Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Minnesota, Twin Cities/Reading Culture (Spring)

Each instantiation of Reading Culture: Theory &amp; Practice reflects the interests and expertise of its instructor, and as such this course will explore sonic culture, focusing on a series of cultural practices rooted in sound. There is a truism that so-called Western culture has overemphasized the visual at the expense of the sonic. Indeed, much of our terminology privileges visual metaphors; from the flickering shadows in Plato’s allegory of the cave to the Age of Enlightenment, one can “see” the truth, the facts are “clear.” And yet sound, too, is ever-present, from metaphors of social harmony to “hearing a calling.” Most cultures have tended to privilege music and the voice as exemplars of sonic culture, but recent decades have seen increasing scholarly attention paid to sound more broadly, from sonic aspects of product design to the encroachment of noise pollution in daily life.

The field of Sound Studies emerged in the early 21st century, drawing together an interdisciplinary body of work that takes “sound” as its object of study. We will learn to theorize various sonic cultural practices by reading a number of canonical texts in the field, augmented by newer essays in criticism, cultural studies, and related fields. We begin by considering various modes of listening, taking into account questions of ethical orientation and subject position, proceeding through five units: Soundscapes, Media, Mobility, Community, and Music. The concept of the soundscape helps to frame modes of listening that encompass both natural and technological sounds, without necessarily privileging music or voice in its analysis. The development of sound recording technologies in the 19th century radically transformed how we think about and relate to sound. Phonography, or “sound writing,” was a fundamental departure, as sound had previously always been ephemeral events that left no material trace. 20th century mobile sound technologies (including the car stereo, the boombox, the Walkman, and the mobile phone) further altered sonic cultural practices, increasing the circulation of voices and music while creating whole new categories of sound design. Yet sounds that some find pleasing may be perceived as noise by another. Our experience of sound plays important roles in delineating feelings of belonging to (or exclusion from) a community.

Each week’s readings are meant to form a pair. I’ve tried to err on the side of shorter readings, to allow for more close reading and dialogue in class. Due to the nature of Zoom courses, in recent years we have tended to spend more time staring at screens than ever before. I aim to intentionally downplay the visual while emphasizing the sonic in our class meetings. Where possible, I’ve included audio versions of readings, and will assign a number of audio assignments throughout the term. Thursdays will include in-class listening exercises, and I encourage you to choose audio formats for your final group projects.

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

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 4
Art History

Books

Cultural Anthropology

Ecology

Films

History

LGBT+ Studies

Political Science

Sociology

Women's Studies

Week 6
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

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8
Now that you've improved your draft, 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.