Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/The College of Wooster/Latin American Revolutions (Fall 2021)
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- Course name
- Latin American Revolutions
- Institution
- The College of Wooster
- Instructor
- Katie Holt
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- History
- Course dates
- 2021-08-25 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-12-18 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 28
This introductory course examines the history of 20th and 21st century Latin American revolutions. In addition to considering ideas about how, when, and why people rebel, we’ll focus on case studies from Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, and Colombia. To what extent are these revolutions the continuation of social, economic, and racial conflicts lingering after the colonial wars of independence? We’ll emphasize how historians practice historical empathy through the analysis of multiple, often contradictory viewpoints to build an understanding of the past.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Friday, 27 August 2021
- In class - Introduction to our LA Revolutions Wikipedia Project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for History 101 Latin American Revolutions. This schedule is *not* a replacement for our class syllabus on Moodle, but to provide you more detailed structure for the Wikipedia assignments.
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
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 30 August 2021 | Wednesday, 1 September 2021 | Friday, 3 September 2021
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 September 2021 | Wednesday, 8 September 2021 | Friday, 10 September 2021
- Assignment - Practicing the Basics
- It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Above, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take; complete them by Friday, 09/10. 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 this week's trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Assignment - Add to an article
Exercise
[[../../../training/students/add-to-article-exercise|Add a citation]]Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to ANY article (your choice). There are two ways you can do this:
- Add 1-2 sentences to ANY article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SIGN UP FOR AN ARTICLE FROM OUR LIST OF POTENTIAL ARTICLES AT THIS POINT. You can also ignore the "Make sure to mark this complete on our home page" instruction - as long as you're logged in, I'll be able to see your work!
- 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 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 September 2021 | Wednesday, 15 September 2021 | Friday, 17 September 2021
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 20 September 2021 | Wednesday, 22 September 2021 | Friday, 24 September 2021
- Assignment - Forum Post
- Critiquing Wikipedia's Coverage of Latin American Revolutions
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. For this assignment, you'll write a forum post and share it on Moodle before class on Friday 09/24. Considering the questions below, evaluate your choice of any Wikipedia article related to our course themes.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Write a blog post that critiques your chosen Wikipedia article. If possible, try not to pick an article someone else has already evaluated. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- 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?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
- Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
- How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
- How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
- Assignment - Training
- Evaluating Articles & Sources
Read: WikiProject Women in Red Primer for Creating Women's Biographies
- In class - Friday 09/24 Class Discussion
- What is 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"?
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 27 September 2021 | Wednesday, 29 September 2021 | Friday, 1 October 2021
- Assignment - Wednesday, 09/29
- Choose Your Article
It's time to choose an article and assign it to yourself.
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Find an article from the list of "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page. When you find the one you want to work on, click Select to assign it to yourself.
- Note: if you'd like to propose a different article to work on, that is great, but today is the deadline to contact me to discuss your ideas.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 4 October 2021 | Wednesday, 6 October 2021 | Friday, 8 October 2021
- Assignment - Monday 10/04 Forum Post
- Critiquing Your Chosen Wikipedia Entry
Share your 3-4 paragraph Forum Post on Moodle before class on Monday 10/04:
Evaluate your chosen Wikipedia Entry. How is this aspect of Latin American history represented? Do you see any biases? What kinds of sources are used? What is missing? Why did you pick this article, and why are your improvements important?
- Assignment - Friday 10/08
- Planning Your Intervention Forum Post & Talk Page Edits
- Wikipedia Training: Complete the Peer Review Training.
- Moodle Forum Post: On our Moodle Forum for today, create a new post with your article name as the title. For the post, please explain:
- what you plan to contribute to your article
- why these additions/changes are important
- End with a list of at least 6-8 relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources
- Article Talk Page: On your article's talk page, create a new heading to introduce your proposed edits.
- Write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article, and why these additions are important. Think back to our discussions of content gaps, Wikipedia's 5 Pillars, and the American Historical Association article.
