Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Maryland/Travel Writing in the Americas (Fall 2018)

The Americas, like most parts of the world, would not exist as we know them had it not been for the writings and journeys of centuries of travelers; writing and travel have been closely connected. The twin goals of this class are to understand the role of travel writing in shaping the history of the hemisphere, and to understand the historical contexts and influences on various forms of travel writing. From European conquest and colonization to the African slave trade through the growth of tourism and migration, human mobility is perhaps the most significant common denominator connecting the intertwined histories of North and South America. We will read a wide variety of accounts describing travel to or through the hemisphere, as well as critical scholarship that helps us shed new analytical light on those primary sources. Ultimately, the course will allow students to contribute to those critical understandings on Wikipedia.

Week 2
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

Week 3
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.)

Week 4
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Exercise
Evaluate an article

Week 5
Thinking about sources and plagiarism

Exercise
Add a citation

Week 6
Copyedit an article

What's a content gap?

Books

History

Exercise
Choose a topic

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

Week 8
Finalize your topic / Find your sources

Week 9
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 10
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 12
Guiding framework

Thinking about Wikipedia

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 13
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Nominating your article for Did You Know

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 14
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.

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 15
Guiding questions

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 16
Guiding questions

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