Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Robert Morris University/Pennsylvania Politics (Spring 2018)
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- Course name
- Pennsylvania Politics
- Institution
- Robert Morris University
- Instructor
- Philip Harold
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Political Science
- Course dates
- 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-04-30 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 19
This course examines city and state government and politics in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The political and legal structure of city and state government in Pennsylvania is examined, as well as interest groups, public opinion, political parties, campaigns and elections. Current local and state issues are covered as well.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 11 January 2018
- 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.
NOTE: this timeline is subject to change over the course of the semester.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
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:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 18 January 2018
- Assignment - Receive assigned topic and begin to get sources
After choosing and being assigned your article, start compiling a list of relevant sources.
Search Google (click on "News" after you do the search), Google Scholar, US Newsstream in Proquest, and the different sites on the LibGuide for the course (Google site search may be helpful with these sites).
Also run your search through the RMU Library's Discovery Service and EZ Borrow (link available off of the library's home page), in case there are sources there that might be helpful.
- Assignment - Complete a PA House district Wikipedia page
Upgrade a PA House district Wikipedia page, so that it looks like this.
Follow the instructions on the Blackboard course shell to complete this.
You may complete other House district pages over the course of the semester for extra credit.
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 25 January 2018
- Assignment - Continue to get sources, and take notes on them
This week, get additional sources by running your search through various search engines.
Continue to search Google News, Google Scholar, US Newsstream in Proquest, and the different sites on the LibGuide for the course (Google site search may be helpful with these sites).
Find at least 15 sources, and start taking notes on them in a Word document that has one page per source (and thus is 15 pages long). Put the url or citation at the top of the page, and your notes, including any direct quotes, underneath. Make sure that direct quotes are clearly labelled and differentiated from your own words.
- Assignment - Complete Two Trainings
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 1 February 2018
- Assignment - Submit sources and notes
Submit a document with 15 good sources you have read on your topic, and your notes on them, to the Blackboard course shell.
- Assignment - Plan what you want to write about
In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 8 February 2018
- Milestones
Everyone has completed a PA House District Wikipedia page
- Assignment - Start your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Keep reading your sources as you prepare to write the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 15 February 2018
- Milestones
Everyone has submitted fifteen sources on their topic to the the Blackboad course page.
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
- Assignment - Expand your draft
Keep working over the next four weeks on transforming your article into a complete first draft.
If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, you can do that now. Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 22 February 2018
- Study for the midterm
Study for the midterm exam this week.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 1 March 2018
- In class - Midterm Exam
This week the midterm exam will be taken in class.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 15 March 2018
- Assignment - Take training on how to insert references
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 22 March 2018
- Assignment - Get article ready for peer review
Get your draft ready for peer-review.
A Content Expert can review your draft. Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 29 March 2018
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
Behind all good writers is a good editor. Peer review is the best way to improve your writing.
Peer review on Wikipedia involves leaving suggestions on on the Talk page of an article, or sandbox, that someone is working on.
Look for the comments of other Wikipedia editors, and be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
When you review articles, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
Then, sign up for an peer review session on Intertwine, doing an hour-long peer review session with students from other courses. Sign up for a sessionhere using the Intertwine training module below.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 5 April 2018
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.
- Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take the 'Contributing Images and Media Files' training before you upload an image.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 12 April 2018
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 19 April 2018
- 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 Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
- In class - Class Presentations
Everyone will give a 10-minute presentation in the last two weeks of class on the topic they worked on, and their experience writing a Wikipedia article.
- 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 Content Expert at any time!