Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Drake University/Global Youth Studies (Fall 2014)/Course description

Students and interested others may find a list of potential articles to write and edit at this page.

The youth experience in a given society is both universal and particular. A period before adulthood in most places has specific meanings as a marked social category. Nations view young adults as the key to the future but also a threat to the current social and political order. Young adulthood (“youth” or “emergent adulthood”) is related to economic and social changes. Sometimes, youth are forced to grow up sooner due to national or familial crises; in other settings, their adulthood is delayed because they cannot obtain the resources necessary to be considered an “adult.”

Young adults live within the social order differently from older societal members. They are less fixed to the given institutional arrangements and resulting social relationships created before them. Our course explores how young adults around the world share experiences due to global trends but also differ from living in unique contexts. Focusing on work and the economy, subcultures, and political activism, we will explore together the experiences of young adult lives.

To demonstrate and share the expertise we develop this semester, we participate as editors in Wikipedia. Very few articles exist in English Wikipedia on youth experiences in specific regions and countries of the world. Many articles about youth tell only the story of youth in the Global North. We seek to disseminate the best possible scholarly materials through working with the Wikipedia community and volunteer editors. Through this effort, we also improve our writing and research skills.

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