Wikipedia and the Wikipedia and the Feminist Production of Feminist Production of

KnowledgeKnowledge

Women’s Studies 590Women’s Studies 590

Feminist ThoughtFeminist Thought

FEMINIST THOUGHTFEMINIST THOUGHT

What counts as “feminist thought”? How have the meanings, expressions, and implications of “feminism” intersected and diverged for women in various historical and global locations? How have women in these different positions theorized and represented the relationship between sex, gender, and power? This course provides an opportunity to explore diverse--and often competing--accounts of feminism within a transnational and cross-cultural framework.

FEMINIST THOUGHTFEMINIST THOUGHT

The course, which interweaves theoretical texts with fiction, poetry, and autobiography, as well as visual sources, reflects the interdisciplinary production of feminist thought internationally, and allows us to interrogate the processes through which “theory” is made and disseminated.

Student Learning GoalsStudent Learning Goals To recognize feminist theory To recognize feminist theory

as an evolving dialogue as an evolving dialogue between diverse between diverse constituenciesconstituencies

To become more conversant To become more conversant with the potential of with the potential of technology in the feminist technology in the feminist classroomclassroom

To increase women’s To increase women’s familiarity with the uses of familiarity with the uses of technology in feminist technology in feminist scholarshipscholarship

Student Learning GoalsStudent Learning GoalsTo gain an To gain an

understanding of understanding of knowledge as knowledge as culturally and culturally and historically historically constructedconstructed

To facilitate students’ To facilitate students’ self-understanding as self-understanding as both consumers and both consumers and producers of producers of knowledgeknowledge

AssignmentAssignment

““Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written collaboratively by its Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written collaboratively by its readers. Your goal is to contribute to this collective readers. Your goal is to contribute to this collective construction of knowledge by developing a new entry, or construction of knowledge by developing a new entry, or adding new material to an existing entry, of approximately two adding new material to an existing entry, of approximately two paragraphs concerning feminist activism, feminist theory, or paragraphs concerning feminist activism, feminist theory, or the history of feminism(s).”the history of feminism(s).”

Why the Wikipedia?Why the Wikipedia?

Multilingual, Multilingual, web-based free-web-based free-content content encyclopedia encyclopedia generated by the generated by the publicpublic

Radically democratic Radically democratic approach to the approach to the production of production of knowledgeknowledge

InstructionsInstructions Begin by going to the introductory Welcome

page of the Wikipedia: Wikipedia Welcome Read through its table of contents, and

become familiar with how to develop a newentry. Create a free Wikipedia account. It isessential that you log in and sign all of yourpostings so that I, and others, can identifyyour contributions.

Browse selections in the many sections onfeminism in the Wikipedia. Words thatappear in blue are hyperlinked articles. Eachexisting article has a history section whereyou can discover which users contributedmaterial to an article. If you have questionsabout an article, go to the talk page, whereyou can talk to the users who wrote thearticle.

InstructionsInstructions Red hyperlinks indicate entries that do not yet have contributors. Red hyperlinks indicate entries that do not yet have contributors.

You may either research and write an article for one of the You may either research and write an article for one of the existing red hyperlink, edit an existing entry by contributing new existing red hyperlink, edit an existing entry by contributing new material, or generate an entirely new entrymaterial, or generate an entirely new entry

When you have decided what topic you wish to write about, go When you have decided what topic you wish to write about, go to the following page: to the following page: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Starting _a_new_pageen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Starting _a_new_pagea new page a new page which provides all the technical information that you need to which provides all the technical information that you need to start a new page.start a new page.

Follow the procedures on “How to write a great article” at Follow the procedures on “How to write a great article” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Hwhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Hw to write a great article. to write a great article.

Use at least three legitimate scholarly sources (from peer-Use at least three legitimate scholarly sources (from peer-reviewed journals or recently-published scholarly books, and reviewed journals or recently-published scholarly books, and cite them in the article. It is essential to cite your sources (follow cite them in the article. It is essential to cite your sources (follow directions in Wikipedia) and to avoid plagiarism. Remember directions in Wikipedia) and to avoid plagiarism. Remember that your work will be widely available to others.that your work will be widely available to others.

