Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Vanderbilt University/States and their Secrets (Fall 2019)

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Course name
States and their Secrets
Institution
Vanderbilt University
Instructor
Carwil Bjork-James
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Anthropology
Course dates
2019-08-21 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-02-08 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
16


This course offers an introduction to cultural and ethnographic analysis of political and legal systems, with a focus on the development and workings of the state. We will inquire into the nature of bureaucracy, the role of secrecy in state actions, the organization of warfare and atrocities, surveillance, and whistleblowing. The main assignment will be to write an article on a major instance of well-documented, but secret or once-secret government policies with major ethical implications.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Danielleaar United States Africa Command Yemeni Civil War (2015-Present), Black site
Oliverlewis6
Dolichos SKYNET (surveillance program)
Marisakim
RossJBowdin
CharismaticDespot
Epoliver1
Ochienr
Maieshahoss
Etsc9 Five Eyes
Connorrdickinson3 Yemeni Civil War (2015-Present), Mabahith Yemeni civil war, Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Straussfinerbulb
Minniemangafas Black site

Timeline

Week 3

Course meetings
Wednesday, 4 September 2019

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 9 September 2019   |   Wednesday, 11 September 2019

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 16 September 2019   |   Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

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.)


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:

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 23 September 2019   |   Wednesday, 25 September 2019

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 30 September 2019   |   Wednesday, 2 October 2019
In class - Discussion

What's a content gap?

Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Cultural Anthropology

History

Political Science

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 7 October 2019   |   Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia

Exercise

Evaluate an article

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 14 October 2019   |   Wednesday, 16 October 2019
Assignment - Add to an article

Exercise

Add a citation


Link page for articles to add to…
In class - Discussion

Thinking about Wikipedia

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 21 October 2019   |   Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Assignment - Start drafting your contributions

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Week 11

Course meetings
Monday, 28 October 2019   |   Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 4 November 2019   |   Wednesday, 6 November 2019
Assignment - Peer review an article

Guiding framework

Milestones

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

Week 13

Course meetings
Monday, 11 November 2019   |   Wednesday, 13 November 2019
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.


Assignment - Continue improving your article

Exercise

Add links to 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.

Week 14

Course meetings
Monday, 18 November 2019
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 - 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 15

Course meetings
Monday, 2 December 2019   |   Wednesday, 4 December 2019
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 - Original analytical paper

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

Milestones

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


In class - In-class presentation

Guiding questions