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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Georgetown University/CommunicationTheory and Frameworks (Fall 2015)

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Course name
CommunicationTheory and Frameworks
Institution
Georgetown University
Instructor
Turnj
Subject
Communication Theory
Course dates
2015-09-08 – 2015-12-08
Approximate number of student editors
15


Description: This course provides students with an overview of important theories in communication. The course will examine interpersonal, organizational, mass communication, and mediated theories for explaining the content and form of messages and the role of communicators as individuals, participants, and members of communities. Students will explore how these theories explain various aspects of message production, underlying assumptions supporting these explanations, and the implications of these explanations on how communication is studied.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Turnj
Dk802
Ef527 Media_Richness_Theory
Lg696 Social_Information_Processing_Theory
Rsp53 Theory_of_Reasoned_Action
St798 Elaboration_Likelihood_Model
Tlgu201533 Uncertainty_reduction_theory
Andyxjbao Dramatism
Hs726 Spiral_of_Silence
Xh79 Agenda-setting_Theory
Mb1809 Narratology
Sjs298-GU Expectancy_Violation_Theory
Xingjiaxi coordinated_management_of_meaning Coordinated_management_of_meaning
Fna8 Muted_group_theory
Lbm53gu Communication_Privacy_Management_Theory
Rrm33 Media_Ecology
Tpg23 cultivation_theory

Timeline

Week 1

In class - Wikipedia essentials
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.



Handout: Editing Wikipedia


In class - Editing basics
  • Basics of editing
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
  • Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments



Handouts: Using Talk Pages, Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to another student on their user talk page.
  • Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.



Resources: Online Training for Students

Week 2

In class - Exploring the topic area
  • Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.



Handouts: Choosing an article

Week 3

In class - Using sources
  • Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.



Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism


Assignment - Add to an article
  • Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.


Assignment - Choosing your article
  • Your instructor has created a list of potential topics for your main project. Choose the one you will work on.
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 4

In class - Discuss the article topics
  • Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.

Week 5

In class - Wikipedia culture and etiquette
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


Assignment - Wikipedia Plan
Fist Reflection and Contribution

This paper provides the opportunity for you to reflect on the theory you have chosen for your Wikipedia page and the current progress on the site. For this paper you should provide a brief description of your theory, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your site, reflect on what your goals for the page are going to be and where you see yourself contributing. Provide an initial list of at least 10 references that you will be consulting to help you in the process. What is your plan for incorporating these references into the paper? (Estimate 2-3 pages with a list of references).

Milestones

All students have Wikipedia user accounts, have completed the training, are listed on the course page and have two sources ready to add on lab day.

Week 6

In class - Moving articles to mainspace
  • We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
  • A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
  • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
  • Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.



Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox


Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
  • Move your sandbox articles into main space.
  • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
  • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Milestones

All Students have submitted their Wikipedia plan

Week 7

In class - Building articles
  • Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
  • Share experiences and discuss problems.



Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Complete first draft
  • Expand your article into a first draft.

Week 8

In class - Group suggestions
  • As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.


Assignment - Draft for Peer Reviews

Make contributions that you would like feedback on and have them posted on your Wikipedia page for peer review.


In class - Media literacy discussion
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.

Week 9

In class - Discuss further article improvements
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment - Peer Review
  • Provide peer review and editing to two assigned Wikipedia pages. Write 3 paragraphs on the author’s comment page about the changes you made and your thoughts on the page.
Milestones

Every Student has worked on their page and are ready to receive peer reviews

Week 10

Milestones

Every Student has provided peer reviews to two other students

Week 11

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


Assignment - Final Article
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.



Handout: Polishing your article

Week 12

Milestones

Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.