392 syllabus

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PSY-392-F-Contemporary Issues in Psychology - Citation Needed: Psychology, Misinformation, and Wikipedia

How is psychological science represented, simplified, distorted, and contested on Wikipedia, and what does that mean for how people understand psychology?
Guiding Questions:
When does Wikipedia get psychological science basically right, and when does it go off the rails?
How do replication, controversy, and uncertainty show up (or get hidden) in coverage of classic studies and constructs?
What responsibilities do psychologists have, if any, when Wikipedia is a primary source of information about their field?

Wikipedia shapes what millions of people think psychology is. But how much of that knowledge is accurate, oversimplified, outdated, or contested? In this discussion-driven seminar, we use Wikipedia as a lens for understanding how psychological science travels from labs and journals into the public imagination. Students dig into major pages on classic studies, theories, and controversies to see where the science is represented well, where it goes sideways, and why.
Along the way, we examine how replication failures, methodological debates, and scientific uncertainty do (or don’t) surface on a platform that presents itself as neutral and authoritative. We also ask what responsibilities psychologists might have when a crowd-edited encyclopedia becomes the de facto gateway to their field.
Through hands-on critique, research, and editorial contributions, students not only learn the science behind the pages but also see how public knowledge about psychology gets built, negotiated, and sometimes distorted.

And here's the timeline:

Week 1 (03/01 - 03/07)

Meetings: Tuesday (03/03), Thursday (03/05)

• Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment

  In Class

  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:

  • Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
  • Evaluating Wikipedia

• Get started on Wikipedia

  Assignment

  Training

  Wikipedia policies | Start -- | -- Sandboxes, talk pages, and watchlists | Start Communicating with others on Wikipedia | Start

Week 9 (04/26 - 04/29)

Meetings: Tuesday (04/28)

• You've finished your Wikipedia assignment!

  Milestone

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

Week 1 (03/01 - 03/07) Meetings: Tuesday (03/03), Thursday (03/05) Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment In Class 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:

Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
Evaluating Wikipedia
Get started on Wikipedia
Assignment
Training
Wikipedia policies Start
Sandboxes, talk pages, and watchlists Start
Communicating with others on Wikipedia Start
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.

If you have trouble creating a Wikipedia account, consult this FAQ.

Wikipedia assignment journal
Assignment
Write a weekly journal about your experiences. You can use discussion questions to frame your entries, or reflect on the research and writing process. Create at least one journal entry each week during the Wikipedia assignment.

Everyone has a Wikipedia account
Milestone
Week 2 (03/08 - 03/14)

No scheduled meetings this week
Week 3 (03/15 - 03/21)
Meetings: Tuesday (03/17), Thursday (03/19)
Generative AI
Assignment
Training
Using generative AI tools with Wikipedia Start
Large Language Models Start
Learn about Generative AI in the Wikipedia context and why you should NEVER copy and paste AI-generated text into Wikipedia.

Evaluate Wikipedia
Assignment
Training
Evaluating articles and sources Start
How to edit: Wikicode vs Visual Editor Start
Exercise
Evaluate WikipediaDue on Mar 21st View
Improving Representation
Improving representation on Wikipedia Start
Discussion
In Class
Thinking about sources and plagiarism View
Keeping track of your work
Assignment
Keeping track of your work on the Dashboard Start
Week 4 (03/22 - 03/28)
Meetings: Tuesday (03/24), Thursday (03/26)
Review the rules for health topics
Assignment
Editing health and psychology topics Start
Choose possible topics
Assignment
Training
Finding your article Start
Exercise
Find potential articlesDue on Mar 28th View
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

Discussion
In Class
What's a content gap? View
Add a fact to Wikipedia
Assignment
Training
Adding citations Start
Exercise: Add a fact to Wikipedia Start
Week 5 (03/29 - 04/04)
Meetings: Tuesday (03/31), Thursday (04/02)
Copyedit an article
Assignment
Copyedit an articleDue on Apr 4th View
Finalize your topic, find sources, plan your changes
Assignment
Exercise
Building your bibliographyDue on Apr 4th View
Outline proposed changesDue on Apr 4th View
Start drafting your contributions
Assignment
Training
Plagiarism Start
Drafting in the sandbox Start
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
Biographies

Psychology

Science Communication

Everyone has started writing
Milestone
Week 6 (04/05 - 04/11)
Meetings: Tuesday (04/07), Thursday (04/09)
Peer review an article
Assignment
Guiding framework
Discussion
In Class
Thinking about Wikipedia View
Peer reviews are complete
Milestone
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Respond to your peer review
Assignment
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, look for ways to make your work more accurate and complete, and edit your work to make those changes.

Resources:

Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Assignment
Moving work out of the sandbox Start
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

Demo: moving work from a sandbox

Demo: publishing a new article

Week 7 (04/12 - 04/18)
Meetings: Tuesday (04/14), Thursday (04/16)
Continue improving your article
Assignment
Training
Contributing images and media files Start
Exercise
Continue improving your articleDue on Apr 18th View
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.

Polish your work
Assignment
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 8 (04/19 - 04/25)
Meetings: Tuesday (04/21), Thursday (04/23)
Final article
Assignment
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!
Reflective essay
Assignment
Reflective essayDue on Apr 25th View
In-class presentation
In Class
In-class presentationDue on Apr 25th View
Week 9 (04/26 - 04/29)
Meetings: Tuesday (04/28)
You've finished your Wikipedia assignment!
Milestone
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.