Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Carleton University/Analyzing Cinema, Gender, and Sexuality (Fall 2018)
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- Course name
- Analyzing Cinema, Gender, and Sexuality
- Institution
- Carleton University
- Instructor
- Laura Horak
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- cinema, gender, sexuality
- Course dates
- 2018-09-06 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-12-06 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 40
Film scholars and critics have long ignored and underplayed women’s contributions to filmmaking. Most people in the public have never heard of the many women who have directed films throughout history or the women who are working today. However, Wikipedia—one of the world’s top 10 most popular websites—can be a powerful force bringing attention to women’s significant contributions to cinema.
In this assignment, students will write a new article or significantly improve an existing Wikipedia article about a cis woman or transgender filmmaker. The assignment gives students the opportunity to do original research, assess sources, learn technical, practice a different style of writing, collaborate with other students and Wikipedia editors to improve their article, and to write something that could be read by millions of people around the world.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 6 September 2018
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
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
Optional:
- Torres, Nicole. “Why Do So Few Women Edit Wikipedia?” Harvard Business Review, June 2, 2016
- Wikipedia: Systemic Bias
- WikiProject Countering systemic bias
- Wikipedia: Gender bias on Wikipedia
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Before class on Thursday, Sept 13, create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
Make sure your Wikipedia username cannot be traced back to you.
- Don’t: use your real name, hometown, date of birth, etc.
- Do: write down your password and add a password recovery email address.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 13 September 2018
- Milestones
By Thursday, Sept 13, before class, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- Research potential filmmakers that you might want to create a page for or update on Wikipedia.
- List your top 3 choices in your sandbox, with a list of the reliable sources you have found so far for each of them.
The best way to find filmmakers is to use the Resources on Cis Women and Transgender Filmmakers listed on cuLearn (e.g. ebooks, print books, links, and more!).
Tips:
- Look for someone with little to nothing on the English-language Wikipedia site, but who has been written about in at least three reliable and independent secondary sources. Festival websites and distributors don't count!
- The filmmakers most overlooked by Wikipedia tend to be: people of color, people working outside the United States (especially those working in languages other than English!), people making documentary, experimental, short films, and animaton, and people who worked in the 1890s-1970s.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
- In class - Discussion
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 20 September 2018
- In class - Discussion
- Assignment - Assign yourself a filmmaker
Due 9/27, midnight.
Assign yourself a filmmaker on Dashboard: On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself. If you plan to expand an existing article, make sure to spell the name the exact same way.
Finalize your topic / Find your sources
- Assignment - Annotated Bibliography
Due 9/27, midnight.
Annotated Bibliography: On cuLearn, post a document with the following information: Your name; your Wikipedia username; your filmmaker's name; and...
An annotated bibliography with at least five different sources about your filmmaker. At least three sources must considered RELIABLE and INDEPENDENT by Wikipedia. The bibliography should be in Chicago Notes and Bibliography format.
For each source, write a short paragraph in which you: 1) Explain how you found the source, 2) Summarize the source (What topics does it cover?); 3) Assess the source (How reliable and independent is it? Why or why not?); 4) Reflect on the source (How will it contribute to your Wikipedia entry?)
The following sources are NOT considered reliable and/or independent: sites made by the filmmaker, an organization she has worked for, or a festival or distribution company. Interviews are a grey area, but they generally do NOT count toward notability.
Your sources should:
- Come from independent sources, that is, those not directly related to the subject.
- Come from sources known for fact-checking and neutrality, such as academic presses, peer-reviewed journals, or international newspapers.
- Come from reliable publishers, and represent a general consensus in the field (including significant minority points of view).
Resources: Guide to Evaluating Sources
Resources: Chicago Notes and Bibliography Style Guide (starting on page 3)
See cuLearn for a guide to researching high-quality sources.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 27 September 2018
- Milestones
By Th 9/27, midnight, all students should have assigned themselves a topic on the Dashboard, uploaded their annotated bibliographies to cuLearn, and added a citation to an existing article or to their sandbox.
