Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Boise State University/Modern Mexico (Spring 2023)

Porfirio Diaz reportedly lamented, “Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States.” Yet, even with the behemoth to the north, Mexico and Mexicans have shown themselves quite capable of dictating their own history. In this course, we will be covering Mexican history from independence (1821) to the present. We will move roughly chronologically, stretching from the problems with how to govern an independent nation, to the Mexican Revolution, to questions faced in the present. As such, we are approaching the class in two halves. The first half of the class will grapple with the making of a nation, as Mexicans transformed themselves from colonial subjects into independent citizens, and the contradictions of building a modern republic upon enduring colonial structures, hierarchies, and ideologies. The second half of the class will explore the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath in the twentieth century as we engage with the ongoing historical question of just how revolutionary was the Mexican Revolution. Students will read a selection of primary and secondary sources to both work through the “problems” and themes of Mexican history, but also to interrogating the ways in which scholars are reassessing such questions as: “how did indigenous peoples shape independent Mexico?;” “how revolutionary was revolutionary Mexico?;” and, “what was the nature of the post-revolutionary state?” Ultimately, students will contribute to a Wikipedia page of their choice regarding Mexican history in order to improve writing abilities for a public audience and to contribute to publicly available knowledge.

Week 1
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:


 * Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 2
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.)

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 3
Art History

Biographies

Cultural Anthropology

History

LGBT+ Studies

Political Science

Women's Studies

Week 6
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Week 7
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 9
Guiding framework

Week 10
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 11
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.

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 12
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!

Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the &quot;mainspace.&quot;

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13

Week 13
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 15
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.