Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of California, Berkeley/Civic Technology (Fall 2021)
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- Course name
- Civic Technology
- Institution
- University of California, Berkeley
- Instructor
- David Harris
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Business Administration
- Course dates
- 2021-08-25 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-12-01 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 31
As you prepare to cast a vote in what may be your first election, you will be invited to explore the ways in which social media and related technologies are reshaping political landscapes around the world. In the course, we will look at the ways in which politicians have already adopted social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, paying close attention to current developments in national, state and local politics as events unfold in real time during the semester. We will also closely examine an array of emerging “civic technologies,” including those developed by new political parties (Pirate Party, Partido de la Red), nonprofit organizations (Democracy.Earth, Participatory Democracy Foundation), for-profit startups (Hustle.com, PopVox) and government agencies (We The People, Tunisian and Icelandic crowdsourced constitutions, eStonia, Participatory Budgeting). Students will be encouraged to develop critical perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of new approaches to democracy from technical, political-economic and critical-theoretical perspectives.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 25 August 2021
- 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 2
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 1 September 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:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 8 September 2021
- In class - Discussion
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 15 September 2021
- In class - Discussion
- Assignment - Add to an article
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 22 September 2021
- Assignment - Exercise
- Finalize your topic & Find your sources
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 29 September 2021
- 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
- In class - Discussion
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 6 October 2021
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 13 October 2021
- Assignment - Peer review three articles
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 9
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 20 October 2021
- In class - In-class presentation
- 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 10
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 27 October 2021
- Assignment - Exercise
- Did You Know (optional)
- 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
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 3 November 2021
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
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.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 10 November 2021
- 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 13
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 17 November 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!
Week 14
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 1 December 2021
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.