Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/UC Berkeley/Ethnic Studies 21AC (Fall 2017)

This Course Wikipedia Resources Connect
Questions? Ask us:

contact@wikiedu.org

Course name
Ethnic Studies 21AC
Institution
UC Berkeley
Instructor
Victoria Robinson
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Race and Ethnicity in the US: Towards an Abolition Pedagogy and Action
Course dates
2017-09-11 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-16 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
50


When asked to reflect on her own experiences as a political prisoner in relationship to her work as a “prison abolitionist” with Critical Resistance, Angela Davis comments, “The most important lessons emanating from those campaigns, we thought, demonstrate the need to examine the overall role of the prison system, especially its class and racial character. There was a relationship, as George Jackson had insisted, between the rising numbers of political prisoners, and the imprisonment of increasing numbers of poor people of color. If prison was the state-sanctioned destination for activists such as myself, it was also used as a surrogate solution to social problems associated with poverty and racism.” While speaking very directly to the prison system, her critical connections on an institution we commonly accept as a logical destination for those deemed as “criminal” offers a guiding framework for our survey course on “racial and ethnic groups in the United States.” As we think comparatively about the experiences of racial and ethnic groups, through themes relevant to the historical development of America (settler colonialism, slavery, immigration, labor, politics, community formation…) we seek to ask the type of questions demonstrated by Davis in her reflections on the prison in U.S. society. Instead of simply accepting institutions and ideologies as given, or the only ways to do things, the driving question of a course like ours is how can we learn from the movements that created Ethnic Studies (liberation movements of the 1960s) and envision a different reality.

This course provides students with the tools and historical background needed to engage in meaningful and informed debates about race, gender, legal status, crime and punishment. Central to this learning and analysis is the question, ‘how might we forge an abolition pedagogy’, and how has/can such pedagogy be formed in antiracist and feminist scholarship, grounded in domestic and transnational grassroots social movements? In addressing these, the course intimately links the community and the academy as sites of organizing and analysis in critical prison studies and abolition movements through a comparative racial-ethnic analysis.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Angel.zhu534 Gender-responsive prisons, Carceral feminism
Yolandaye Carceral feminism, Carceral Feminism
Yousufhusain Bail in the United States, Bail
Aashnaavachat Bail in the United States
Ajleva Carceral Feminism, Gender-responsive prisons
Sabrinalu10 Gender-responsive prisons, Carceral Feminism Gender-responsive prisons
Nicholasrbadal Carceral feminism
Ml905 Carceral Feminism
Cjalejandre Dakota Access Pipeline
Anshp Bail in the United States
Jiyoonjang
Gustavo8500
Kellycrabtree Carceral Feminism
Ireneyu1018 Carceral Feminism

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Monday, 11 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 13 September 2017   |   Friday, 15 September 2017
In class - Wikipedia essentials
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.



Handout: Editing Wikipedia


In class - Editing basics
  • 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, Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • Create an account and join this course page.
  • Complete the introductory training modules. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to another student on their user talk 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.


In class - Intertwine
get started on Wikipedia with your peers!

Intertwine is a platform where you you will be chatting with student editors enrolled in other Wiki Education courses. This week, the featured activities include:


  • Creating your own User page
  • Learning about user talk page, and writing on others' Talk pages
  • Getting to know more Wikipedia editors and learning from each other's experiences

Sign up for a session here. If you haven’t logged in using your Wikipedia account, you will first be redirected to Wikipedia logging page. After logging in using your Wikipedia credentials, you will be able to sign up for our activity.  



Milestones

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 18 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 20 September 2017   |   Friday, 22 September 2017
In class - Exploring the topic area
  • Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.



Handouts: Choosing an article

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 25 September 2017   |   Wednesday, 27 September 2017   |   Friday, 29 September 2017
In class - Using sources
  • Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.



Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism



Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sources|Sources and Citations]]


Assignment - Choosing your article
  • Your instructor has created a list of potential topics for your main project. Choose the one you will work on.
  • 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.

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 2 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 4 October 2017   |   Friday, 6 October 2017
In class - Discuss the article topics
  • Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.



Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]]

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 9 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 11 October 2017   |   Friday, 13 October 2017
In class - Wikipedia culture and etiquette
  • 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.


Assignment - Drafting starter articles
  • If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.


In class - Intertwine
evaluate a Wikipedia article with your peers!

Intertwine is a platform where you you will be chatting with student editors enrolled in other Wiki Education courses. This week, the featured activities include:


  • Learning Wikipedia’s five pillars as evaluation criteria
  • Evaluating an existing Wikipedia article with your peers
  • Getting to know more Wikipedia editors and learning from each other's experiences

Sign up for a session here. If you haven’t logged in using your Wikipedia account, you will first be redirected to Wikipedia logging page. After logging in using your Wikipedia credentials, you will be able to sign up for our activity.  

Milestones

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 16 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 18 October 2017   |   Friday, 20 October 2017
In class - Moving articles to mainspace
  • We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
  • 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.



Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox


Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
  • 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 the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 23 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 25 October 2017   |   Friday, 27 October 2017
In class - Building articles
  • Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
  • Share experiences and discuss problems.



Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 30 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 1 November 2017   |   Friday, 3 November 2017
Assignment - Complete first draft
  • Expand your article into a complete first draft.

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 6 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 8 November 2017   |   Friday, 10 November 2017
In class - Group suggestions
  • As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.



Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/peer-review|Peer Review]]

Milestones

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

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 13 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 15 November 2017   |   Friday, 17 November 2017
In class - Media literacy discussion
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


Assignment - Address peer review suggestions
  • Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.

Week 11

Course meetings
Monday, 20 November 2017
In class - Discuss further article improvements
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment - Continue improving articles
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.


In class - Intertwine
review your Wikipedia article draft with your peers!

Intertwine is a platform where you you will be chatting with student editors enrolled in other Wiki Education courses. This week, the featured activities include:


  • Sharing the Wikipedia article your drafted with your peers.  
  • Getting feedbacks from your peers on how to make your Wikipedia article even better
  • Providing feedbacks to your peers and help them improve their article

Sign up for a session here. If you haven’t logged in using your Wikipedia account, you will first be redirected to Wikipedia logging page. After logging in using your Wikipedia credentials, you will be able to sign up for our activity.  



Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 27 November 2017   |   Wednesday, 29 November 2017   |   Friday, 1 December 2017
In class - In-class presentation
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.


Assignment - Final article
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.



Handout: Polishing your article


Assignment - Original analytical paper
  • Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 13

Course meetings
Monday, 4 December 2017   |   Wednesday, 6 December 2017   |   Friday, 8 December 2017
Milestones

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