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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/La Salle University/Modern African History (Fall 2020)

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Course name
Modern African History
Institution
La Salle University
Instructor
Carly Goodman
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
History
Course dates
2020-08-18 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-11-25 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
11


Africa is not a country, but a continent that is home to over a billion people. The relevance of Africa to modern global and U.S. history is evident, yet the region is often ignored or depicted in reductive, flattened ways that often obscure history and power. In this course we will explore the reasons for this historical erasure, while deepening our understanding of the continent and its history today.

The course covers the history of Africa and Africa in the world since World War I. We'll discuss Pan-Africanism and other solidarity movements and the role of World War II in galvanizing political change across the continent. We’ll ask how processes of decolonization and national independence unfolded in different places, with an emphasis on context and contingency. We will reckon with the impact of the Cold War on Africa, and how it shaped Africa’s place in the world in the 20th century. More recently ideas of development and humanitarian crisis have come to characterize and pigeonhole the continent, and we’ll revisit these with a critical lens. Throughout we will pay special attention to how the idea of Africa is constructed within and beyond the continent, and how this is used to justify and explain how the world interacts with Africa and Africans. And we will counter and complicate these narratives by examining primary sources, art, and culture from the continent.

Students will edit wikipedia pages related to recent African history drawing on scholarly articles, to translate academic work for a non-expert audience. This assignment dovetails well with key questions in the course about how narratives about Africa can reinforce bias, and silences in the archives obscure power relations. Given that this is an online course, I am particularly interested in students deepening their digital literacy and using their knowledge and research skills to contribute to something bigger than our classroom. I love the idea that they will join a larger community at a time when they may be feeling isolated. And as a teacher of writing, I am eager to encourage students to write for audiences beyond their college instructors.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Lasallebm Economic history of Africa 2020 Tanzanian general election, 1948 Accra riots
Jameslevan The Big Six (Ghana)
Dorremily Ama Nkrumah
N.McIntosh 2020 Tanzanian general election
Smithdale65 Kikuyu people
Kale9922 1948 Accra riots
MatthewMandarano0817
Johnsw3 Decolonisation of Africa, Politics of Liberia
Vialva25
Angelica Pagan Military history of Nigeria during World War II
Delapenas1 Slavery in Mauritania
SahouaS
Znspi175 Italian East Africa
Santanshyaka Elections in Uganda
Maddiedachowski

Timeline

Week 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 25 August 2020   |   Thursday, 27 August 2020
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:


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 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 1 September 2020   |   Thursday, 3 September 2020
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 8 September 2020   |   Thursday, 10 September 2020
Assignment - Exercise
In class - Discussion
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

History

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 15 September 2020   |   Thursday, 17 September 2020
Assignment - Add to an article

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 22 September 2020   |   Thursday, 24 September 2020

Week 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 29 September 2020   |   Thursday, 1 October 2020
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

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.


In class - Discussion

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 6 October 2020   |   Thursday, 8 October 2020

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 13 October 2020   |   Thursday, 15 October 2020
Assignment - Peer review two articles

Guiding framework

Milestones

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

Week 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 20 October 2020   |   Thursday, 22 October 2020
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 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 27 October 2020   |   Thursday, 29 October 2020
Assignment - Continue improving 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 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 3 November 2020   |   Thursday, 5 November 2020
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
Tuesday, 10 November 2020   |   Thursday, 12 November 2020
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 - Reflective essay

Week 14

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 November 2020   |   Thursday, 19 November 2020
Milestones

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