Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Simmons University/History of Women and Gender in the United States before 1890 (Fall 2020)

This course studies the many historical transformations in American women's lives and roles from pre-Columbian times through the colonial period, the era of the Revolution, and the nineteenth century. We will examine women's diverse experiences as they re-envisioned their place within their families and communities, entered wage work and the professions, struggled for equal rights and social justice, and represented their own perspectives through writing and the visual arts. We will emphasize how gender has intersected with women's racial, class, ethnic, sexual, regional, and other identities as ideals of femininity and masculinity changed over time.

Week 7
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

By class time on Oct 15, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.



It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. Together in class, we will apply what you've learned about Wikipedia, and evaluate an existing article:


 * Complete the &quot;Evaluating Articles and Sources&quot; training (linked above).
 * Read the Wikipedia articles on &quot;Lowell mill girls,&quot; &quot;Sarah Bagley,&quot; &quot;Lowell Offering,&quot; and &quot;Voice of Industry.&quot; Consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these):
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * During class time, you will complete an exercise evaluating ONE article.
 * You may also choose to leave suggestions for improving the article on the article's Talk page. Don't forget to sign your comment with four tildes Ayevans (talk) 21:24, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

Thinking about sources and plagiarism

Week 8
By this date, you should have selected the new article you'd like to write from those listed on this dashboard.

History

Women's Studies

We will be checking in as a class and in groups to make sure you've gotten started smoothly on the project.

Week 9
What's a content gap?

In  your sandbox, you will report on the new article you plan to write, and you will list the sources you have found so far for the new article.


 * Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Please use Chicago style citations. Post that bibliography in your sandbox (and, if you wish, to the talk page of the article you'll be working on). Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
 * With regard to your new article in particular, your bibliography must include at least 3  scholarly  sources. At least one of those three must be a book written by an academic historian and published by an academic press. The other scholarly sources for your new article may also be academic books or they may be articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals. None of your sources may be other Wikipedia articles. (If you refer to other Wikipedia articles within your article, those should be links, not citations.) Choose all your sources carefully to make sure they are authoritative. See handout for other instructions.

You should also note which article or articles you plan to edit.


 * Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add to this article? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page.

Everyone has identified sources to work with and has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 10
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 11
Thinking about Wikipedia

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 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!

Week 13
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 14
Every student will review assigned articles  drafted  by  their  peers  and  provide  constructive  feedback. Guiding framework

By December 3, you should have finished all 6 training modules to which this course page directed you: Wikipedia policies; evaluating articles and sources; drafting in the sandbox; plagiarism; moving work out of the sandbox; &amp; Sandboxes, talk pages, and watchlists.

Week 15
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 16
In class on December 15, we will explore and discuss all the work we have done on the Wikipedia projects this semester!



It's the final week to develop your article. Remember your work must total at least 1000 words -- a new article at least 500 words long, and at least 500 words edited in other articles.


 * 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 Content Expert at any time!

Remember this is part of the assignment! The other parts -- your writing and editing -- will be on Wikipedia, but this is a separate self-reflection to submit in the course online dropbox.

Nominating your article for Did You Know