Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Hawaii at Mānoa/The Canterbury Tales and the Politics of English (Spring)
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- Course name
- The Canterbury Tales and the Politics of English
- Institution
- University of Hawaii at Mānoa
- Instructor
- Derrick Higginbotham
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Books
- Course dates
- 2022-01-12 00:00:00 UTC – 2022-05-14 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 7
Chaucer never finished composing "The Canterbury Tales," which he worked on over the last two decades of his life until his death in 1400, yet this text shaped the English language and the English literary tradition in deep and complicated ways. In the first part of this class, students will read the bulk of this book, and we will explore the ways that Chaucer adapted and transformed different literary sources and poetic modes, fashioning a powerful meditation on the act of storytelling and its meaning to the pilgrims wending their way from Southwark to Canterbury. As we read the tales, we will also consider the variety of methodological approaches that scholars have used to interpret them, including formalism, feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism, and different modes of historicism. Moreover, students will lean how to read Middle English and appreciate its complex status as a postcolonial and colonial language--that is, as the outcome of English cultural life after the Norman conquest of 1066, when the French, for a period of time, ruled England, and then as a colonial language as the English established their empire. As I teach students to read Middle English (both silently and aloud), we will critically reflect on the politics of language, especially the politics of standard English. The latter part of the course will then consider the ways that contemporary filmmakers, musicians, writers, and political activists adapt Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales." How does Pier Paolo Pasolini represent and engage with the obscene in his 1972 filmic version of "The Canterbury Tales"? What are the socio-linguistic investments of Patience Agbabi when she rewrites "The Canterbury Tales" in her book, "Telling Tales" (we will also watch some of her spoken word performances from this book)? Finally, we will read the first volume of "The Refugee Tales" (as well as selections from the second volume), and examine the ways that the activist/artist group behind this large-scale project employs Chaucer's book as a representational resource to engage with the presence and politics of refugees in Europe and England specifically, a project that will resonate with the current conflicts at the US-Mexico border and debates on citizenship, nationhood and identity that those conflicts generate. My goal is to have students appreciate the ways that premodern texts, cultures, and politics continue to animate modern texts, cultures, and politics.
| Student | Assigned | Reviewing |
|---|---|---|
| GreenEggsAndHam Sam | The Wife of Bath's Tale, General Prologue, The Canterbury Tales |
Timeline
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 11 March 2022
- 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 - 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.
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 18 March 2022
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
- In class - Discussion
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 1 April 2022
- Assignment - Add to an article
- Assignment - Finalize your topic and find sources
- 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
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 8 April 2022
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- In class - Discussion
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- 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 12
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 22 April 2022
- 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 - 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.
- 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
-
- Friday, 29 April 2022
- 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!
- In class - In-class presentation
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.