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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/UC Berkeley/Totalitarian Self (Spring 2017)

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Course name
Totalitarian Self
Institution
UC Berkeley
Instructor
John Connelly
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
History
Course dates
2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-05-10 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
6


Historians have developed crude categories like resistance, accommodation, collaboration to describe the responses human beings developed to would-be totalitarian rule. In fact, these and other dimensions of experience overlapped in single lives. Through perspectives of sensitive observers –poets, but also an architect, worker, school teacher, and several journalists – this course seeks to deepen students' appreciation of the nuances of every day existence in a region renowned for its complexity, but also to awaken an appreciation for first hand accounts as historical sources. What do we in fact learn things from such accounts that is otherwise unimaginable? What might memory tell about an event that was invisible to direct observation?

Students' obligations are to read carefully, complete weekly writing assignments, and submit on the final day of class one of two things:

  1. An eight to ten-page paper on a theme of personal interest that might form a foundation for the senior thesis (101).

  2. A wikipedia entry of similar length on topic related to the course.

Student Assigned Reviewing
WGardner2017 Agrarian Conservatism in Germany
Hrhayashi Patterns of Childhood
Madiburson Kreisau Circle
Aysiad Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen
Lissielarson Women in the Yugoslav Partisans

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Assignment - Set up Wikipedia profile

If you decide to follow through with the Wikipedia assignment you must complete all the following weekly homework modules.

Week 2

Course meetings
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia

Assignment
This week you'll evaluate a few Wikipedia articles, and leave suggestions for improving them on the article Talk pages. The goal is to help you understand what a complete article should look like at the end of the assignment. 

  • Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Read Totalitarianism and one of the following Wikipedia articles (pick based on the kind of topic you think you may want to work on for the project): 
  • While you read, consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these): 
    • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
    • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
    • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
    • Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
    • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
    • Check the "talk" page - what conversation is the Wikipedia community having behind the scenes about how to represent these topics? 
    • Is the article locked? What is the article rated? 
  • Take notes in your sandbox about what you've learned during this process. 

What's due?
A section in your sandbox where you summarize what you learned during this evaluation process. Over the break, also please spend some time considering what topics you may want to work on. Come to class on April 5th with your topic prepared. 

Week 3

Course meetings
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Assignment - Select your topics & start your draft

Assignment
This week, finalize your topic and start your draft. 

To get started, read page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook. Then, look up a few topics on Wikipedia that you want to work on. Check their ratings and read through them for general completeness. What could you improve? Don't forget to take the assigned training as well.

If you aren't sure what to work on, check out the list of "available articles" on the Articles tab above and assign yourself one from there OR review the lists of articles in the following categories and pick one. 

Once you have your article topic selected: 

  • In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. 
    • Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too. 
    • Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography. 
    • If you choose to update or create a biography of an author, check out the Editing Wikipedia articles on Biographies handout. 

What's due?
Your article needs to be assigned to yourself on the Students tab above and you should have a section in your sandbox with 2-5 sources you'll use to update your article. 

Week 4

Course meetings
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Assignment - Copyedit your article & draft improvements

Assignment
This week it's time to start writing. Be sure to take all the assigned trainings.

Copyedit
If you're working to update an existing article, read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. 

Creating a new article?

  • Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox. 
    •  A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas. 

Improving an existing article?

  •  Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox. 


Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

What's due?
In your sandbox you should have a full draft of your article improvements or starter article. Don't forget to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help! 

Week 5

Course meetings
Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Assignment - Request feedback

Ask your instructor to give you feedback on your draft. You can also request help from your  Wikipedia content expert using the "Get Help" button on this course page. 

Week 6

Course meetings
Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Assignment - Move your work live!

Assignment
This week you will finalize your draft and then begin moving your work live. Be sure to take all the assigned trainings. 

Respond to review
You probably have some feedback from your instructor and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!

  • Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
  • Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions. 

Move your work live
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace." 

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!

Creating a new article?

  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
  • You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.

What's due?
Your draft should be live on Wikipedia. 

Week 7

Course meetings
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Assignment - Finish improving your article

Assignment 
This week you will finalize your improvements to Wikipedia and work on a reflection paper summarizing your contributions. 

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.

  • 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. 
  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
  • Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help! 

What's due?
A reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions. Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:

  • Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article? 
  • 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? 
  • 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? 
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