User:RM395/Course/Schedule

 Weekly Schedule Critical Approaches to Wikipedia, Information, and the Collaborative Construction of Knowledge

This is the course schedule. Here you can find:
 * what topics we'll cover each week
 * readings to complete before coming to class on a given day
 * links to weekly online discussions (which should take place before the first day of the week under which they are listed)
 * important dates to remember (i.e. due dates)

Important: This schedule is not exhaustive and is subject to change!
 * Some readings may also be assigned in class. The amount of notice you have will never be less than 47 hours and will be proportional to its length (something assigned for the following class period will never be more than a few pages, for example).
 * We may end up spending more or less time on a particular topic based on class discussions, cancellations, etc.
 * Assignments may be changed, added, or removed (with notice, of course).
 * Last update: 2013.03.25

=Schedule=

Week 01: Introduction to the Course

 * what to expect
 * course overview
 * beginning of semester survey
 * introduction to Wikipedia
 * anatomy of a Wikipedia article

Friday, January 11, 2013
''Note: today is the last day to automatically enroll in the course through MyPack. If you are still on the wait list after today, come see me after class; after today adds must be manually processed. If there are seats available, but fewer than the number of people waiting, priority will go to those who have been attending class regularly and keeping up with the work.''


 * read: The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir Part 1 - Slashdot post written by co-founder and now outspoken critic of Wikipedia, Larry Sanger
 * optional reading: The Five Pillars of Wikipedia
 * assignment due: Create an account and edit your user page. Add your username to the Moodle wiki along with your real name. It's ultimately up to you, but by default I'm inclined to advise against using your real name on Wikipedia. You certainly are not required to do so for this course.

Week 02: Wikipedia Essentials

 * wiki discussion topic: What is your relationship to Wikipedia? How do you use it? What is your opinion of its virtues and problems?


 * Wikipedia as an encyclopedia
 * neutral point of view
 * wikimarkup basics

Monday, January 14, 2013

 * read: WP:Tutorial
 * optional reading: WP:Help
 * optional reading: Help:Contents
 * optional reading: WP:Manual of Style
 * optional reading: Editing Wikitext Wikibook

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

 * read: The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir Part 2 - second Slashdot post written by co-founder and now outspoken critic of Wikipedia, Larry Sanger
 * read: WP:NPOV

Friday, January 18, 2013
''Note: Last day to enroll (register) or to add a course. Last day to drop the course, or change from credit to audit with tuition adjustment.''


 * assignment due: make 15 minor changes to multiple articles on Wikipedia. Be sure to mark your edits as "minor edits" below the Edit Summary (this is how I will look to see if you've completed the assignment).

Week 03: Wikis and Web 2.0

 * wiki discussion topic: In what ways are the way you write for the web and the way you write for text (outside of the web) similar or different? Aside from technology, what makes them different?


 * Web 2.0
 * participatory culture [share this!] [Tweet this!] [FaceBook this!] [comment!]
 * what is an encyclopedia?
 * wikis in education

Monday, January 21, 2013
NO CLASS (MLK HOLIDAY)

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

 * read: Tim O'Reilly - What Is Web 2.0
 * read: Lev Grossman - You — Yes, You — Are TIME's Person of the Year
 * optional reading: Semantic web
 * optional reading: Web 2.0

Friday, January 25, 2013

 * read: Henry Jenkins - What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About the New Media Literacies (Part One of Two / Part Two of Two)
 * assignment due: make a non-minor contribution to an article of your choice. This can mean adding a couple sentences, rewording or reorganizing, creating a new section, etc. You are not expected to do a major overhaul of an article.

Week 04: The Wikipedia Community

 * wiki discussion topic: Is Wikipedia democracy or anarchy? Chaos or order? Explain your answer and how you define the terms you chose.


