proposed new or revised article and should not contain paragraphs intended for your article.
The purpose of the proposal is to persuade readers of the merits of your planned contributions and it should demonstrate how your article will differ from or improve upon any existing or related articles. To receive full credit for your Wikipedia contributions you will need to create a substantial amount of new material. The proposal should clearly indicate the work you plan to contribute. You will need to do enough research to clearly explain the motivation behind your planned changes. Be sure to include all the required proposal components described below. If this is a group project, clearly explain how the work will be divided.
All proposals should cover the concepts necessary to a critical understanding of the issues; related theoretical and policy debates, and a detailed analytical plan for the material you plan to add.
We want you to notate which sources are scholarly with an asterisk (*) if you are including non-scholarly sources. As noted by the rubric, for most topics, you need a minimum of two scholarly sources per section you plan to add. If you are working on an approved topic, where scholarly sources are scarce, notify Dr. Strassmann, who can modify the expectations for your work. Good luck with your proposals!
Carefully read the comments you received on your topic assignment, including suggestions of references, reconceptualizations of your topic, title, etc. If you’ve been told that your topic is too broad (or too narrow), alter your plan as suggested. Overly broad topics are discouraged since these are difficult to research and cover comprehensively.
Writing your proposal
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday Feb 22.
While you are waiting to hear back on your proposal, begin updating your user page and the talk pages of the article(s) you propose to contribute to.
Due 5:00pm Friday March 4.
To complete:
Be sure you are logged in at all times! Don't forget to sign all Talk page postings with four ~s.
________________________________
Start drafting ideas from your proposal into your Wikipedia Sandbox
Once you have a complete draft in your Sandbox, consider moving that work live on to Wikipedia (keep your work in the sandbox longer if you plan to submit a DYK hook).
Once you have your work moved live...
Deadline: Friday March 11 or later (deadline variable depending on timing of article creation or 5-fold expansion).
This optional assignment can help draw traffic to your page and increase the “hits” it receives. Only new articles or articles that have greatly increased the word count of a previously existing article are eligible. “Did you know” hooks must be submitted within 7 days of the creation of a new article or a fivefold expansion (usually from a stub) of an existing article. Submitting a DYK hook requires that you engage with other Wikipedia editors in a discussion that will likely result in requests for improvement to the article.
Due Friday, March 11, 5 pm
Overwriting entire articles or large sections is more acceptable for articles that are not actively being edited by other Wikipedians (no substantive new edits in several months). If you plan substantial deletions and overwriting to an existing page, make sure that you have written on the article's Talk page to explain the problems with the current page, described your planned revisions, and given other Wikipedians time to respond.
*baskerville font, size 14
Due 9:00 pm Monday March 21.
Workshop: Students will meet in class on Thursday March 24 with their peer review groups to discuss their feedback on each other's articles. This class is required.
Due Wednesday April 6 5pm
Expand and revise your Wikipedia contributions in response to your peer review feedback and any comments posted to your User and Talk pages by other Wikipedia editors. Be proactive in seeking advice from editors in the Wikipedia community. Your expanded contribution should be a minimum of 1500 words, not including references. By this stage, you should have added at least fifteen new references from scholarly sources. Additional references may come from non-scholarly sources, such as from news reports or governmental or NGO websites. Be sure your Wikipedia settings are set so that you are able to watch and be notified of any comments or changes to Article, Talk, or User pages.
* links to the page(s) you have created/changed
* an outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted or added.
Label the file: LastNameExpandedContributionDescription.docx)
Handouts:
[
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polishing_your_articles.pdf Polishing your article
]
Due Friday, April 15, 5 PM
Your Wikipedia contributions are due to be live by Friday at 5 pm to the relevant Canvas assignment page.
Please follow the instructions below:
When submitting your Contribution Description and Portfolio, highlight the sections of the article you have contributed to, with the changes you made highlighted in YELLOW. Do not include large amounts of extraneous text created by others. If other classmates or Wikipedians contributed to the article during the time you were also working on it, you may highlight that as well, but be sure your Description clearly indicates the changes you made.
The highlighting may be done in three ways: highlighting in Word; taking a screenshot of your article on Wikipedia and highlighting; or making a PDF of your article and highlighting. Instructions follow.
If you rewrote the entire article, you can submit two documents: one with your final article and one of the original article.
If you created an entirely new article and you are the only person who has edited your article, take a screenshot or make a PDF of the entire article to submit. Please indicate in your description that this is the case so it is clear that all the work you’re submitting is your own.
