Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/College of DuPage/Research, Writing, and the Production of Knowledge (Spring 2021)

Course Catalog Description: Builds upon the rhetoric, reading, and writing concepts introduced in English Composition I by having students compose inquiry-driven research projects. In their research process, students find and select the most appropriate sources to address research questions that are intended for a discourse community. Students integrate sources meaningfully for support and present their findings via the forms of media and genre that suit the project’s objectives. Repeatable for credit: No. Prerequisite: ENGLI 1101 English Composition 1 with a grade of &quot;C&quot; or better, or equivalent.

Section Overview: This class will teach the basics of discourse, argumentative writing, and research methods through a rigorous inquiry of the world’s fifth most visited website. According to its own entry, Wikipedia is a user-driven, free-access, free-content encyclopedia, supported and hosted by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, and constitutes the Internet’s &quot;largest and most popular general reference work.&quot;

And yet, many academics frown upon the use of Wikipedia, while some even go so far as to ban students from using it. Why? This class will pursue that debate and many more related to research, writing, and the production of knowledge. Course assignments involve 4 major research-based projects: (1) an analysis essay, (2) an annotated bibliography, (3) a reflection essay, and (4) a Wikipedia article written and edited by you. In order to successfully produce each project, we will have to explore a variety of conventions related to writing, as well as some theoretical ideas related to epistemology. We will familiarize ourselves with the policies and procedures set forth by Wikipedia’s community of contributors. We will evaluate print and digital texts by conducting research in the library and online. We will hone your skills in academic research, argumentative writing, and discourse analysis. We will practice summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, analyzing, and synthesizing the views of other writers. Ultimately, you will begin to apprehend the fundamental role of rhetoric (i.e., persuasion) within the world of online and academic discourse, while also learning about knowledge creation, bias, credibility, objectivity, and community writing in the digital world. In sum, through classroom discussions, writing assignments, and your own online inquiries, this class promises to make you a better writer, reader, researcher, and thinker.

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

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.

Exercise
Evaluate an article

Thinking about sources and plagiarism

Exercise
Choose a topic

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

What's a content gap?

Exercise
Add a citation

Finalize your topic / Find your sources

Week 5
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

Biographies

Books

Chemistry

Cultural Anthropology

Ecology

Environmental Sciences

Films

Genes and Proteins

History

LGBT+ Studies

Linguistics

Medicine

Political Science

Psychology

Science Communication

Sociology

Species

Women's Studies

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6
Guiding framework

Thinking about Wikipedia

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

Week 7
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 8
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

Exercise
Add links to your article

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.

Week 10
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!

Week 11
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!

Guiding questions

Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 12
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.