 * why people contribute to Wikipedia
 * assume good faith
 * manual of style
 * citing sources

Monday, January 28, 2013

 * read: Andrea Forte and Amy Bruckman - Why do People Write for Wikipedia? Incentives to Contribute to Open-Content Publishing
 * read: Susan Bryant, Andrea Forte, and Amy Bruckman - Becoming Wikipedian: Transformation of Participation in a Collaborative Online Encyclopedia
 * optional reading:WP:Your first article

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

 * read: Wikipedia's Reliable Sources Noticeboard
 * noticeboards are always changing and can be rather long. I don't expect you to read everything here, but rather to get a general gist of the function of the page and how it works. Come to class familiar with at least one example.

Friday, February 01, 2013

 * read: the Policy section of Wikipedia's Village Pump
 * this is a major venue for proposing changes or additions to Wikipedia policy. It can get rather long, so you're not expected to go through all of it. Instead, get a general gist of the function of the page and how it works. Come to class familiar with at least one example.
 * project milestone: come to class with more than one idea for your project article

Week 05: Authorship and Expertise

 * wiki discussion topic: What was one of the most helpful Wikipedia articles you've read recently? What aspects of its content, style, or presentation made it so good?


 * the role of experts and expertise
 * rise and fall of the author
 * democratization of knowledge
 * Wikipedia's impact on journalism

Monday, February 04, 2013

 * read: Nora Miller - Wikipedia and the Disappearing Author (NCSU library link will require login)
 * read: Dan Gillmor - We the Media, Introduction
 * optional reading: Dan Gillmor - We the Media, Chapter One
 * project milestone: finalize article selection

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

 * read: A Wikipedia Without Graffiti (Slashdot)
 * assignment due: find five articles with unsourced potentially contestable statements (or "citation needed" tags) and add an appropriate source. Be sure to state that you're adding a source in your edit summary.

Week 06: Wikipedia Is Not a Reliable Source

 * wiki discussion topic: You've probably heard many somewhat similar explanations for what constitutes a "reliable source" when it comes to writing research papers, doing school projects, editing a newspaper, and other activities that require similar standards. What about the rest of the time? How do you determine the level of credibility your friend might have when she's explaining something to you over coffee? What sorts of things do you go by when evaluating information--aside from the factual content of the information itself? Does what you look for vary based on subject? Based on situation? Based on...? You don't need to answer all of these questions individually--just think about the ways you determine "reliable sources" in other contexts.


 * dynamic content
 * the encyclopedia anybody can edit
 * vandalism
 * truthiness and wikiality
 * Wikipedia in the classroom

Monday, February 11, 2013

 * read: Stacy Schiff - Know It All (The New Yorker)
 * read: Neil Waters - Why You Can't Cite Wikipedia in My Class (Communications of the ACM)
 * read: Wikipedia biography controversy

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

 * read: Priedhorsky, Chen, Lam, Panciera, Terveen, and Riedl - Creating, Destroying, and Restoring Value in Wikipedia (Proceedings of GROUP 2007)

Friday, February 15, 2013
NO CLASS TODAY

Week 07: Wikipedia Is A Reliable Source

 * wiki discussion topic: On the first day of class, several people brought up the fact that they have repeatedly been told not to use Wikipedia by teachers/educators. If you were teaching a class (you can decide which class), what would you tell your students? Base your answer not on what you feel is the "correct" answer in the context of this class, but on what you would really do given your own educational, practical, ethical, and/or epistemological values.


 * speed of updating
 * forces of good
 * studies/data on Wikipedia's accuracy
 * bots

Monday, February 18, 2013

 * read: Jim Giles - Internet Encyclopedias Go Head to Head
 * read: Daniel Paul O'Donnell - If I were "You": How Academics Can Stop Worrying and Learn to Love "the Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit"
 * '''assignment due: compare a Wikipedia article with the same topic's entry in a physical encyclopedia of your choice. Describe the differences and similarities and render a judgment as to which is better.
 * User:RM395/Course/Encyclopedia comparisons - go here for assignment details and to turn it in'''

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

 * read:Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View Noticeboard
 * as with other noticeboards, the contents here can get quite long. You are not responsible for reading all of the contents, but for getting a general gist of the page's function and procedures and for coming to class prepared to discuss at least one example.

Week 08: Evaluating Information Sources (like Wikipedia!)

