Welcome to ENG103. 0907! In this research class, you will
- learn the difference between thesis-based and encyclopedic writing
- become an expert in the proper methods and procedures of contributing to Wikipedia
- engage in the investigative and evaluative process required to write an outstanding encyclopedic article and see your work published as part of LaGuardia’s ongoing WikiProject on the work of African-American science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler
In Class
1. Overview of the course and how Wikipedia will be used. Example of the page we will attempt to emulate: Octavia Butler's Kindred. (WP Basics slides 1-3).
2. Online privacy; choosing a username; the advantages of using a pseudonym. (Do not know the meaning of the word? See a definition HERE.
Note: To be effective, the pseudonym should be different from your name, nicknames, or your regular usernames. For more information on usernames, see "Guidance for new users" in Wikipedia's Username policy.
Note: To be effective, the pseudonym should be different from your name, nicknames, or your regular usernames. For more information on usernames, see "Guidance for new users" in Wikipedia's Username policy.
3. Use the handout "Welcome to Wikipedia" to complete the "Welcome to Wikipedia" quiz on Blackboard.
4. Create a Wikipedia account (class packet p. 1). If you are having trouble creating the account, talk to me or to Ann.
5. Submit your username information to THIS FORM.
6. Enroll in our Wikipedia course page by clicking HERE.
7. Create your Userpage ("Welcome to Wikipedia," p. 14 or class packet, p.1) by writing a short introduction of yourself to other Wikipedians. This introduction can be as revealing as you want to make it. For example, here is the "About me" section of my Userpage. Remember you can always make your Userpage more elaborate as you learn more about editing Wikipedia. Preview the page before clicking "Save page."
8. Create your Sandbox (WP Basics slides 4-10): Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a Level 2 Heading titled "Citation Practice." Under it, create a Level 2 Heading titled "References." Under it, insert a reflist tag. Save the page.
Open the section "Citation Practice" and follow the teacher's instructions to create three footnotes for secondary sources on Octavia Butler’s work:
Open the section "Citation Practice" and follow the teacher's instructions to create three footnotes for secondary sources on Octavia Butler’s work:
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- a. The example from the whiteboard:
Text: Octavia Butler was shy as a child. - Citation: <ref>Butler, Octavia E. "Positive Obsession." Bloodchild and Other Stories. New York : Seven Stories, 2005. 123-136.</ref>
- b. Butler's entry at the Encyclopedia of SF: http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/butler_octavia
- a. The example from the whiteboard:
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- c. Butler's essay entitled "Birth of a Writer" (searchable through EbscoHost). Let's create a reference in MLA style.
9. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a Level 2 Heading titled "Research Journal Entries." Take a few minutes to write Research Journal Entry #1 (10 points) on what you did and learned today.
Assignments due 9/28 (10/5 if you missed the first class meeting)
Assignments due 9/28 (10/5 if you missed the first class meeting)
- Buy and read Wild Seed, chapters 1-4. (Up to page 45 on the pdf on Blackboard; the book is also on reserve in the Library, together with the other volumes in the trilogy).
- Review the handout "Wikimarkup cheatsheet" (also on class packet, p. 2).
- Log on to Wikipedia. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a Level 2 Heading titled "Wild Seed, Chapters 1-4" (25 points). In your own words ONLY, write a 150 to 200-word summary of what happens in these chapters. Do NOT quote. Do NOT closely paraphrase summaries from outside sources, as this is against Wikipedia policy, as explained in the handout "Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia." You may want to preview the page before clicking "Save page."
- Complete Research Assignment #1 (30 points). Instructions HERE.