InstructionsInstructions

As the Wikipedia staff suggests: “One way to get a good As the Wikipedia staff suggests: “One way to get a good article is to bounce it back and forth between several article is to bounce it back and forth between several Wikipedians. Use the Talk pages to refine the topic, Wikipedians. Use the Talk pages to refine the topic, desk for their confirmations, note their doubts: it is desk for their confirmations, note their doubts: it is usually interesting to discover that, perhaps from the usually interesting to discover that, perhaps from the other side of the planet, after a while, some other other side of the planet, after a while, some other contributors can check other sources, or propose contributors can check other sources, or propose different interpretations.different interpretations.

If you run into any technical problems, you can always If you run into any technical problems, you can always post a question on the help line (do not post your email post a question on the help line (do not post your email address), to Wikipedia:helpdesk.address), to Wikipedia:helpdesk.

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORKEXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORK

MixtecMixtec Transnational Comm Transnational Communitiesunities

MitsuyeMitsuye Yamada Yamada

ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT

1.1. How would you characterize your How would you characterize your degree of familiarity with the Wikipedia prior to degree of familiarity with the Wikipedia prior to this class?this class?

70% “unfamiliar” or had heard of it but 70% “unfamiliar” or had heard of it but seldom used itseldom used it

2.2. Did completion of the Wikipedia Did completion of the Wikipedia assignment in WMST 590 make you more likely assignment in WMST 590 make you more likely to use technology (such as Wikipedia) in the to use technology (such as Wikipedia) in the future?future?

77% “more likely” or “much more likely”77% “more likely” or “much more likely”

ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT

1.1. Did the Wikipedia assignment advance Did the Wikipedia assignment advance your knowledge of feminist thought?your knowledge of feminist thought?

57% “definitely57% “definitely””2.2. Did the assignment advance your Did the assignment advance your

understanding of knowledge as socially and historically understanding of knowledge as socially and historically constructed (evolving over time, and produced by a constructed (evolving over time, and produced by a range of individuals)?range of individuals)?

62% “somewhat” or “in significant ways”62% “somewhat” or “in significant ways”3.3. Did it further promote your sense of self Did it further promote your sense of self

as a producer of knowledge?as a producer of knowledge?50% “in significant ways”50% “in significant ways”93% “somewhat” and “insignificant ways”93% “somewhat” and “insignificant ways”

Student Narratives: ChallengesStudent Narratives: Challenges

Time investment for Time investment for students and faculty;students and faculty;

Students less familiar Students less familiar with technology may with technology may encounter difficulties;encounter difficulties;

Stress due to global Stress due to global accessaccess

STUDENT NARRATIVESSTUDENT NARRATIVES ““I'm not sure if I would post I'm not sure if I would post

again without having info again without having info critiqued and edited first by critiqued and edited first by an expert. It is a huge an expert. It is a huge responsibility to put your responsibility to put your info and credibility on the info and credibility on the line--online. Empowering in line--online. Empowering in some ways (had never even some ways (had never even thought that I could thought that I could contribute to such a medium) contribute to such a medium) but definitely scary and but definitely scary and humbling at the same time. humbling at the same time. In the end, I thought it was In the end, I thought it was one of the most interesting one of the most interesting assignments I'd ever had.”assignments I'd ever had.”

STUDENT NARRATIVESSTUDENT NARRATIVES ““The assignment was very The assignment was very

informative as it forced me to informative as it forced me to actually use the entire site actually use the entire site and it was great to be able to and it was great to be able to contribute to the information. contribute to the information. Before the assignment I Before the assignment I didn't even now it was out didn't even now it was out there. Now, I have another there. Now, I have another scholarly source available for scholarly source available for my use by others of my peer my use by others of my peer group and people all over the group and people all over the globe. This relates to globe. This relates to feminism and people as feminism and people as global and multifaceted not global and multifaceted not singular.”singular.”

Student NarrativesStudent Narratives

““It made me more It made me more aware of how aware of how technology and the technology and the collective knowledge collective knowledge of people from around of people from around the world, can really the world, can really be useful in obtaining be useful in obtaining information from all information from all perspectives.” perspectives.”

Theorizing Intersecting IdentitiesTheorizing Intersecting Identities

Performance piece, short story, photomontage, poetry, music, or web based project that represents a creative response to the question: If female identities and structures of domination are not singular, but plural, how might one conceptualize feminist community?

Theorizing Intersecting IdentitiesTheorizing Intersecting Identities

This project must be accompanied by a annotated bibliography of at least five feminist theorists/artists/writers who work in your chosen genre, and a short analytical essay explaining your own strategies of representation and analysis.

Intersecting Identities Research Project: Student Website