Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Adolescent Literature Spring 2012 (Adrianne Wadewitz)/Course description

Course description
In this course we will explore the birth and evolution of adolescent literature in English. In particular, we will look at how this genre approaches questions of gender, sexuality, race, and civic engagement. In doing so, we will think about how adolescent literature differs from and is the same as children’s literature, what debates rage around the censorship of adolescent literature, how historical, cultural, and social contexts shape this literature, and to what extent and why adolescent literature also appeals to children and adults. We will also read a variety of genres, from speculative fiction to romances to graphic novels.

Assignment
In this semester-long assignment, you will contribute to a Wikipedia article on one of the texts or one of the authors we are studying in this course, expanding the world's knowledge of this topic!

In this assignment, you will be practicing several skills:

Unlike many papers you have written in the past, your Wikipedia article will not argue for a particular position. The aim is for you to do research on a topic and summarize the reliable, published material on that topic. We will talk more in-depth about what it means to write an encyclopedia article, but you should be aware that the writing I am asking for in this assignment is much different than the writing I am asking for in the essays—for Wikipedia, you must summarize other people’s points of view. In your persuasive essays, you must present a debatable thesis. We will work at differentiating these two over the course of the semester.
 * Learning to write for a global audience, some of whom will react to your writing in real time
 * Learning to write collaboratively and to negotiate
 * Understanding the difference between summary and persuasive writing
 * Learning how the construction of information changes knowledge
 * Contributing to the largest reference work in the world
 * Improving research skills
 * Gaining media literacy, such as how Wikipedia’s legitimacy differs from that of other reference works

While many of you probably use the English Wikipedia every day to look up plots for movies or background material for your papers, we will be contributing to it and reflecting on how it is constructed. At the end of the semester, you will write a short essay about your perceptions of Wikipedia, its reliability, and your experiences with the assignment.

Editing a wiki is often a demanding experience the first time. I have structured this assignment to slowly introduce you to wikicode and wikiculture—it is imperative that you keep up with the timeline and turn in the small assignments on time. You cannot catch up at the end of the semester in a mad rush. Much help is available—from myself, from our Campus Ambassador and Online Amassadors, and from Wikipedians in general. Take advantage of it!

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