Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Xavier University of Louisiana/Human Rights and World History (Fall 2017)
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- Course name
- Human Rights and World History
- Institution
- Xavier University of Louisiana
- Instructor
- Elizabeth Manley
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- History
- Course dates
- 2017-08-21 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-31 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 25
In this course we will address the development of the term human rights, from ancient times through to the present day. As a class, we will focus on the religious, moral, and social implications of believing in such inalienable rights, the development of the concept of individual rights and responsibilities, the conflicts and complications that made contemporary human rights what they, and the 20th and 21st century struggles that have pushed human rights near to a breaking point. In particular, the class will look at the definition of human rights, ancient societies’ ideas about social rights, the expanding construction of who deserved such rights, the development of a universalist ideology of human rights in the post-World War II age, civil war and genocide across the globe in the twentieth century, culture and the problems with universal applications of rights, and modern conceptions and defenses of human rights. We will also look at how organizations like the United Nations seek to police a western-centric concept of human rights.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 22 August 2017 | Thursday, 24 August 2017
- In class - 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. Be sure to keep up with Blackboard and with your syllabus for additional instructions.
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 [Complete by 8-24-2017]
- Evaluating Wikipedia[Complete by 8-24-2017][http://wikiedu.org/evaluatingwikipedia
]
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.) [5 points]
- 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. [5 points each]
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page. [5 points]
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 29 August 2017 | Thursday, 31 August 2017
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below). [5 points]
- Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation -- [Insert Article Name]" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings. [10 points - including assignment below]
- Choose an article on Wikipedia related to your course to read and evaluate. As you read, consider following questions; copy and past the questions into your sandbox in the new section and provide one sentence answers for each:
- 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?
- Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Profemanley (talk) 15:11, 22 August 2018 (UTC). [5 points]
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 5 September 2017 | Thursday, 7 September 2017
- Assignment - Add to an article
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding to an article and including an appropriate citation. This exercise is worth 20 points
- First, find an article to add to. You can either find a course-related article independently or use the Citation Hunt tool to find unreferenced statements from articles. [5 points]
- Add 1-2 sentences to this article and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training. [10 points]
- Properly format the citation. [5 points]
- This exercise may be a useful way to find a course-related article that needs clarification / additions. Finding and engaging reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add to it / correct the statement / rephrase the existing material and how you may add additional information.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 12 September 2017 | Thursday, 14 September 2017
- In class - Discussion
- What's 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"?
- In class - Discussion
- 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?
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 19 September 2017 | Thursday, 21 September 2017
- In class - Discussion
- 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?
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 26 September 2017 | Thursday, 28 September 2017
- Assignment - Choose your topic / Find your sources
It's time to choose an article and assign it to yourself. This assignment is worth 30 points and the rubric can be found in Blackboard.
- 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.
- If you want to find a topic of your own, feel free to pick from the Category:Human Rights stubs article list here. Once you find your article, head to the Students tab and assign yourself your chosen topic.
- In your sandbox, write a two paragraph topic justification with a list of sources:
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Explain the basic topic and what new things you can add in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, talk about the relevance of the topic to the issue of human rights and discuss the research you have found so far.
- Compile a list of at least four 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.
- See the complete instructions and rubric on Blackboard.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 3 October 2017 | Thursday, 5 October 2017
- In class - MID TERM EXAM
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 10 October 2017 | Thursday, 12 October 2017
- Assignment - Academic Article Outline
This exercise will help you begin finding and evaluating reputable sources to use in your Wikipedia entry. The assignment is worth 25 points.
- Find a reputable, peer-reviewed academic article on your topic.
- Read the article and take notes.
- Construct an outline that begins with a properly formatted citation of the article, and includes the main argument, basic points, and supporting evidence. Be sure to bold the information that you will be adding eventually to Wikipedia. Be sure to use your own words.
- Type up the outline in your sandbox in a standard, readable format.
- Be sure to review the rubric on Blackboard before final submission.
- In class - Intertwine
- evaluate a Wikipedia article with your peers!
Intertwine is a platform where you you will be chatting with student editors enrolled in other Wiki Education courses. This week, the featured activities include:
- Learning Wikipedia’s five pillars as evaluation criteria
- Evaluating an existing Wikipedia article with your peers
- Getting to know more Wikipedia editors and learning from each other's experiences
Sign up for a session here. If you haven’t logged in using your Wikipedia account, you will first be redirected to Wikipedia logging page. After logging in using your Wikipedia credentials, you will be able to sign up for our activity.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 17 October 2017 | Thursday, 19 October 2017
- Assignment - Outline Your Contribution
In this exercise you will begin constructing your contribution in outline form. It should be completed in you sandbox and is worth 40 points.