 * wiki discussion topic: Where is "information" headed? Put on your futurist hats and make an educated prediction. There's no question "information" in 2013 is a completely different animal than "information" in the 1980s, which in turn is quite different from "information" in the 1880s. How will we understand, interact with, use, store, locate, organize, and/or share information in the future? (How far into the future you look is up to you).


 * how to evaluate a Wikipedia page
 * some basic rhetorical concepts
 * more tools to evaluate information (on Wikipedia, on the Internet, or otherwise)
 * peer-review and its role in the science and the academy

Monday, February 25, 2013

 * read: the following sections from the Rhetorical Analysis chapter of the Rhetoric and Composition Wikibook: Overview of Rhetorical Analysis, Pathos, Ethos, and Logos
 * optional reading: Introduction to Rhetorical Practices (chapter from the Digital Rhetoric Wikibook)
 * assignment due: article for NC State's new Hunt Library on Wikipedia, done as a class. (Details will be given in class).

Week 09
NO CLASS THIS WEEK (SPRING BREAK)

Week 10: Wiki War

 * No discussion topic this week


 * edit wars
 * dispute resolution processes
 * notability
 * democracy vs. anarchy

Monday, March 11, 2013
''Note: today is the last day to withdraw from the course without a grade. In other words, if you're doing poorly at this point this is the last day to leave the class without a low grade.''


 * read: Assume good faith
 * read: Notability
 * read: Wikipedia's Fringe Theories Noticeboard
 * as with other noticeboards, the contents of this one can get quite long. You are not responsible for reading the entirety of its contents, but for getting a general gist of the page's function and its processes. You should come to class prepared to discuss at least one example.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

 * project milestone: progress reports

Friday, March 15, 2013
NO CLASS TODAY

Week 11: The Dark Side of the Sum of All Human Knowledge

 * wiki discussion topic: The term "digital divide" refers to economic inequalities between groups (demographic, geographic, etc.) in terms of their access to technology and/or information about technology. Without limiting the discussion to Wikipedia, respond to the following three questions:
 * How big of a problem is the digital divide today?
 * We talked last week about the future of information and technology; what do you think the implications are for the digital divide?
 * Are there any steps now or in the future that governments, corporations, non-profit organizations, communities, or individuals can take to help fix the problem?


 * analyzing the Wikipedia mission
 * the problem of a single objective knowledge
 * power hierarchies
 * systematic bias
 * gaming the system

Monday, March 18, 2013

 * read: Systematic bias
 * read: Wikipedia's Conflict of Interest Noticeboard
 * as with the other noticeboards, you are not responsible for reading the entire contents of this page. You are only responsible for getting a general gist for how the page and its processes work and for coming to class with at least one example to discuss.
 * optional reading: About
 * optional reading: Wikimedia's Vision
 * optional reading: Wikimedia's Values
 * '''assignment due: write an account of a real edit war that took (or is taking) place on Wikipedia. In narrative form, explain the central points of the involved parties, any outcomes if applicable, and your own thoughts as to the claims.
 * to submit this assignment, create a subpage of User:RM395/Course/Edit wars with the name of the article in question (so if the article the edit war is taking place on is Dog, create User:RM395/Course/Edit wars/Dog'''

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

 * project milestone: progress reports

Friday, March 22, 2013
NO CLASS TODAY

Between 3/22-27 class will take place online only. Although we will not meet in person, there will still be assignments and online discussions which will be announced the week before. 3/27 is also a significant project milestone: it is by this day you should have a submission posted to the Good article nominations page.

'''Assignment due Monday: Using Manypedia (the site we used in class on Wednesday), compare three different topics across two different languages. There is an assignment page which has more detailed instructions.
 * User:RM395/Course/Manypedia'''

Week 12: Online-Only Week
Between 3/22-27 class will take place online only. Although we will not meet in person, there will still be assignments and online discussions. Check back each day we would normally have class for the assignment and/or discussion due by the following class day. 3/27 is also a significant project milestone: it is by this day you should have a submission posted to the Good article nominations page.