How to save your page as a PDF
If you created a new entry or changed a majority of the entry, create a PDF of the entire page. You can do this easily by clicking on the Print/ Export button on the left-hand side of the Wikipedia page. You will then be presented with three options; pick the one that says “Download as PDF.” Please use this option at your own discretion, but make sure that the downloaded PDF includes everything that you are required to submit as part of this assignment.
If you have only changed or added to part of the article, do not create a PDF that includes large amounts of text you have not contributed to. In such cases, take screenshots of the relevant information instead and compile those together in a word document.
Font size
The font size must be large enough for me to easily read it when the PDF is printed (the equivalent of size 14). When printing your Wikipedia contributions, use the "print preview" to save them as PDFs. You can read this brief description of how to do this:
http://www.ehow(.)com/how6813102save-print-preview-pdf.html
How to take screenshots
If the page you are viewing has unnecessary information, please use a selected screenshot instead of a full screenshot as this will make the image larger and, therefore, more legible. You can find the original article by viewing a page’s history and then selecting the date and time on the last revision before you started.
If you know there is a lot of content in the article that you did not edit, take multiple screenshots of the sections that you have added or substantially rewritten, and in a Microsoft Word document insert the original and final screenshots side-by-side (please label each one original or final), and describe the changes to that particular section. The description should clearly indicate the changes you have made.
To zoom-in on the screen
In Firefox and Google Chrome, you can zoom in by simply pressing “Control” or “Ctrl” and scrolling up. Then you can take your screenshot and the font will be larger.
On a MAC
For a selected screenshot, hold “command” and “shift” and then press 4. Use your cursor to then select the area to screenshot.
For a full screenshot, hold “command” and “shift” and then press 3.
The screenshots save to your desktop and can be renamed to .jpg or .pdf (they default as .png files).
On a PC
Please follow the steps provided at this link:
http://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-Screenshot-in-Microsoft-Windows
Highlighting Changes on MACs
YELLOW
Due Friday, April 15, 5 PM
Put together the following items into one-word document with live links:
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
Due 5:00 PM April 22
Reflective Essay (see instructions below): [Filename: <LastName>Reflection.docx or pdf)]
______________________________________________________
Write a reflective essay (3-5 pages) on your Wikipedia experience. Consider these [[../../../training/students/reflective-essay-exercise/essay-questions|Guiding questions]] while you write. Although this essay will naturally reference some details from your Contribution Description, it should take an essay format and should be deeply reflective about your Wikipedia experience.
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
This Course
|
Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contactwikiedu.org |
This course page is an automatically-updated version of the main course page at dashboard.wikiedu.org. Please do not edit this page directly; any changes will be overwritten the next time the main course page gets updated. |
This course explores deprivations and inequalities in capabilities in global and local communities, and how they are situated in social, institutional, and political economic systems. Of particular focus are racial/ethnic and geographic disparities, gender inequality, and interactions with social norms, work structures, and the environment. For example, human life requires not just market work but also the difficult-to-measure, interdependent, non-market work: childcare, eldercare, and provision for personal needs. Those who work in markets still require that these activities be taken care of, either as their own extra work, by a family member, or a paid helper. In exploring these issues, the course also considers connections with other inequalities, such as ethnicity, race, caste, class, and sexual orientation. Readings consider policies designed to improve standards of living and enhance capabilities of all people.
Wikipedia Assignment Overview:
Wikipedia has increasingly become the first resource many internet users consult whenever they encounter an unfamiliar topic. This reliance on Wikipedia is simultaneously exciting in its potential to democratize the availability and production of knowledge and troubling given evidence of systemic bias in Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Systemic_bias) and the possibility that inaccurate, and even malicious, information will be spread and reinforced through the site.
This semester you will have the opportunity to intervene in this social phenomenon by participating in the construction and revision of Wikipedia sites relevant to the themes of this course. For this assignment, you will propose and either (1) carry out a substantial revision of an existing Wikipedia article by rewriting it and creating additional sections, or (2) expand a “stub” for a topic that is not sufficiently covered on the site, or (3) create an entirely new article. Since new sections added to existing articles receive far more traffic than completely new articles, which can be orphaned in Wikipedia, you will need to provide a justification if you propose to create a new article rather than revise or expand upon an existing one.
Through this assignment, you will have the opportunity to educate readers about the topics discussed in class and be part of a worldwide conversation about these issues. You will also join the Article Talk page and WikiProject pages related to your entry, and participate in the discussions on these sites.
[The assignments, milestones, and other course features are under construction/revision; please check back for revisions.]
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 18.
Access and review
Editing Wikipedia
redirected to a page with a header that reads "Editing User:" with a large text box.
wish to contribute. For example, you may wish to look at the user pages of some former students. In the Wikipedia search bar, click User:Leejohnson898, User:Weatherby551, User:Twoods158. For the future: Be sure to continue to develop your Wikipedia user page over the course of the semester, and update it later as your life circumstances change.
now exists.
