Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/U of Maryland/Rhetorics of Disability (Spring 2021)

In this graduate seminar, we consider the rhetorical affordances of disabled being in the world by means of disability scholarship, activism, art, policy, and pedagogy. We explore many dimensions of disability—as embodiment, as critical modality, as site of reclamation and protest—in past and present moments. Our explorations attend to intersectional discourses on disability, race, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and class, as we seek to understand and to shift the parameters of possibility for more just futures.

Week 1
Welcome! If you are here, you've successfully created a Wikipedia account and joined this course dashboard.

The timeline page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete as we progress through this project. Using the tabs in the menu across the top of this page, you can also get an overview of our collective efforts (Home), find your classmates on Wikipedia (Students), view the articles we are editing (Articles), view files we've uploaded to Wikimedia Commons (Uploads), check recent activity (Activity), and find additional Wiki Ed resources and training modules (Resources).

Our class has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. Any time you have a question about Wikipedia, you can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.

We'll use the following guides this semester. Begin to get oriented by reading the opening pages of each:


 * Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia, pages 1-4

Congratulations! This week everyone has a Wikipedia account and a basic sense of the policies and software behind Wikipedia.

Week 2
As we dive into policies, page types, and editing today, I recommend spending some time listening to Wikipedia. It is a beautiful way to get a new sensory experience of how Wikipedia is made.

About: Listen to the sound of Wikipedia's recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell. You can welcome them by clicking the blue banner and adding a note on their talk page.

Get started by working through the training modules above to learn about Wikipedia's core policies and the pages where editors draft, discuss, and keep tabs on articles.

Now you are ready to get started editing by making some small edits on one or more articles of your choice. Try looking for opportunities to fix punctuation, improve wording, add links to other articles, and so on. Leave an edit summary and publish changes after each small change.

Wondering where to start? You might take a look at WikiProject:Guild of Copy Editors, WikiProject Black Lives Matter, WikiProject Disability, WikiProject Writing, or WikiProject:Women in Red to get ideas about what to edit. WikiProjects are spaces where editors interested in a particular topic or task organize their efforts. You might also search your own browser history to see find Wikipedia articles you've read recently—do they need any copyediting? There is also a list of all articles tagged as needing copy editing.

Aim for at least 10 edits. Feel free to chat via Slack (#wikipedia) while you work. When you are done, share a link to your user contributions page with us and take a look at what your classmates have accomplished.

Resources:


 * ** Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Week 3
Everyone has contributed new content to a Wikipedia article!

Week 4
Before we move ahead to work on more disability related articles on Wikipedia, we'll take a bit of time to think through and map out what we might want to learn about these topics from these articles. Read through this training module for an overview of what makes Wikipedia articles good. Then head to our Public Knowledge Project Planning google doc to start coordinating a plan for our work together.

Week 5
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Week 6
Guiding framework

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.

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

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

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.

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 7
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!

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