 * wiki discussion topic: On the Wikipedia Systemic Bias page we read about the "average Wikipedian" on the English Wikipedia. Who, in your estimation, is writing on the other Wikipedias? Other than the obvious differences in language and location, are they similar to contributors on the English Wiki? In discussing the role these differences play in what appears in the text of an article, be careful not to fall into the trap of considering the English Wikipedia as a kind of standard against which others should be measured (as should be clear from the systemic bias page, the English wiki is affected by particular cultural values, too).
 * Please complete the Manypedia assignment before posting to this discussion.

Monday, March 25, 2013

 * online-only day
 * Assignment due: Manypedia assignment


 * read: Nicholas Carr - Is Google Making Us Stupid?
 * assignment due Wednesday is a second discussion for this week: discussion based on the Carr article
 * think of this as the same as a weekly discussion, but the initial contribution is due Wednesday instead of Monday

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

 * online-only day
 * assignment due: initial contribution to the Carr article discussion (see above)
 * project milestone: articles should be posted to the Good article nominations page by today
 * no additional assignments due Monday. Focus on your group article and have a good long weekend.

Friday, March 29, 2013
NO CLASS TODAY (SPRING HOLIDAY)

Week 13: Collective Intelligence

 * wiki discussion topic: Although the name of Pierre Levy's book is Collective Intelligence, his is just one of many ways to understand that term. Offer your own definition of "collective intelligence." What positive or negative connotations does is have for you?
 * reframing commons-based peer production
 * virtues of collective intelligence and global knowledge systems
 * are some kinds of knowledge better suited for collaboration and networked deliberation than others?
 * what is a hive mind?

Monday, April 01, 2013

 * read: H.G. Wells - The Idea of a Permanent World Encyclopaedia (Contribution to the 1937 Encyclopédie Française)
 * watch: Pierre Levy on Collective Intelligence Literacy - interviewed by Howard Rheingold
 * read: Jaron Lanier - Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism (The Edge)

Friday, April 05, 2013

 * project milestone: progress reports

Week 14: Access and Inequality

 * wiki discussion topic: That access to information and the tools provided by the Internet and digital media are empowering hardly needs to be mentioned these days: people in remote areas gain access to massive libraries, people who might not be able to afford college can choose from tens of thousands of educational websites, people interested in any subject can find like-minded individuals with whom to learn, network, and socialize. The possibilities are massive, and I'm sure you can think of many many more. This week's discussion, however, is about the other side. What are the problems associated with the belief that "if we can just get people access to the Internet, their lives will be better?" By that I mean what assumptions are built into that statement and how might they differ from what happens in practice?


 * the idea of universal access
 * using Wikipedia in developing countries
 * language initiatives

Monday, April 08, 2013

 * read: Graham, Hale, & Stephens - Geographies of the World's Knowledge
 * read: Wikipedia seeks global operator partners to enable free access (Wikimedia blog post from 2011.11.26)
 * optional reading: Zero Geography, involved in the above project, has a blog with a whole lot more of this sort of visualization you may want to peruse

Week 15: Free Content

 * no online discussion for the beginning of this week
 * open source
 * intellectual property
 * Creative Commons
 * wikispam
 * publishing Wikipedia articles

Monday, April 15, 2013

 * read: Lawrence Lessig - Free Culture Introduction and Chapter 1
 * optional reading: Contextualizing Open Content (chapter from the FOSS Open Content Wikibook)

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

 * read: Richard Barbrook - The Hi-Tech Gift Economy (First Monday)

Friday, April 19, 2013
NO CLASS TODAY


 * project milestone: articles should be done by today; use the day off to make sure they're polished for presentation next week

Week 16: Article Presentations/Critiques

 * wiki discussion topic: no online discussion this week (spend the time working on your articles)

Monday, April 22, 2013

 * groups 1, 2, and 3

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

 * groups 4, 5, and 6

Friday, April 26, 2013

 * groups 7, 8, and 9

As this course requires a paper and not an exam for the final, this will be the last time we meet in the classroom. I will be available for scheduled office meetings and through email for help with the paper.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013
'''Our final exam is scheduled to start today at 8:00 AM. As we do not have a final exam, this will act as the due date for your final paper. It is also the day that your article will be graded as it is, unless submitted beforehand. Note that materials submitted and edits made after 8:00 AM will not be counted.'''