- First, identify the Wikipedia entry you will be contributing to.
- Second, indicate what information is on the entry already.
- Third, list the main points you will add to the entry.
- List the sources you will use in citing those main points.
- Write your outline in a standard, readable format.
- Sources should be reputable and outline should demonstrate awareness of the format and audience of Wikipedia.
- Be sure to review the rubric on Blackboard before final submission.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 24 October 2017 | Thursday, 26 October 2017
- Assignment - Draft your contribution
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing. The outline you wrote last week will be essential in completing this draft. This assignment is worth 50 points.
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. Indicate what parts of the existing article you will be contributing to. Draft contribution in your sandbox.
In either case, you want to also be sure to do the following:
- Write in a clear and concise manner, relatively free of spelling and grammatical mistakes (writing first in a word program is recommended).
- Indicate what entry you will be contributing to.
- Provide at least ten new main points for the entry.
- Clearly explain and order/organize these main points.
- Properly cite sources; use a diversity of reputable sources (at least six).
- Demonstrate your awareness of the format and audience of Wikipedia.
- Convey the importance of this topic to the history of human rights.
- Edit!!!!!
- Be sure to review the rubric on Blackboard before final submission.
Keep going back to and re-reading your sources, too, as you write a draft of your contribution.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 31 October 2017 | Thursday, 2 November 2017
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
This assignment will help you think critically about your peers' work and your own. It is worth 20 points.
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training [5 points].
- Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review. [5 points each completed review]
- Peer review three of 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?
- Look for missing citations. Have any of your classmate's failed to provide proper citations?
- Is there an organizational or flow problem in the article contribution?
- Be sure that your critiques are helpful, but gentle.
- In order to be considered complete, each review must provide at least one technical (i.e. spelling, grammar) and one substantial (organizational, missing citations, etc) critique.
- 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.
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 November 2017 | Thursday, 9 November 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! This assignment is worth 25 points.
- 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.
- Accept/implement the changes you believe are valid [10 points]. For any changes that you plan to reject, provide a brief explanation of why you are rejecting them [5 points].
- Incorporate your own, now more critical, eye to your contribution. Your finished second draft should be must clearer and more precise than your previous version [10 points].
- Assignment - Adding Links
Linking articles is a great way to improve your own entry.
- 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 [up to 5 bonus points].
- Assignment - 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 Foundation staff can provide support for this process. [10 bonus points]
Handout: [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Did_You_Know%22_submissions.pdf "Did You Know" submissions
]
- 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!
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 November 2017 | Thursday, 16 November 2017
- Assignment - Complete Article - Move to Wikipedia
It's the final week to develop your article.Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback and your own careful editing, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace." This assignment is due on 11-16 and it is worth 100 points.
First, as you prepare your draft:
- 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
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!
- Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' or 'Edit source' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
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 Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.
Be sure to consult the rubric on blackboard before final submission and edit very very carefully before making your transfer to the formal Wikipedia space!!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
- In class - Intertwine
- review your Wikipedia article draft with your peers!
Intertwine is a platform where you you will be chatting with student editors enrolled in other Wiki Education courses. This week, the featured activities include:
- Sharing the Wikipedia article your drafted with your peers.
- Getting feedbacks from your peers on how to make your Wikipedia article even better
- Providing feedbacks to your peers and help them improve their article
Sign up for a session here. If you haven’t logged in using your Wikipedia account, you will first be redirected to Wikipedia logging page. After logging in using your Wikipedia credentials, you will be able to sign up for our activity.
- Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation
- Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 November 2017
- Assignment - In-class presentation
Present about your Wikipedia editing experience. Your in-class presentations should be between five and six minutes and should include visual aids like images and powerpoints. They should be saved to a thumb-drive and brought to class on your assigned presentation day.
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:
- Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
- 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?
- Discussion of Topic: How is your topic relevant to the larger history of human rights? Why do you think it is important that information about this topic is available to a wider audience? Did researching this topic ignite an interest for you beyond the assignments?
- 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?
In addition, your presentation should:
- Demonstrate that you are well prepared and practiced.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of the historical significance of your topic.
- Discuss the source material used in your Wikipedia entry and the challenges of research generally.
- Provide visual aids and be well organized.
- Fall within the prescribed time frame and be ready to go (on a thumb drive) at the start of class.
Be sure to consult the rubric provided on Blackboard as you are preparing your presentation.