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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Minnesota/Fiction and the Future (Spring)

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Course name
Fiction and the Future
Institution
University of Minnesota
Instructor
Joseph Sannicandro
Subject
Cultural Studies
Course dates
2020-01-22 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-05-15 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
25


In this course we will confine ourselves to reading one subgenre of literature—speculative or science fiction—because, more than any other genre, it engages explicitly with the question of “the future.” We will ask how science fiction is related to the future, and why, in the 2020s, it may be important to rethink this relationship. We read a selection of works ranging from the genre’s origins in the 19th century up to the present. These readings will be augmented by theoretical works designed to clarify the key concepts structuring the course.

The direction of the course emphasizes how modern sci-fi emerged during the age of European imperialism, and such tales of space exploration often become coded allegories for colonization and domination. Stories of technological progress and space travel register anxieties over industrial modernity, as well as guilt and fear of the effects of colonization and slavery. The second half of the course explores more recent movements, including Afrofuturism, Indigenous Futurism, and Solarpunk, which adopt non-linear approaches to time and offer a different relationship between past and future.

Because we are reading works from a range of historical periods (from ancient Greece, the Islamic Golden Age, early modern Europe, contemporary America), I encourage the class to consider the ways different subject positions and historical eras reflect their own perspectives and biases onto their visions of the future, which are just as often about the past and the present. In decentering or destabilized some received notions, I am asking students to bring these insights to bear on the topic they choose for the Wiki assignments.

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Thursday, 13 February 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, 18 February 2020   |   Thursday, 20 February 2020
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 25 February 2020   |   Thursday, 27 February 2020
Assignment - Choose possible topics

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

In class - Discussion

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 3 March 2020   |   Thursday, 5 March 2020
Assignment - Add to an article
Assignment - Exercise

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 March 2020   |   Thursday, 19 March 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, 24 March 2020   |   Thursday, 26 March 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, 31 March 2020   |   Thursday, 2 April 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, 7 April 2020   |   Thursday, 9 April 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

Week 9

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

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 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 April 2020   |   Thursday, 23 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!

Week 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 28 April 2020   |   Thursday, 30 April 2020
Milestones

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

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