Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Pennsylvania/Food in the Islamic Middle East (Spring 2021)

This seminar approaches past and present Middle Eastern and North African societies through the study of food. The Islamic Middle East itself claims a rich internal history of scholarship on food, along with an illustrious tradition of cookbook-writing that began with Arabic works like Kitab al-Tabikh (“The Book of Cooking”) by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, who lived in Baghdad more than a thousand years ago. The works we read this semester, most of them by historians and anthropologists, will be of much more recent authorship. Some of them will be of a comparative nature (focusing on other parts of the world, in ways that can help us to think about Middle Eastern parallels) or will reflect history on the world stage (for example, by positioning the Middle East within global networks of exchange).

Our studies of food will cover several overlapping topics and themes in the study of Middle Eastern and North African societies and cultures. These themes include labor (the work behind food production and preparation); religion; gender; nationalism; migration; status, hierarchy, and class; business; contestation and conflict (including identity politics); medicine and health; trade and transport; environment and agriculture; value, symbolism, and prestige; place (i.e., where food production and consumption happens, and how it reflects local settings and landscapes); and finally, tradition and authenticity.

Students will write an independent research paper in this class. Students will also learn how to write for Wikipedia by following tutorials and then by working together, on teams, to draft new articles, or expand existing articles, relating to our subject. Specifically, we will conduct research and then write articles about Middle Eastern foods and about U.S.- and U.K.-based food scholars, chefs, and cookbook authors of Middle Eastern origin. In the process we will discuss what it can mean to produce public-facing scholarship.

Week 1
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 3
Biographies

History

Week 5
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6
Drawing upon readings and class discussions, review Wikipedia with an eye to identifying three possible Middle Eastern food-related articles (including studies of dishes, ingredients, people, etc) that do not yet exist on Wikipedia or that exist but warrant expansion and development. Submit your three topics on our Canvas discussion board.

Week 7
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 8
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 9
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 10
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 11
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.