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
The first draft of your article is due in your sandbox on Thursday, 10/11 at midnight.
- Craft a complete and polished first draft of your article, including references, in your sandbox.
- You must add a minimum of 500 new words of prose about your filmmaker. You should also add lists and tables (such as filmography, awards, etc.), but this will not be counted as part of your word count.
- Make sure to include a robust lead paragraph at the beginning of the article. State the person's achievements clearly but dispassionately, so that it doesn't come off as promotional.
- Cite reliable and independent sources throughout the text, so that your page doesn't get taken down. In general, you should be citing at least once per paragraph, but any quotations, statistics, and controversial claims must be cited.
- Keep a backup copy of your draft on Word in case you experience technical difficulties (this is rare, but it happens).
Please use existing Wikipedia headings. Those in bold below are mandatory; others are optional.
Early Life and Education
Biography
Career
Legacy
Filmography
Awards and Nominations (if relevant)
References
Further Reading
External Links
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 4 October 2018
- Receive feedback on your annotated bibliography
You will receive feedback from your annotated bibliography from the instrutor or TA this week. You can access the feedback on cuLearn.
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 11 October 2018
- Milestones
A complete draft of your Wikipedia article, ready for review by the instructor or TA, is due in your sandbox by midnight, Thursday 10/11. You will receive feedback on your draft within a week.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 18 October 2018
- Assignment - Move your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace." Make sure your article is in "mainspace" by midnight, Thursday, 10/18.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
Editing an existing article?
- NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
- Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
- Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
What should I do if an editor takes my article down?
- Don't panic! And don't try to force it back up.
- The first thing you should do is email Professor Horak and let her know.
- Also, check to see if the editor has explained their actions on the article's talk page. If not, politely ask why it was removed.
- The instructor will work with you (and the Wiki Edu staff, if necessary) to make sure that your article adheres to all of Wikipedia's rules and policies so that it won't be taken down next time.
- Assignment - Peer review two articles
Peer reviews are due by Weds, 10/31, midnight.
The instructor will assign you two articles to review. Look on the "Students" tab to see which ones you've been assigned.
In order to get full credit for your peer reviews, you must: 1) give substantive feedback on the article's Talk page and 2) copyedit the article directly.
1) Write a full paragraph on the article's Talk page in which you discuss the article's strengths, but also give 2-3 specific suggestions for how the article could be improved. Make sure to sign your comments with four tildes: Helaine (Wiki Ed) (talk) 23:47, 26 December 2018 (UTC).
2) Make at least one direct edit of each article that you review. For example, you could: correct spelling or grammar errors; make the writing more fluid; take away promotional language; add transitions; add a citation; or change a list into a table.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 1 November 2018
- Milestones
By Wednesday, 10/31, every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles.
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
The final draft of your Wikipedia article is due by midnight, Monday, 11/5.
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.
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.
Linking and categorizing:
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles. Also add links to your article from ("Lists of..." pages).
- Add categories to your article by following these steps. For more information, go go: Categorization FAQ.
- Note: There are sometimes both a "List" page and a "Category page" for the same topic. (Example: List of Canadian directors and Category:Canadian film directors.) Include your filmmaker in both.
Filmography & Infobox:
- Check the preferred format for filmographies on the WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers page and make sure yours conforms.
- Add an Infobox, as suggested by the WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Week 9
- Assignment - Final article
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!
- Assignment - Reflection essay
Guiding questionsThe reflection essay is also due by midnight Monday, 11/5. Upload the essay to cuLearn. Make sure to include: Your name; your Wikipedia username; a link to the live Wikipedia article; your filmmaker's name; the names of the two articles you peer reviewed; and your reflection essay.
Here are the questions you should answer in your reflection essay:
- Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
- Peer review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
- Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
- Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.