Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/University of Ontario Institute of Technology/Critical Race Theory (Winter 2015)

Welcome, and a caution
Hi folks! I'm Adam Hyland, a content expert for the Wiki Education Foundation. I'll be providing support for your course work this term. I'm looking forward to working with all of you and your professor,, but I do have to offer some caution.

The topic area for this course is important (both generally and because the subject is largely under-represented on wikipedia), however some subject which under the purview of "Critical Race Theory" have been the locus of major disputes on wikipedia (e.g. Race and intelligence). Some are subject to ongoing restrictions on editors which, while designed to allow productive work on highly controversial subjects may also be intimidating or burdensome for new editors.

When selecting an article to work on, be sure to check the talk page of the article for a notice like this. If you see it, that means the article has been placed under the restrictions I mentioned above. The sanctions themselves and the conditions which brought rise to the sanctions may make doing so much less pleasant and productive than another article.

I am happy to help you select an article to work on and make sure it isn't one under those or similar sanctions. You can still edit articles under these sanctions but I would strongly recommend picking an article which is less controversial. Please let me know if you have any questions either here or on my talk page. Thanks. Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 20:13, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

Thanks to Adam
Thanks Adam! Next week we begin drafting starter articles in our Sandboxes. This is when the bulk of the work for this assignment will be completed, as wikipedia experts suggest limiting the time you work in your sandbox to a few weeks. Although I encourage you to plan to move your content into the main space, and we will cover how to do that in class, owing to the highly charged, and potentially offensive, nature of the course material, students are advised to closely consult talk pages of the articles you choose to try and avoid disputed topics, at least in these early stages of your wikipedian career. Thank you for this important reminder and we will revisit this discussion in class on Thursday. DaneAmanda (talk) 20:42, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

Comment from rank-and-file Wikipedia editor
Hi folks, hate to intrude, but came here because I saw someone had announced a plan to work on the White privilege article—a hotbed of controversy if there ever was one. In past experience with said page, efforts to alter the lead paragraph and theoretical sentences proved frustrating for everyone who tried; yet for some reason, addition of material about white privilege in South Africa and Australia did not prove contentious. In general, I would say, the more factual you can make your edits the better. Also I am happy to help out anyone working on this project. (See the link in my signature to leave a message on my talk page.) Is anyone still looking for an article to edit? The oft-ignored system of categories will help. See Category:Race and society and all of its subcategories for a start. good luck, groupuscule (talk) 21:44, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

Critical legal studies is one article which both meshes well with the course and needs some improvement. If that's a bit rarefied I can also suggest some other articles in the topic area. Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:27, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw could also be restructured a bit if any students wish to work on editing prose for tone and content with the formatting already there. Making small edits is very helpful as you get started with Wikipedia. Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:29, 9 March 2015 (UTC)

Assistance offered
Hi all, I am an editor who has more experience than most with editing about race on wikipedia. Particularly I have worked a lot on the race and intelligence article trying to keep it somewhat balanced. Generally the critical race theory perspective is missing from many articles related to race, and I am very happy that you will be providing it - the Race and Intelligence article is currently written almost exclusively from a psychology/psychometrics perspective, with the only elements of critical approach in the history section. So your edits are certainly welcome. However this is an article that has attracted a lot of attention from people with extreme political agendas in the past and any editor who works on it can expect to have to argue their case extensively on the talkpage - which is at times unpleasant. This means that editors should be prepared with patience, willingness to discuss and compromise and the best possible sources - low quality sources such as primary sources, or internet based sources are not likely to be accepted by other editors since they can very quickly skew the balance of the article if they are accepted. For any queries or questions or requests for advise you can contact me at my talkpage. Best wishes. ·maunus · snunɐɯ· 05:33, 18 March 2015 (UTC)