Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Wheaton College, MA/Circulating Knowledge--The Printing Press to Wikipedia (Spring 2020)
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- Course name
- Circulating Knowledge--The Printing Press to Wikipedia
- Institution
- Wheaton College, MA
- Instructor
- Kelly Whitford
- Subject
- Course dates
- 2020-01-20 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-05-04 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 12
In 15th-century Europe, the invention of moveable type and the printing press resulted in what historians now call the Print Revolution. With the advent of the printing press, as books and images could be produced by machines in multiples, and no longer just by hand, there was an explosion of information that revolutionized European knowledge and circulated more texts and images more quickly than ever possible before. This semester we will be examining the history of knowledge (in text and images) from the Print Revolution to the Digital Revolution (or as the course title states: from the Printing Press to Wikipedia). We will survey the history of print and printed images and their role in circulating knowledge from early woodblock printing in Asia, to the invention of the printing press and movable type in Renaissance Europe, to modern lithography, and the current impact of digital culture on print.
During our studies, we will be paying special attention to the roles that gender, race, and class play in the production, circulation, and consumption of knowledge in the past and now. For instance, despite Wikipedia’s popularity, the vast majority of its articles are written and edited by men who are largely from European and American contexts. Likewise, historically, the production of knowledge in print was dominated by educated, literate, men.
By learning to edit, and even add content to Wikipedia, this project aims to make students more conscientious consumers of articles on Wikipedia, and knowledge in general.
Timeline
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 23 March 2020 | Wednesday, 25 March 2020
- 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
- Assignment - Wikipedia Analysis Exercise (on OnCourse)
On OnCourse you will complete several tasks and a worksheet analyzing gender bias on Wikipedipa
Week 11
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 30 March 2020 | Wednesday, 1 April 2020
- Assignment - Assignment
- Get started on Wikipedia
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 April 2020 | Wednesday, 8 April 2020
- Assignment - Choose 2 possible stubs to work on (on OnCourse)
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 April 2020 | Wednesday, 15 April 2020
- 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.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
Week 14
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 20 April 2020 | Wednesday, 22 April 2020
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
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.
Week 15
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 27 April 2020 | Wednesday, 29 April 2020
- Assignment - Polish your work
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!
- Assignment - Begin moving 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."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
- 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!
Week 16
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 4 May 2020
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.