Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Princeton University/Latino History (Spring)
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- Course name
- Latino History
- Institution
- Princeton University
- Instructor
- Rosina Lozano
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- History
- Course dates
- 2017-02-06 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-05-04 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 20
A history of Latinos in the United States.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 February 2017 | Thursday, 9 February 2017
- Wikipedia Assignment
As I mentioned in class, instead of doing a more traditional paper that only I read, you are going to be learning to create articles and analyze Wikipedia. The milestones and assignments listed below are spread out to make it so that nothing will be overwhelming. Organizing the assignments in this way also gives you more time to become comfortable with Wikipedia prior to adding a new article yourself.
Each assignment will hold some weight on your final paper grade. The hard due dates are in Week 5 and Week 10 (unless otherwise noted). I will grade all of your work at that point. You can incrementally work on things up until the final due date for each paper.
Note: You have the option of continuing to peer review other papers in the last weeks of the course. Peer reviewing three articles will substitute one reading journal.
- Introduction to the Wikipedia project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To get started, please review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Milestones
Everyone should have a Wikipedia account and be on this page by February 11th.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 February 2017 | Thursday, 16 February 2017
- Assignment - Wikipedia Analysis Paper
Step 1: Spend some time on Wikipedia typing in various terms, individuals, concepts, or places dealing with Latino history. [I would recommend that you read 10-20 pages and look through specific tabs at the bottom of some pages. This is a good time to complete the make "add to an article" assignment.]
Keep notes on:
• What is included and what is excluded from the articles.
• Specific articles or topics that you believe are incomplete or absent from Wikipedia. Do they match up with what Wikipedia has identified as needed or stubs?
• What is the general tone of the articles? Begin to characterize and understand the major use for Wikipedia.
• How do Wikipedia articles differ from the secondary sources that you have read for class on similar topics?
Step 2: Brainstorm topics that you are interested in writing about. See whether any of these topics have Wikipedia articles and if they do, how you would improve upon them (these would be great for the "critique an article" assignment.
Step 3: [Complete with "Critique an Article" instructions.] Analyze a Wikipedia article for the topic you are choosing to research. If there is not a Wikipedia page for your topic, think about some of the reasons there is not one and included that reflection in the paper. Come up with what you think should be included, excluded, or changed in order to have a stronger Wikipedia article. Use this analysis to complete step 4 and 5.
Step 4: Write a 3-4 page paper that can include some of your analysis and thinking in step 3. This is your opportunity to critique Wikipedia as a source for information. What have you learned by analyzing it as a source for Latino history? What does the coverage of Latino history tell you about its place in the larger body of knowledge? [We'll talk a little about the content gap, but this is your chance to reflect with specific examples from the articles you perused on Wikipedia.] What are some ways that Wikipedia's coverage of Latino history could improve?
Step 5: Propose three possible Wikipedia articles to create or revise [You can choose a stub or an established stage that is missing a particular section.]. Provide at least three secondary sources that prove that this will be a viable choice for a Wikipedia article.
Step 6:
• Email your final essay [Compilation of Step 4 and 5] to Professor Lozano with the following label: LastName-Wikipedia.pdf
- Assignment - Step 1
- Add to an article
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:
- Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
- The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 February 2017 | Thursday, 23 February 2017
- Assignment - Step 2
- Choose possible topics
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Choose 3–5 potential articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing. Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback.
- Assignment - Step 3
- Critique 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.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Choose an article, and consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
- Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
- Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
- Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- 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 — Cyan Vincent (talk) 15:06, 5 May 2017 (UTC).
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 February 2017 | Thursday, 2 March 2017
- Assignment - Step 4/5
- Finalize your topic / Find your sources
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
- Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 March 2017 | Thursday, 9 March 2017
- Assignment - Step 4/5
- Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
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
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 March 2017 | Thursday, 16 March 2017
- In class - Over the break think about
Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
Thinking about Wikipedia
- 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?
- Assignment - Over the break
- Expand your draft
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 March 2017 | Thursday, 30 March 2017
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 4 April 2017 | Thursday, 6 April 2017
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 11 April 2017 | Thursday, 13 April 2017
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
Editing an existing article?
- NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
- Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 18 April 2017 | Thursday, 20 April 2017
- 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 Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.
- 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 Content Expert at any time!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading. Remember that the article(s) should be 750-1000 words long. There is no real upper limit on the word count, but the expectation for the assignment is 750-1000.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 25 April 2017 | Thursday, 27 April 2017
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Write a reflective essay (1–3 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions. [Note: This assignment replaces one of your reading reflections.]
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:
- Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
- Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
- Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
- Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?
- Evaluation: Did you find this process valuable? Would you encourage/discourage me from assigning it again in the future? Why?
Send a pdf email to your precept leader with the title [LastName-Wikipedia Reflection] by May 4th. The paper is due at the same time as your short reading assignment is due. You can complete this essay in week 11 or week 12.