Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Williams College/Aid, Arms, and Armies - The Politics of Intervention in Africa (Spring 2023)

Course Description: Comprised of nearly 50 countries and home to over 1 billion people, sub-Saharan Africa is remarkable in its diversity, particularly in regards to a number of outcomes central to the study of political science. It has also been a central site of numerous and profoundly impactful interventions for centuries, from the slave trade and colonialism to proxy wars and structural adjustment programs. This class investigates the many types of intervention--including military, humanitarian, and resource extraction--as well as identifying the diverse actors conducting these interventions, from missionaries to mercenaries, the World Bank to the world's leading states (e.g. United States, China, France). We interrogate how these interventions have shaped a number of key political, economic, and social outcomes for African countries, highlighting both case studies as well as common themes. We will also keep an eye out for lessons learned and the future of international interventions--the politics of foreign investment, humanitarian assistance, and multilateral partnerships.

Students will be asked to expand and/or create a wikipedia page related to a political event or topic in an African country underrepresented in Wikipedia (for systemic biases in wikipedia in political science and African politics, see Michelitch and Ackerly, 2022 and Michelitch and Wilfahrt, 2022). They will be supported by the Williams library as well as engage in peer review to produce notable, well-cited contributions to help address knowledge gaps on Wikipedia.

Week 3
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 4
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.)

Everyone should have a Wikipedia account by February 23

Week 6
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

Week 7
Political Science

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts by March 24

Week 8
Full Draft Due April 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

Week 9
Guiding Peer-Review Framework

Week 10
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.

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.

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 11
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!

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
Final article online by May 1