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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Alaska Southeast/LS 220 Internet and Society (Spring 2021)

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Course name
LS 220 Internet and Society
Institution
University of Alaska Southeast
Instructor
Jonas Lamb
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Sociology
Course dates
2021-01-11 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-04-30 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
10


Internet technologies play an important, often controversial, role in contemporary society, touching almost every aspect of our lives. Many dramatic, both dystopian and utopian, claims have been made about the transformative 'effects' of these technologies. Through an interdisciplinary exploration of the internet from search engine bias and identity to the economics of personal data, this course will investigate these claims across different areas of life, technologies and practices.

In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Commission declared access to the internet a basic human right, yet an estimated 3 billion people do not have access. Google, Facebook and others are making major investments in technology to bring the rest of the world online, but do these companies see new users as customers or as big data? This course will consider how the health of the internet impacts and reflects society in terms of public health, public safety and public good.

Additionally this course will introduce information science concepts that are central to today’s information systems while considering information retrieval and data through the lens of ethics, access, social and environmental justice. Course assignments will emphasize information literacy and critical thinking skills. This course explores the relationship between information, data, technology and people, focusing on how research and information stewardship can impact the world around us.

Students will contribute to articles related to people involved in the history/development of the internet (w emphasis on women and POC), underrepresented people in information professions, underlining internet technologies, internet based professions, organizations working on public safety/public health issues using internet enabled tools.

Timeline

Week 3

Course meetings
Wednesday, 27 January 2021
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:


Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia

Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 1 February 2021   |   Wednesday, 3 February 2021
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 8 February 2021   |   Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Assignment - Exercise
In class - Discussion
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Books

Films

History

LGBT+ Studies

Science Communication

Women's Studies

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 15 February 2021   |   Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Assignment - Add to an article
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

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 22 February 2021   |   Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Assignment - Peer review one article

Guiding framework

In class - Discussion
Milestones

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.


Assignment - Respond to your peer review

You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.

Resources:

  • Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
  • Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 1 March 2021   |   Wednesday, 3 March 2021
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 - 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.


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!

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 15 March 2021   |   Wednesday, 17 March 2021
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!


Assignment - Reflective essay
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.