Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Connecticut College/Advanced Readings in Feminist Theory (Fall 2015)

The Oxford English Dictionary provides a set of definitions for the word, theory, that include: 1. sight, a spectacle… 2. Mental view, contemplation… 3. A conception or mental scheme of something to be done, or of the method of doing it; a systematic statement of rules or principles… 4. a. A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena… The effort to explaining phenomena is central in our course as we explore the many approaches feminist scholars take to account for the role gender and related social categories play in society. From asking how feminist theorists account for the diversity of women’s experiences to considering men’s relationship to feminism or reformulating narratives of social movements, we delve into a broad array of feminist theories. This course seeks to enable you to navigate the range of political approaches to gender and women’s studies as you develop your own relationship to the field. Our assignments help familiarize you with feminist theory frameworks through emphasizing your understanding, interpretation, and usage of concepts. We use multiple formats to engage feminist theory from Twitter and Wikipedia to campus events. Thanks to a successful Faculty-Student Engagement Fund proposal, we are also able to travel to Eastern Connecticut State University to meet with Professor Maureen McDonnell’s Feminist Theory course and hold a collaborative music workshop with Professor Caroline Park’s Post-Digital: New Sonic Futures &amp; the Activist Imaginary course. Finally, our course is part of FemTechNet’s DOCC program that will further connect us to scholars engaging feminist theory online.

Week 1: Introduction

 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course

Week 2: Wiki Community & Editing

 * Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.

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Handout: Editing Wikipedia


 * Basics of editing
 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
 * Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
 * Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments

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Handouts:, Evaluating Wikipedia


 * Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * Create a User page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
 * Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.

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Resources: Online Training for Students

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3: Identifying Interests
 Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles your topic area that are missing or could use improvement. == Each student will choose a topic area to focus on for their project. ==

Handouts: 


 * Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.

Week 4: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

 * Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.

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Handouts: and


 * Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
 * Q&amp;A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.

Week 5: Entering the Wiki

 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.


 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 6: Article Selection
You will identify a topic that does not have an existing article on Wikipedia and sign up to write your article project.


 * Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Week 8: Drafting Articles

 * Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
 * Share experiences and discuss problems.

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Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia


 * If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use &quot;summary style&quot;, in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
 * Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
 * Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.

Week 9: Peer Review

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


 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.


 * Peer review three of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the three reviewed articles.

Week 10: Article Revisions

 * We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
 * A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
 * Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
 * Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.

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Handout:


 * As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.


 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.

Week 11: Article Wrap Up

 * Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


 * Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
 * Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.


 * Move your sandbox articles into main space.
 * If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
 * If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the &quot;Moving out of your sandbox&quot; handout.
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 12: Article Wrap Up & Poster Presentations
Students will present their work through the ARC-supported poster session (location TBD). Your work will be assessed on the quality of the poster itself (focus, clarity, evidence, lack of spelling/grammar errors, etc.) as well as your ability to speak with visitors in a fluent manner about your topic that draws upon the poster as support.


 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.

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Handout:

Week 13: Feminist Metaliteracies

 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.