Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/The College of Wooster/Modern Latin America (Spring 2023)

This course provides a thematic approach to the history of Latin America since the wars of independence. Themes include the consolidation of political rule after independence; the negotiation of abolition and the persistence of racial inequalities; Latin America’s integration into the world economy; populism and mass political mobilization; authoritarianism and human rights; changing patterns of social and gender relations; and international migration and the re-construction of national identity. The majority of the readings will be drawn from primary sources. We’ll emphasize how historians practice historical empathy through the analysis of multiple, often contradictory viewpoints to build an understanding of the past.

Week 1


Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for History 216 Modern Latin American. This schedule is *not* a replacement for our online class syllabus, but to provide you more detailed structure for the Wikipedia assignments.





This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.

Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on this page.

To get started, please review the following handouts:


 * Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account &amp; has joined our online course.

Week 3

 * It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Above, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take; complete them before class on Friday 1/27.  New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them!

Exercise
Add a citationFamiliarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:


 * Add 1-2 sentences to your choice of Wikipedia article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
 * The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.

Week 4
In class: add your travelogue synopsis with citation to the Travelogues of Latin America page.

Week 5

 * Pick an article related to your research project that needs improvement. You'll explain your choice as part of Wednesday's research forum post on Moodle.

Now that you're thinking about what makes a &quot;good&quot; Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.






 * Wikipedians often talk about &quot;content gaps.&quot; What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
 * What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
 * Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
 * What does it mean to be &quot;unbiased&quot; on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of &quot;bias&quot;?

Write a detailed moodle forum post that critiques a Wikipedia article related to your research interests that you think needs improvement. (Note: this isn't a commitment this is the article you'll work on at this stage).

Make sure that you address ALL of the following questions/numbered prompts.


 * 1) Make the article title the title of your forum post.
 * 2) Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * 3) Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * 4) Are there viewpoints that are over-represented, or under-represented?
 * 5) Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
 * 6)  Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * 7) Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * 8)  Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * 9) How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * 10) How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we’ve talked about it in class?

Week 7
Everyone has identified high-quality sources (for your Prospectus research) and begun writing their article drafts.


 * On your article's talk page, create a new heading to introduce your proposed edits.
 * On the talk page, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article, and why these additions are important. Think back to our discussions of content gaps, Wikipedia's 5 Pillars, and the American Historical Association article.

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

A full draft of your Wikipedia work will be due on Friday, March 3.

Tips for starting your Wikipedia improvements:


 * NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
 * Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!

Week 8

 * Your complete, polished first draft is due (posted to the article mainspace) before class on Friday, March 3.. Make sure your work is ready for peer-review.
 * Create a new forum discussion on Moodle with the title of your article.  In the body of the post, you can share a direct link to your article and any specific requests for feedback.
 * Make sure that your new content includes citations and links.  Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.

Peer review your assigned classmates' drafts by noon on Sunday. March 5.

You will share your critique and suggestions in two  ways:


 * 1) By making real, live edits on the Wikipedia page to improve communication, formatting, grammar (strongly encouraged).
 * 2) By leaving notes in our Moodle Forum for your assigned articles (Required).  Make sure to focus on:
 * 3) ### In what ways does the entry show the student's historical research skills and use of clear/specific examples?
 * 4) Does the new content follow Wikipedia's guidelines for neutral tone and clear communication?
 * 5) Would the new section be stronger with more links, headers, or other additions?
 * 6) how does the new material improve Wikipedia's coverage of Latin American history?
 * 7) What is the strongest part of their work?
 * 8) What would you focus on for improvement?

As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?

Week 9
It's the final week to develop your article  (due Friday, March 10).


 * Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
 * Look at our Wikipedia grading rubric.  How would you evaluate your work?
 * Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!

Share your work to our collaborative google slideshow! (linked from Moodle)

Write a reflective project memo on your Wikipedia contributions and upload it to Moodle by 4pm on Friday, March 10.

This 2-page memo should devote a paragraph to each of the following seven questions:


 * 1) Why did you select this article improve? How does your choice reflect our learning goal of critiquing systemic inequalities? What is the larger historical significance of this entry, and how does your work make it better?
 * 2) What state was it in before your intervention? Why?
 * 3) How did you improve this entry? Why did you choose to intervene in these ways?  How did you incorporate peer feedback?
 * 4) Discuss the specific content did you learn through completing this digital project?  For example, have you gone deeper into a topic and/or learned new material?  Give particular tasks you performed or examples of things you did in this digital project and discuss how they helped in your learning of the material.
 * 5) Discuss the specific  skills  you have learned through the Wikipedia project. For example, have you further developed skills and/or learned new ones? Give particular tasks you performed or examples of things you did in this digital project and discuss how they helped in your development of old and/or new skills.
 * 6) Discuss how you think you will use the specific content and skills you developed through this project in the future. Give examples of courses, projects, or other areas where you think they could be of use.
 * 7) Did the fact that your Wikipedia contributions will be publicly available affect how you approached its design and execution? Give examples of discussions you had, considerations/decisions you made, or ways you anticipated others would use it.

