User:Carwil/Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples

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Course name
Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Institution
Vanderbilt University
Instructor
Carwil Bjork-James
Subject
Anthropology
Course dates
2015-01-05 – 2015-04-20
Approximate number of student editors
24


Indigenous peoples have been intensely involved in struggles over their sovereign, legal, treaty, and human rights for centuries. This course looks at these efforts in the Americas from the people-to-people treaty making to the rise of local and transnational indigenous movements over the past fifty years. We explore how indigenous peoples both respond to legal frameworks and press their positions into national and international human rights standards, on issues ranging from governance to cultural survival, from environmental management to language policy.

Students in this class will make contributions to Wikipedia on topics related to indigenous rights, primarily by creating or substantially expanding a single article. Potential article topics include treaties, indigenous leaders or representatives, legal processes, notable conflicts and campaigns, places of particular significance to indigenous peoples, and particular rights of indigenous peoples and how they are encoded in law and practice.

Links to Resources[edit]

Timeline[edit]

Week 1 (2015-01-05): Wikipedia essentials[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 5 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 7 January 2015   |   Friday, 9 January 2015
In class
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Wikipedia is a community: a brief overview of its rules, expectations, and etiquette
  • Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)

Week 2 (2015-01-12): Editing basics[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 12 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 14 January 2015   |   Friday, 16 January 2015
In class
  • Basics of editing
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
  • Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
  • Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
Assignment (due Week 3)
  • Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
  • Consider turning on Wikipedia's VisualEditor for your edits to articles. As described on that page, you will need to select it in your user preferences (listed under "Beta features"), and then click on "Edit beta" on the top of the page you are editing.
Milestones
  • All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3 (2015-01-19): Exploring the topic area[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 19 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 21 January 2015   |   Friday, 23 January 2015
In class

Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement. Use the "choosing an article" handout for guidance.

Assignment (due Week 4)
  • Evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
    • A few questions to consider (don't feel limited to these):
      • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
      • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
      • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims that appear biased to one side or an other?
      • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
      • What's missing that could be added?
      • Check a few citations. Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?


Week 4 (2015-01-26): Using sources and choosing articles[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 26 January 2015   |   Wednesday, 28 January 2015   |   Friday, 30 January 2015
Assignment (due Week 5)
  • Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
  • Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback.
For next week
  • Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by next week.

Week 5 (2015-02-02): Finalizing topics and starting research[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 2 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 4 February 2015   |   Friday, 6 February 2015
In class
  • Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
Assignment (due Week 6)
  • Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
  • Mark your article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. Add this code in the top section of the talk page:
{{course assignment | course = User:Carwil/Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples | term = Spring 2015 }}
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 6 (2015-02-09): Drafting starter articles[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 9 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 11 February 2015   |   Friday, 13 February 2015
In class
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
Assignment (due Week 7)
  • If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.
Milestones
  • All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7 (2015-02-16): Moving articles to the main space[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 16 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 18 February 2015   |   Friday, 20 February 2015
In class
Assignment (due Week 8)
  • Move sandbox articles into main space.
    • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
    • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow these instructions on how to move your work.


  • Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” (see detailed instructions) and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors. Wiki Education Foundation staff can provide support for this process.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 8 (2015-02-23): Building articles, Creating first draft[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 23 February 2015   |   Wednesday, 25 February 2015   |   Friday, 27 February 2015
In class
Assignment (due Week 9)
  • Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
  • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

NO CLASS WEEK OF 2015-03-02[edit]

Week 9 (2015-03-09): Getting and giving feedback[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 9 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 11 March 2015   |   Friday, 13 March 2015
In class
  • As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.
Assignment (due Week 10)
  • Peer review three of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the three reviewed articles.
Milestones
  • All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Week 10 (2015-03-16): Writing preparation[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 16 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 18 March 2015   |   Friday, 20 March 2015
In class
  • Re-orienting ourselves towards completing the Wikipedia assignment.
  • Wikipedia Project Completion assignment page handed out (and made available on Blackboard).
Assignment (due Week 11)

By class on Wednesday, March 18

  • Deal with any article topic problems and confirm article name with instructor.

Post online by Sunday, March 22

  • Post a bibliography of at least ten sources you plan to use on your talk page, draft page (User:User name/Article Name), or the article's talk page.
  • Post an outline of all the expected headings and subheadings for your article to your talk page, draft page, or the article's talk page.
  • Post at least five complete paragraphs of new referenced text either as a draft or in the article itself.
  • Delayed: Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.
Milestones
  • All articles have finalized titles
  • The requirements for organization, sources, and writing listed above are all met.
  • Delayed: All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Week 11 (2015-03-23): Building articles, posting first drafts[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 23 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 25 March 2015   |   Friday, 27 March 2015
In class
  • Share experiences and discuss problems.
Assignment (due Week 11)

On course page by Wednesday

  • Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. Sign-up on the course page by Monday, March 23.

Posted in article space by March 29

  • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
  • Post that draft by March 29.
  • Provide peer review if you are looking at an early track article.

Week 12 (2015-03-30): Getting and giving feedback[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 30 March 2015   |   Wednesday, 1 April 2015   |   Friday, 3 April 2015
In class
  • As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.
Assignment (due Week 10)
  • Peer review three of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the three reviewed articles.
Milestones
  • All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Week 13 (2015-04-06): Responding to Feedback and Finishing Touches[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 6 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 8 April 2015   |   Friday, 10 April 2015
Assignment (due April 10)
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Post by April 12

  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.
Milestones
  • All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Week 14 (2015-04-13): Due Date[edit]

Course meetings
Monday, 13 April 2015   |   Wednesday, 15 April 2015   |   Friday, 17 April 2015
Assignment (due April 17)
  • Make-up assignment: If you missed the early wikipedia exercises, write a reflective essay (2–4 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Milestones
  • Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Articles[edit]

Suggestions of relevant articles[edit]

You may want to consider one of the following topics to be the article you edit. Redlinks indicate that the article is not yet part of Wikipedia.

Many good articles for improvement are listed at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas/Assessment and the corresponding pages on Wikipedia:WikiProject_Indignous_peoples_of_North_America/Article_Assessment, and Wikipedia:WikiProject_Human_rights/Assessment, as well as the infobox on Indigenous_rights. Look especially to Stub- and Start-Class articles.

Some highly recommended sources for articles include:

Grading[edit]

  3%  
   Completion of Wikipedia training
  12%  
   Early Wikipedia exercises
  20%  
   Quality of bibliography and outline
  10%  
   Peer reviews and collaboration with classmates
  40%  
   Quality of your main Wikipedia contributions
  15%  
   Supplementary assignments
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