Talk:Wisconsin Idea

Forward? The Wisconsin Idea, Past & Present
Traustin2020, we need independent sources for information that you'd like to add to this encyclopedia article. The university's own documents cannot be used to (convincingly) argue that something that the university does is historically important and something that should be included in an encyclopedia article.

Additionally, the text that you've drafted is unclear on whether this is a public lecture series or a class. ElKevbo (talk) 02:04, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * ElKevbo I was fraught on which source to refer to. This Cap Times article on the course simply referenced back to the press release, so I didn't know which to attach as a reference.


 * https://madison.com/ct/news/local/education/university/public-lecture-series-on-wisconsin-idea-gears-up-for-sept-12-start/article_90be


 * As for whether the course is a public lecture series or a class, it is actually both, so it might be best to describe it as a "public lecture series-course" instead.Traustin2020 (talk) 02:12, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * If there aren't any independent sources then it's probably not something that should be included in an encyclopedia article. ElKevbo (talk) 02:21, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * ElKevbo I do believe that the lecture series is important to the "In educatiuon" section of the article. The Wisconsin Idea directly involves the relationship between the University and state legislature. The course was the direct response following Governor Walker's budget proposal by the University. If the budget proposal incident is relevant, then I'd argue the University's response to the situation should be considered just as relevant.Traustin2020 (talk) 02:34, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Do you really think that a single article about a recent lecture series/class in the local newspaper means that something is so important that it needs to be included in an encyclopedia article that is summarizing the entire history, impact, and legacy of a policy and philosophy that is over a century old? And it's something that is worth edit-warring about??? ElKevbo (talk) 02:48, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * ElKevbo The series just concluded its fifth year of lectures and is regularly publicized by the University on its importance. I did disclaim that the contributions I'm making to this article are actually a requirement of the course. So, yes. A lecture series that tasked undergraduates with contributing to the very article about the concept that they had been debating and discussing for the past fifteen weeks is something of importance to the history of the Wisconsin Idea and its role within the University of Wisconsin. Other students will soon be publishing their contributions as well, vastly expanding the breadth of this article to better show the importance and scope of the Wisconsin Idea. If you have questions about this, I'd recommend reaching out to our professor for the course this year, Chad Alan Goldberg, about the course.
 * https://sociology.wisc.edu/staff/goldberg-chad-alan-2/
 * Traustin2020 (talk) 03:03, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * "The university publicizes this" and "it's assigned for homework" are woefully insufficient arguments for adding material to an encyclopedia article. What independent reliable sources have discussed this lecture series/class? ElKevbo (talk) 02:39, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

New section on relationship to public health
A new editor has begun an edit war to add a new section to this article about the subject's relationship with public health. Unfortunately, it appears to be original research. As far as I can tell, the cited sources don't cite this subject and only the editor who wrote the material makes an explicit connection between the cited sources and this subject. ElKevbo (talk) 02:37, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

History section
I'm thinking the article should have a more chronological feel, as well as some information about how the Wisconsin Idea was dismantled in the modern era. There's a brief mention of Walker attempting to strip UW's mission statement, but that's just one part of a larger trend involving him and other politicians, trends, and economic factors. The article doesn't seem to, at present, make clear that the Wisconsin Idea is largely a thing of the past in Wisconsin. natemup (talk) 22:23, 27 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi natemup, the wisconsin idea is not a thing of the past and is still a guiding philosophy at the University System. 65.204.38.226 (talk) 17:24, 8 September 2023 (UTC)