User:Pfancher/Writing 2 - Spring 2015

Course name

Writing 2

Institution

University of California, Santa Barbara

Instructor

Dr. Trish Fancher

Subject

Academic Writing

Course dates

–

Approximate number of student editors

Overview of Wikipedia assignments

Writing Project 1: Analyzing Digital Ways of Composing Knowledge

They Say I Say is a useful guide for print-based academic writing, but it has its limitations. How may writing conventions change as we compose more for digital media rather than traditional print media? How may digital media open up the 'ivory tower' of academia to alternative ways of composing knowledge? Our textbooks do not adequately address these questions because no one fully understands the answers to these questions. You are going to contribute to our existing knowledge of digital-based genres by writing an appendix to They Say I Say.

This assignment will require you to analyze two forms of digital media: one form must be Wikipedia and the other can be of your choosing. Based on your analyses, you will then teach fellow students how to write in these two genres. However, it is never enough to simply explain how to write, you must also explain why those writing conventions exist, how they may shape the discourse communities, and what the writing conventions may tell us about the values and culture of the discourse community.

I am requiring work in Wikipedia for two main reasons: First, this encourages rhetorical flexibility as the writing conventions in this genre are notably different from almost any other genre of digital media that you may choose. Second, Wikipedia is a source that all of us use from time to time. As such, we benefit from better understanding the genre, its conventions, and how those conventions shape our knowledge.

Criteria:

• Content: Thoughtful analysis and exposition of genre conventions, rhetorical strategies, and purpose
• Argument: Unique argument supported with evidence/examples
• Composition: Meets conventions of TSIS-like textbook and appeals to similar audience
• Style Mechanics: Polished, professional, and mostly conforms to professional grammar conventions

20% of grade.

Writing Project 2: Composing Your Knowledge in Digital Media

Now that you have analyzed the genre and discourse communities of Wikipedia and another digital media genre, you are ready to apply that knowledge by contributing to these discourse communities. You know what's expected; now compose a high-quality contribution to these discourse communities.

You will contribute 750 words to a Wikipedia article. This may include adding new information or rewriting information that is currently on the page to improve the overall quality of the page. To complete this you must first find an article that needs improvement. Then you will collect content to contribute, based on reliable research. Finally you will compose and add your contributions to this online, shared resource for future audiences to read.

For the second contribution, you will compose an argument that would amount to 750 words of work. This project will be a bit of a challenge because the genre you chose may or may not be predominantly word based. In those cases, 750 words functions as a metaphor for a similar amount of work in audio, photograph, or image based genres. You should verify any non-word based plans with me before submitting your proposal.

20% of grade.

Timeline

Week 1 / Unit 1 / Milestone 1: Overview of week/unit/milestone

Week 2 / Unit 2 / Milestone 2: Overview of week/unit/milestone

Week 3...

Etc.

Standard in-class components, roughly in the order they would appear in the timeline

• Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette
• Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)
• 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
• Handouts: Choosing an article

• Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia.
• Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.
• 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.

• We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
• Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
• A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
  • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
  • Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.

Exercises and assignments

• Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.
• 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 of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
• 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 mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.

• 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 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?

• By the start of our next class, find an article you want to work on and mark the article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. To add the banner, add this code in the top section of the talk page:

• Add a link to your selected article to the table at the bottom of this course page.
• 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.
• If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, create a detailed outline reflecting your proposed changes, and post this for community feedback, along with a brief description of your plans, on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check back on the talk page often and engage with any responses.
• Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
• Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

• Move your 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.

• As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.

• Select a classmate's article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, write your username next to the article you plan to review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

• Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

• Peer review your classmate's article. Leave suggestions on the article talk page.
• Copy-edit the reviewed article.

• Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.