Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Georgetown University/WRIT 1150-26, Writing for Others (Fall 2023)

This course focuses on the concept of “Writing for Others,” in which student work will be directed towards a public audience and adapted to meet the goals, guidelines, and ethos of a particular discourse community, in this case: English Wikipedia. Students will collaborate with other editors on Wikipedia, contributing to the site’s processes of knowledge production and distribution. Wikipedia is an every-day source of information for people worldwide. On the whole, Wikipedia seeks to democratize knowledge, crowdsourcing content through its many editors and providing free access to its readers. Given that many people use this site, it is also noteworthy that the encyclopedia is impacted by social justice issues present in the larger US society. By studying some of the ethical dimensions of working within English Wikipedia, students will be prepared to intervene to address gaps in Wikipedia and to bring about more knowledge equity on the site.