Hello, Everyone:
We will devote most of Tuesday's class to a discussion of ethics and fallibility as we understand it, not simply to think about a list of rules or etiquette for navigating these things in public discourse, but to think more critically about what we expect from our readers and what we hope to achieve through our delivery of information in Wikipedia, versus in other mediums or venues. Overall, we'll be discussing the affordances and possibilities -- as well as the challenges and limitations -- of working with other people's words on the public expression of complex topics.
Near the beginning of class, I'll ask you to do some media analysis and blogging in groups to prepare for our whole-class discussion of Hood's interesting essay on "Editing Out Obscenity" and Winterowd's brief demonstration of "Beneficience" in rhetorical persuasion. I have also suggested a third perspective that might be useful for our discussion and for your blogging, and that is Gates's call for rhetorical learning experiences that help with "Integrating the American Mind." If you are blogging or responding prior to Tuesday's class, I highly recommend all three readings, since Gates's short essay may give us a more deeply philosophical reason for considering "beneficence" and "editing out obscenity" as persuasive concepts that extend beyond just writing in a single medium.
So, be prepared to talk and blog in class, and please also bring Style and When Words Collide, as we will be looking to them to help us differentiate between ethical stances on at least one issue regarding "public style."
Finally, please use this time to work diligently in your Wikipedia teams towards our April 4 deadline of having a fully fleshed-out version of your section of the article. As we discussed in class, there will be much negotiation and re-negotiation of content between sections, so it is important to draft your section as completely as you understand it, but also as clearly as you can. Ultimately, the finished article represents your informed presentation of the topic, not mine or anyone else's, and that presentation is what the Wikipedia community will decide to further take up.
Looking forward to our final weeks,
-Prof. Graban
