Wikipedia:WikiProject United States Public Policy/Courses/Spring 2011/Seminar in Public Affairs (Byron E. Price)

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Course description[edit]

The idea of what services government should provide has changed/narrowed in recent years. A major shift regarding the role and scope of government has been the phenomenon of privatization. Privatization has been characterized as the purchasing or privately contracting for services formerly thought to be the exclusive or main province of government. The current fiscal condition of state governments has seen an expansion of privatization at all levels of governmental in the United States. The move to privatize is driven by efficiency, budget constraints, and speed -of-delivery arguments; and in the case of sale or lease of previously state-owned assets, revenue enhancement or debt minimization are additional rationales. Several questions underpin the debate on public-private partnerships such as, control considerations, accountability, privacy, whether certain government responsibilities are inherently public, and appropriateness. Accordingly the privatization debate is hotly debated and one of the more controversial debates in public policy and administration.

Students will examine, evaluate, and learn when and how to use the different forms of privatization: outsourcing, competitive sourcing, franchises, vouchers, divestment, P3, withdrawal, displacement, deregulation, and voluntarism. They will identify sources of opposition to privatization and how to counter them. They will differentiate between traditional, hierarchical management and the horizontal management inherent in privatization.

Assignment overview[edit]

This describes the assignment. It is intended for both students and Wikipedians, to explain in broad strokes what the students will be doing on Wikipedia, and what related assignment activities will happen outside of Wikipedia.

Assignment timeline[edit]

We will devote several weeks to studying the many facets of prison privatization, discuss the pros and cons of prison privatization, explore the history of prison privatization, examine the global impact private prisons are having, the contractual relationship between private prisons and the public sector and learn basic Wikipedia skills. Students will select topics related to prison privatization and conduct research on the topic and develop Wikipedia entries on topics related to prison privatization.

week 1

  • In class
    • Overview of the course
    • Introduction to the Wikipedia part of the course
    • HANDOUT: "Welcome to Wikipedia" brochure
  • Assignments for students (due week 2)
    • Read the page "Wikipedia:Five pillars" on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Five_pillars

week 2

  • In class
    • Campus Ambassadors introduce Wikipedia
      • Basics of editing
      • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good & bad articles
      • Tips & recommendations for best articles to work on for the class assignments
      • HANDOUT: "Creating an account" handout, "Evaluating Wikipedia Article Quality" brochure
  • Assignments for students (due week 3)
    • Create a Wikipedia user account, create a user page, and add your name to the course page's list of students (on the WikiProject)
    • Contact an Online Ambassador (via his/her Wikipedia user talk page) as a mentor. Mentors will be available to offer advice and assistance as you start editing.
    • To practice the editing features of Wikipedia, leave a message for a few classmates on their user talk pages.

week 3

  • In class
    • Campus Ambassadors introduce students to IRC (online chat system where students can get live support) and show students how to contact Online Ambassador mentors
  • Assignments for students (due week 4)
    • Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's discussion page.
    • Research and list 3-5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Ask your Online Ambassador mentor for comments.

week 4

  • In class
  • Assignments for students

[Professor evaluates students' article selections, by week 5]

week 5

  • In class
    • HANDOUT: "Referencing on Wikipedia" handout
  • Assignments for students (due week 6)
    • Decide which article you will work on and list it on the course page. Compile a bibliography of relevant sources, and begin researching the topic.

[Professor evaluates the compiled bibliography, by week 7]

week 6

  • In class
    • Campus Ambassadors talk about Wikipedia sandboxes and Wikipedia culture/etiquette
    • Campus Ambassadors hold question-and-answer session with students
  • Assignments for students (due week 7)
    • Write a 3-4 paragraph summary version of your article (with citations) in your Wikipedia sandbox
    • Begin working with Online Ambassador mentor to polish your short starter article and fix any major transgressions of Wikipedia norms.
    • Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

week 7

  • In class
    • HANDOUT: "Moving article from sandbox into main space" handout (to be made), "Did You Know nominations" handout (to be made)
  • Assignments for students (due week 8)
    • Move your sandbox article into Wikipedia's main space (live articles)
    • Nominate your article for "Did You Know" status, and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.
    • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

week 8

  • In class or outside of class
    • Campus Ambassadors lead Wikipedia lab/workshop, ideally in a computer-lab setting
      • Article ratings on Wikipedia & how to get there
      • Uploading images onto Wikipedia articles
  • Assignments for students (due week 9)
    • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

week 9

  • In class
  • Assignments for students (due week 10)
    • Peer-review two classmates' articles:
      • Leave suggestions and comments on those classmates' article discussion pages.
      • Copy-edit peers' articles.

week 10

  • In class
    • Recommended activity: open discussion around the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia (guest speakers? panels? classroom discussions?)
  • Assignments for students (due week 11)
    • Revise your article based on peers' feedback.
    • Nominate your article for "Good Article" status.
    • Prepare for in-class presentation about your Wikipedia-editing experiences.

week 11

  • In class
    • Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.
  • Assignments for students (due week 12)
    • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
    • Write a reflective essay on your Wikipedia contributions and editing experiences.

week 12

  • In class

FINAL VERSION OF ARTICLE DUE.

Students[edit]

This is a list of the students in your class (or rather their Wikipedia usernames), along with their Wikipedia articles (which students will select at the appropriate time).

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