Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Brown University/The Language of Chemistry (Spring 2020)

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Course name
The Language of Chemistry
Institution
Brown University
Instructor
Amit Basu
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Chemical history and etymology
Course dates
2020-01-22 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-05-15 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
15


This course will look at how the language used by chemists to describe chemical materials and concepts arises, and how in turn this language can affect how chemistry is understood and interpreted. Topics to be covered include the etymology of chemical nomenclature, history of chemistry, and various methods for representation of chemical structures and ideas. Familiarity with chemical concepts and terminology is expected.
Wikipedia assignments will involve additions information about etymology and history to various pages (new and existing) of chemicals.

Student Assigned Reviewing
DavidSwagez Bischler–Möhlau indole synthesis
Hanatakei Takai olefination
Mickey Boray Hunsdiecker reaction

Timeline

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 March 2020   |   Thursday, 19 March 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.

Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 31 March 2020   |   Thursday, 2 April 2020
Assignment - Exercise
In class - Discussion
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Chemistry

Week 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 7 April 2020   |   Thursday, 9 April 2020
Assignment - Add to an article
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.

Week 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 14 April 2020   |   Thursday, 16 April 2020
Assignment - Peer review an article

Guiding framework

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 13

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 April 2020   |   Thursday, 23 April 2020
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 14

Course meetings
Tuesday, 28 April 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
Assignment - Original analytical paper

Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Milestones

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