Special:MyPage/sandbox. You can practice Wikipedia editing in your sandbox until you are ready to begin editing in the Wikipedia mainspace.
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday, Jan 27.
To complete:
Choosing your topic is the earliest decision you need to make for this project. Careful selection of a workable topic will help you complete this assignment efficiently and make a valuable contribution.
1. Considering possible topics:
Review this page.
2. Submit a very brief description of your proposed topics to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas.
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features: a. File name: [LastName] WikiTopics.docx
b. Document must include:
i. Your name on the first page of the document
ii. Page numbers
iii. Be doubled-spaced
iv. Careful proofreading
v. Preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
c. For each proposed topic:
i. Supply a few sentences to explain your interest and possible revisions. (Note you will later be submitting a full proposal -- this assignment is simply to help you identify a viable topic, so be concise);
ii. Note whether you would like to rewrite/add to an existing article or articles, expand an existing stub, or create an entirely new entry;
iii. If you are proposing a new article, describe the parent article and its quality; and
iv. For your top two choices, list at least ten new references to scholarly sources you would add in revising/creating the article. You may consider doing the same for a possible third alternative topic.
References: You may include references to newspaper, magazine, website, and blog sources, but these will not count toward the required number of scholarly references. All references need to be presented as formal full citations (do not simply provide links). Rank your proposed topics in your order of interest. If approved, one of these topics will become your final topic. You will lose points if your sources are not properly listed as formal citations.
d. Submit to Canvas by 9:00 pm Tuesday Jan 27
3. List the topics you are considering plus the references on your user page
4. Post a comment on the talk pages of the articles (or on the talk page of a parent or important related article if you are proposing a new article.)
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday Feb 15.
To complete:
________________________________
Overview
Things to consider before writing:
You will have the option of revising an existing article, creating a new one, or some combination that may involve adding to one or more articles and creating a new article. New articles are generally discouraged unless a clear and well-developed parent article already exists.
Issues to consider if you are considering creating a new article:
Issues to consider in planning a revision to an existing article:
Issues to consider for both new and revised articles:
Instructions:
The proposal should be a typed plan (a minimum of 500-700 words, not including references, describing the work you propose to do. The proposal should not be a draft of your proposed new or revised article and should not contain paragraphs intended for your article.
The purpose of the proposal is to persuade readers of the merits of your planned contributions and it should demonstrate how your article will differ from or improve upon any existing or related articles. To receive full credit for your Wikipedia contributions you will need to create a substantial amount of new material. The proposal should clearly indicate the work you plan to contribute. You will need to do enough research to clearly explain the motivation behind your planned changes. Be sure to include all the required proposal components described below. If this is a group project, clearly explain how the work will be divided.
All proposals should cover the concepts necessary to a critical understanding of the issues; related theoretical and policy debates, and a detailed analytical plan for the material you plan to add.
We want you to notate which sources are scholarly with an asterisk (*) if you are including non-scholarly sources. As noted by the rubric, for most topics, you need a minimum of two scholarly sources per section you plan to add. If you are working on an approved topic, where scholarly sources are scarce, notify Dr. Strassmann, who can modify the expectations for your work. Good luck with your proposals!
Carefully read the comments you received on your topic assignment, including suggestions of references, reconceptualizations of your topic, title, etc. If you’ve been told that your topic is too broad (or too narrow), alter your plan as suggested. Overly broad topics are discouraged since these are difficult to research and cover comprehensively.
Writing your proposal
Due 9:00 pm Tuesday Feb 22.
While you are waiting to hear back on your proposal, begin updating your user page and the talk pages of the article(s) you propose to contribute to.
Due 5:00pm Friday March 4.
To complete:
Be sure you are logged in at all times! Don't forget to sign all Talk page postings with four ~s.
________________________________
Start drafting ideas from your proposal into your Wikipedia Sandbox
Once you have a complete draft in your Sandbox, consider moving that work live on to Wikipedia (keep your work in the sandbox longer if you plan to submit a DYK hook).
Once you have your work moved live...
Deadline: Friday March 11 or later (deadline variable depending on timing of article creation or 5-fold expansion).
This optional assignment can help draw traffic to your page and increase the “hits” it receives. Only new articles or articles that have greatly increased the word count of a previously existing article are eligible. “Did you know” hooks must be submitted within 7 days of the creation of a new article or a fivefold expansion (usually from a stub) of an existing article. Submitting a DYK hook requires that you engage with other Wikipedia editors in a discussion that will likely result in requests for improvement to the article.
