Week One (9/9/16)

Welcome to ENG103. 0910! 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. Read "Online Writing = 21st Century Writing"  (page 4 of class packet).
Example of a past collective entry: Octavia Butler's Wild Seed. (WP Basics slides). Check the LaGuardia Archives GLAM.
2. Use the handout "Welcome to Wikipedia" to complete the "Welcome to Wikipedia" quiz on Blackboard. (15 min)
3. 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.
4. Create a Wikipedia account. 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) by writing a short introduction of yourself to other Wikipedians. This introduction can be as revealing as you want to make it, but writing "I am currently part of a student group working on Octavia Butler's Bloodchild" will suffice if you want your identity to stay private.

For an 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. 
8. Create your Sandbox: Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled "Citation Practice." Under it, type the following text: Octavia Butler was shy as a child. 

Now add three footnotes for secondary sources supporting what this text argues. 
a) For the first, click on "cite," select "Basic Form" and paste the following information in the reference box:  Butler, Octavia E. "Positive Obsession." Bloodchild and Other Stories. New York : Seven Stories, 2005. 123-136. (Don't forget to italicize the title of the book). Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to Bloodchild and Other Stories 
b) For the second, go to The LaGuardia Library Media Resources Center's Find Articles page, then choose the Academic Search Complete/EbscoHost subscription database. Find Butler's essay entitled "Birth of a Writer" and copy the citation information for the essay in MLA format (Don't forget to italicize where necessary). Paste the information as you did for the first footnote.  Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to Birth of a Writer
c) For the third, click on "Cite," select "Automatic" and generate a citation for this The New York Times online article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/books/01butler.html?_r=0
Save the page. Write a brief edit summary: Added reference to NYT 
At the bottom of the page, create a heading titled "References." Under it, select Insert>More>"References List." If you do this correctly, you should have a list of the three sources. 

Assignments due Sept. 16 (Sept. 23 if you missed the first class meeting)
  1. Read the short story "Bloodchild" and Butler's Afterword to it. (Up to page 32 on the pdf on Blackboard; the book is also on reserve in the Library).
  2. Log on to Wikipedia. Go to your Sandbox, click on Edit, and create a heading titled "Bloodchild." Create a subheading 1 titled "Summary."  In your own words ONLY, write a 250-word summary of what happens in the story. 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."  
  3. Below the summary of "Bloodchild," create another subheading 1 titled "Quotes." Using bullet points, copy three quotes from the story that you think should be included in the Wikipedia entry on it. 
  4. Help us prepare for next week's class discussion of "Bloodchild" by filling out one of these forms (15 points):
Ongoing: Complete The Wikipedia Adventure (25 p.)