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- In class - Friday 10/08 Class Discussion
- Thinking about Sources and Plagiarism
In Class
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a political party's website as the main source of information about that group?
- What kinds of biases might we encounter in looking for sources about revolutions?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
- Assignment - In Class on Friday 10/08 Peer Comments
- Initial Article Ideas
- I'll assign you two articles to review (you'll find them in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab.
- Read your classmates' plans to improve their articles, and suggested sources on the article talk page.
- Please post your evaulation of their plans and comments to Moodle by Sunday 10/10.
- Guides for writing articles in your topic area
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 18 October 2021 | Wednesday, 20 October 2021 | Friday, 22 October 2021
- Friday 10/22
- Early Wikipedia Drafts
Before class, please post the following to Moodle.
- an outline explaining what improvements you plan to add, and where they fit in the existing article.
- notes on your sources
- at least one paragarph of text (with citations) that you're ready to add to your "live" Wikipedia article.
- A list of ideas where you might link from your article to existing articles.
- Any questions or concerns for your peer reviewers.
While your full rough draft isn't due until week 10 (Friday, November 5), you can start working this week.
A few reminders as you move from your drafts to the "live" Wikipedia 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!
- Assignment - Adding Images & Links to Your Article
Exercise
Add links to your articleNow'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.
- Milestones
Everyone has identified high-quality sources and begun writing their article drafts. Everyone has practiced how to add content, links, and citations to Wikipedia.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 25 October 2021 | Wednesday, 27 October 2021 | Friday, 29 October 2021
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 1 November 2021 | Wednesday, 3 November 2021 | Friday, 5 November 2021
- Assignment - Friday 11/05 Polished First Draft Due
- Your complete, polished first draft is due (posted to the article mainspace) before class on Friday, November 5. Make sure your work is ready for peer-review.
- Make sure that your new content includes citations and links. 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.
- 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.
- Assignment - Starting in Class Friday 11/05 Peer Review & Copy Edit
- Full Articles
Peer review your assigned classmates' drafts. Use your best judgement: depending on the kind of change you're proposing, you can leave suggestions using the "peer review" form the article AND make direct edits to the article itself (posting explanations of your changes). 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?
Complete this work by Sunday, 11/7.
- Assignment - Extra Credit
- Nominate Your Article for "Did You Know"
[[../../../training/students/did-you-know-exercise/nominating|Nominating your article for Did You Know]]Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” (see the DYK instructions handout) and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors. Wiki Education staff can provide support for this process.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 8 November 2021 | Wednesday, 10 November 2021 | Friday, 12 November 2021
- Milestones
- Assignment - Wednesday 11/10 Forum Post
- Respond to Your Peer Review Feedback
You have some feedback from other students, your professor, 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 article plan 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.
- Forum Post: What feedback did you get? How will you use this to strengthen your analysis, use of evidence, and written communication as you revise your work?
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 15 November 2021 | Wednesday, 17 November 2021 | Friday, 19 November 2021
- 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!
- Assignment - Friday, 11/19 Upload Image to Wikipedia Showcase
By the end of the day on Friday, upload your image to our collaborative slide presentation for Monday's class.
- Assignment - Friday, 11/19
- Reflective Essay Memo
Write a reflective essay (500-750 words, about 3 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions and upload it to Moodle by the end of the day on Friday, November 19.
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:
- Why did you select this article to improve? What is the larger cultural significance of this entry, and how does your work make it better?
- What state was it in before your intervention? Why?
- How did you improve this entry? Why did you choose to intervene in these ways?
- What did you learn about evaluating sources of information? How does your work show your skills completing college-level research?
- How did you shape your edits to meet the Wikipedia community guidelines (5 Pillars)
- How did your peer review of other students' articles improve their work?
- How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?
- Assignment - Friday 11/19 Final article Complete
It's the final week to develop your article (due by the end of the day on Friday, 11/19).
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Look at our Wikipedia grading rubric. How would you evaluate your work?
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 22 November 2021
- Assignment - Wikipedia Showcase
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.