Due Friday, March 11, 5 pm
Overwriting entire articles or large sections is more acceptable for articles that are not actively being edited by other Wikipedians (no substantive new edits in several months). If you plan substantial deletions and overwriting to an existing page, make sure that you have written on the article's Talk page to explain the problems with the current page, described your planned revisions, and given other Wikipedians time to respond.
*baskerville font, size 14
Due 9:00 pm Monday March 21.
Workshop: Students will meet in class on Thursday March 24 with their peer review groups to discuss their feedback on each other's articles. This class is required.
Due Wednesday April 6 5pm
Expand and revise your Wikipedia contributions in response to your peer review feedback and any comments posted to your User and Talk pages by other Wikipedia editors. Be proactive in seeking advice from editors in the Wikipedia community. Your expanded contribution should be a minimum of 1500 words, not including references. By this stage, you should have added at least fifteen new references from scholarly sources. Additional references may come from non-scholarly sources, such as from news reports or governmental or NGO websites. Be sure your Wikipedia settings are set so that you are able to watch and be notified of any comments or changes to Article, Talk, or User pages.
* links to the page(s) you have created/changed
* an outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted or added.
Label the file: LastNameExpandedContributionDescription.docx)
Handouts:
[
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polishing_your_articles.pdf Polishing your article
]
Due Friday, April 15, 5 PM
Your Wikipedia contributions are due to be live by Friday at 5 pm to the relevant Canvas assignment page.
Please follow the instructions below:
When submitting your Contribution Description and Portfolio, highlight the sections of the article you have contributed to, with the changes you made highlighted in YELLOW. Do not include large amounts of extraneous text created by others. If other classmates or Wikipedians contributed to the article during the time you were also working on it, you may highlight that as well, but be sure your Description clearly indicates the changes you made.
The highlighting may be done in three ways: highlighting in Word; taking a screenshot of your article on Wikipedia and highlighting; or making a PDF of your article and highlighting. Instructions follow.
If you rewrote the entire article, you can submit two documents: one with your final article and one of the original article.
If you created an entirely new article and you are the only person who has edited your article, take a screenshot or make a PDF of the entire article to submit. Please indicate in your description that this is the case so it is clear that all the work you’re submitting is your own.
How to save your page as a PDF
If you created a new entry or changed a majority of the entry, create a PDF of the entire page. You can do this easily by clicking on the Print/ Export button on the left-hand side of the Wikipedia page. You will then be presented with three options; pick the one that says “Download as PDF.” Please use this option at your own discretion, but make sure that the downloaded PDF includes everything that you are required to submit as part of this assignment.
If you have only changed or added to part of the article, do not create a PDF that includes large amounts of text you have not contributed to. In such cases, take screenshots of the relevant information instead and compile those together in a word document.
Font size
The font size must be large enough for me to easily read it when the PDF is printed (the equivalent of size 14). When printing your Wikipedia contributions, use the "print preview" to save them as PDFs. You can read this brief description of how to do this:
http://www.ehow(.)com/how6813102save-print-preview-pdf.html
How to take screenshots
If the page you are viewing has unnecessary information, please use a selected screenshot instead of a full screenshot as this will make the image larger and, therefore, more legible. You can find the original article by viewing a page’s history and then selecting the date and time on the last revision before you started.
If you know there is a lot of content in the article that you did not edit, take multiple screenshots of the sections that you have added or substantially rewritten, and in a Microsoft Word document insert the original and final screenshots side-by-side (please label each one original or final), and describe the changes to that particular section. The description should clearly indicate the changes you have made.
To zoom-in on the screen
In Firefox and Google Chrome, you can zoom in by simply pressing “Control” or “Ctrl” and scrolling up. Then you can take your screenshot and the font will be larger.
On a MAC
For a selected screenshot, hold “command” and “shift” and then press 4. Use your cursor to then select the area to screenshot.
For a full screenshot, hold “command” and “shift” and then press 3.
The screenshots save to your desktop and can be renamed to .jpg or .pdf (they default as .png files).
On a PC
Please follow the steps provided at this link:
http://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-Screenshot-in-Microsoft-Windows
Highlighting Changes on MACs
YELLOW
Due Friday, April 15, 5 PM
Put together the following items into one-word document with live links:
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
Due 5:00 PM April 22
Reflective Essay (see instructions below): [Filename: <LastName>Reflection.docx or pdf)]
______________________________________________________
Write a reflective essay (3-5 pages) on your Wikipedia experience. Consider these [[../../../training/students/reflective-essay-exercise/essay-questions|Guiding questions]] while you write. Although this essay will naturally reference some details from your Contribution Description, it should take an essay format and should be deeply reflective about your Wikipedia experience.
For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features: