Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Illinois Wesleyan University/PSCI 244 Voting, Voice, and Virtual Freedom (FAll 2016)

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Course name
PSCI 244 Voting, Voice, and Virtual Freedom
Institution
Illinois Wesleyan University
Instructor
James Simeone
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
American civil liberties
Course dates
2016-08-30 00:00:00 UTC – 2016-12-18 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
15


Is the Voting Rights Act still needed after the Obama era? Was the city of Chicago justified in shutting down nightly Occupy protests in Grant Park? Is net neutrality a First Amendment right? Should Twitter be held to free speech standards? These and other issues will be featured in this discussion-based class. Students will master the persuasive essay form, and will research, write, present, and publish Wikipedia entries on a variety of civil liberties topics.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Taylorwlms
Nvaldiv1
Bhonig
Bwilkey
Civilitypeace
Mwombach Illegal advocacy
JMancilla13

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 15 November 2016   |   Thursday, 17 November 2016
In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project

Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.

Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.

To get started, please review the following handouts:

Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
  • It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
  • When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.

Week 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Assignment - Critique an article

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.

  • Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Choose an article, and 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?
  • Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — ~~~~.

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 29 November 2016   |   Thursday, 1 December 2016
Assignment - Add to an article

You should add a small contribution to an article related to your class, or add a citation to a claim that doesn't have one.

  • Complete the "Sources and Citations" training (linked below).
  • When you make a small claim, clearly state the fact in your own words, and then cite the source where you found the information.
  • The Citation Hunt tool can show you some statements that don't have citations. You can use that to find an article to reference.
    • First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.