Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Waterloo/War and the Environment (Spring 2023)

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Course name
War and the Environment
Institution
University of Waterloo
Instructor
James Nugent
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Political Science
Course dates
2023-05-10 00:00:00 UTC – 2023-08-04 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
30


This course examines environmental security and the political ecology of violence. War, colonialism, and other forms of social conflict are discussed as both drivers and consequences of environmental change including the extraction, consumption, and depletion of resources. Topics may include nuclear war and emerging technologies as existential threats to humanity; (neo) environmental determinism; eco-fascism and totalitarianism; and eco-terrorism. Hopeful insights for transitioning towards sustainability are drawn from rapid societal mobilization and transformation during wartimes and the role of the environment and environmentalism in peacebuilding.

As one of their major assignments, students will create a new, or edit an existing, wikipedia article on one of the topics covered in this course. Students will also peer edit the work of their peers.

Timeline

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 22 May 2023
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
Monday, 29 May 2023
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 5 June 2023
Assignment - Choose possible topics

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

In class - Discussion
Assignment - Add to an article
Assignment - Exercise

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 12 June 2023
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

Environmental Sciences

History

Political Science

Sociology

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 19 June 2023
Assignment - Continue working on your draft

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 26 June 2023
Assignment - Continue working on your draft

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 3 July 2023
In class -

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 10 July 2023
Assignment - Peer review two articles

Guiding frameworkDue June 28

In class - Discussion

Week 10

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.
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.

Week 11

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!

In class - In-class presentation

Due: July 12

Week 12

Milestones

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

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!