Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/New York University Shanghai/Arab-Islamic Influence on the West (Fall 2022)

Are you looking for a fun and interactive selective course to acquire crucial knowledge outside your major? The Arab-Islamic world is an under-taught region for all students. Rarely any high school outside the Middle East offers a course on it, yet it is strategically important to us all. Since many of you aspire to become professionals in diplomacy, business and finance, computer/data science, media and technology, etc., it is vital to have some basic knowledge and an informed understanding about one of the fastest growing regions in these areas so that in the future you can make wise policy recommendations and business decisions!

Have you ever wondered: Why do we use “Arabic” numerals? Why does the English language have words like algebra, algorithm, coffee, sugar, and sabbatical? Why is there a tendency for western textbooks to jump from the Fall of Rome to the Italian Renaissance? Why are there ongoing differentiations between the “East” and the “West” in our increasingly globalized world? This course provides a new approach to studying “Western Civilization” by highlighting the numerous influences that the Arab-Islamic world has on Europe and other western societies. It also explores why many western scholars have chosen to minimize Arab-Islamic contributions in favor of “Western Exceptionalism” narratives.

The course is arranged thematically. Each session centers around an area of Arab-Islamic influence on the “West” with an example of an English (or other European languages) word that can trace its origin back to Arabic (or other Middle Eastern languages).

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.

Week 3
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

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

History

Political Science

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6
Guiding framework

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

Week 9
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!

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