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Course name
History of Women and Gender in the United States before 1890
This course studies the many historical transformations in American women's lives and roles from pre-Columbian times through the colonial period, the era of the Revolution, and the nineteenth century. We will examine women's diverse experiences as they re-envisioned their place within their families and communities, entered wage work and the professions, struggled for equal rights and social justice, and represented their own perspectives through writing and the visual arts. We will emphasize how gender has intersected with women's racial, class, ethnic, sexual, regional, and other identities as ideals of femininity and masculinity changed over time.
Monday, 22 October 2018 | Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Assignment - 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.
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.)
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia articles
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
Read the Wikipedia articles on "Lowell mill girls," "Sarah Bagley," "Lowell Offering," and "Voice of Industry." Consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these):
Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. During class time, you will leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes —
Helaine (Wiki Ed) (
talk)
00:49, 30 January 2019 (UTC). reply
Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 9
Course meetings
Monday, 29 October 2018 | Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Assignment - Choose topics and articles to write and edit
In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to an existing article.
Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add to this article? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page.
Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 10
Course meetings
Monday, 5 November 2018 | Wednesday, 7 November 2018
Submit the list of articles you are writing on and a working bibliography, using Chicago style citations, of the sources you are using.With regard to your new article in particular, your bibliography must include at least 3 scholarly sources. At least one of those three must be a book written by an academic historian and published by an academic press. The other scholarly sources for your new article may also be academic books or they may be articles published in peer-reviewed journals. None of your sources may be other Wikipedia articles. (If you refer to other Wikipedia articles within your article, those should be links, not citations.) Choose all your sources carefully to make sure they are authoritative. See handout for other instructions.
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.
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 13
Course meetings
Monday, 26 November 2018 | Wednesday, 28 November 2018
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.
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
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 14
Course meetings
Monday, 3 December 2018 | Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Assignment - Final article and edits of pre-existing articles
It's the final week to develop your article. Remember your work must total at least 1000 words -- a new article at least 500 words long, and at least 500 words edited in other articles.
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!
Assignment - Reflective essay
Assignment - In-class Presentation
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."