Course:GRSJ300

GRSJ300
GRSJ300
Instructor:	Dr Alifa Bandali (she/her/hers)
Email:	alifa.bandali@ubc.ca
Office Hours:	Wednesday from 1:00PM GMT -7:00 (or Zoom Meetings By Appointment). Zoom Office Hours Details Located On CANVAS.
Class Schedule:	M/W/F 4:00-5:00pm
Important Course Pages

About the Wiki Assignment

Value: 30%

Word Count: Approx. 2500 Words

Due Date: Friday April 16

Aims and Objectives

Many of us are familiar with Wikipedia, whether it is to quickly check the name of an actor in a film, to better understand the context and background of a person or country or maybe even a concept. Hopefully, in the academic and university setting we are not using Wikipedia to cite, but as a way to begin understanding a topic.

The Group Wiki Assignment for this course, is based around the concept of intersectionality, and what this framework involves. Intersectionality and its use as a tool is one that we are working on better understanding, especially from the various ways in which we are all coming to this course. I realize there is already a Wikipedia page on intersectionality, but the purpose of this assignment is for students to work in small groups to create their own Wiki pages for the notion: Interlocking Forms of Oppression. Students will work together using course ideas, readings, material to make a Wiki page for this sentiment, what it is and its importance.

One of the aims of the Group Wiki assignment is to build community within our course, as student learning has transitioned online, it is difficult for students to bond with one another. bell hooks reminds us about the significance of bonding across differences and what this can offer. In this way, this assignment and working in small groups of four to five is an opportunity for students to connect with peers to discuss what the framework of intersectionality is based in, and that is the premise that oppression is connecting and interlocking.

At this point, don’t worry if you are unfamiliar on how to build a Wiki page and what this looks like, we will be working on these skills with the help of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology who will guide us through how to create and build a page/pages. What this assignment asks of students is:

To consider what underpins the framework of intersectionality and that is how it is based in the recognition of ‘interlocking forms of oppression’
Students will need to consider what these interlocking forms of oppression look like, their histories and how they manifest (i.e. patriarchy, capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism and so on)
Students will also need to address the importance of interlocking forms of oppression in terms of the broader goals and aims of intersectional thinking and theorizing, exploring some of the debates and questions about intersectionality as a tool, framework and concept

What I would like to briefly note here, please do use the above: assignment asks as a way to guide your group’s Wiki pages. We realize that students will most likely touch upon the same ideas in their Wiki sites, but I want to caution students not to copy from each other’s projects and the Wikipedia page on Intersectionality, but rather think of this assignment as an opportunity to create your own pages, with your own thinking with the course material including readings, discussion and lecture content. This assignment is an opportunity for students to be the producers of their own knowledge and be a part of knowledge production. The group assignment is designed for students to not only build community, but to be involved in knowledge production through dialogue and discussion.

CRITERIA

The Group Wiki Assignment for this course, is based around the concept of intersectionality, and what this framework involves. Intersectionality and its use as a tool is one that we are working on better understanding, especially from the various ways in which we are all coming to this course. I realize there is already a Wikipedia page on intersectionality, but the purpose of this assignment is for students to work in small groups to create their own Wiki pages for the notion: Interlocking Forms of Oppression. Students will work together using course ideas, readings and course material as well as external research to make a Wiki page for this sentiment, what it means and its importance.

Students address assignment content for Wiki page (noted below)

Quality of students’ connection and analysis of course content

Course Readings: Groups must use least three (3) course readings and at least four (4) external sources, one (1) of which must be an academic or scholarly resource

Clarity and Organization of Wiki page

Style (Please see: Assignment Submissions Must)

Word Count: Approx. 2500 words, if students are allocating workload amongst their groups, one way to approach the assignment is to consider: Approx. 500 words per student
- This is dependent on how students are working together (if students are working in groups of 4 the word count will look closer to 2000 words)

Citations

Remember:This assignment is really an opportunity to discuss course content and ideas more in-depth with your peers. It may be useful to draw on experience as students come together, but in saying this, I want to note it does not mean students have to divulge or share from personal experiences (unless students wish to), but to explore aspects of everyday life, social justice movements, popular culture and the world around them.

ASSIGNMENT CONTENT FOR WIKI PAGE

Groups may decide to focus their project on reflecting on popular culture, university life and/or other themes where we can think with a theory/concept and framework of intersectionality, and the notion of: Interlocking Forms of Oppression.

As you proceed in your groups and the delivery of the assignment, it may be useful to break up your Wiki sites into sections, similar to what we see on Wikipedia, but through your own curation and collaboration. For example, sections including:

What does your group understand of: Interlocking Forms of Oppression, and what readings support this along with students own thinking.
How can we understand intersectionality and how it has been taken up? (This is something you all have been thinking about, even in how you all are analysing experiences and aspects of popular culture – what you have been doing in your assignments).

Note: Students may also wish to think about organizing here too, what you are seeing and perhaps even a part of, in terms of social movements.

What are some of the challenges of how interlocking forms of oppression gets taken up or taken into consideration? (For example, the sentiment that oppression is interwoven and interconnected, this will allow you to consider the contradictions and dilemmas of intersectionality as a framework).
Popular culture is a useful way to bond across difference, it can help bring people together who wouldn’t normally meet or even connect, this may be a useful way to engage with your peers (i.e. connecting over a show or film to speak to course ideas, and even weaving these examples, into your wiki pages)

Note: Again, students do not have to share personal experiences or aspects of their identities they do not want to, however, this may inform the ways in which students come to understand the world around them. Students can also connect over a theme or central topic that speaks to the above in terms of what sections can be included on the Wiki pages.

Assignment Submissions Must:

Include an original title, Note: “Group Wiki Project” is not an acceptable title. This is your opportunity to be creative and collaborate with your peers and use your assignment title as a way to entice the reader.

Students include the date, course code and title on their Wiki Page submissions, but not their names, as student names should be included in submissions on CANVAS (more instructions here to follow)
Follow a style guide (MLA and Chicago Manual of Style are preferred, but if you are

comfortable with another style guide, this is fine, just be consistent with your

referencing)

Use headings (see ASSIGNMENT CONTENT FOR WIKI PAGES for what headings should and could look like)
Use a legible font (Times New Roman 12-point font is preferred)
Please try not to exceed the word limit, I will give students a flexibility of 10% over or under the word count
Keep a back-up copy of all written work until you have the final mark for the class
Avoid over-use of quoted materials. Quoted passages need to be contextualized and require comments that directly forward your own argument. When citing work, all direct quotes and ideas that are paraphrased (written in your own words) must be referenced. Avoid errors of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Remember to proofread your assignments.

Note: Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. When another person's words (i.e. phrases, sentences, or paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in endnotes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must be clearly delineated (for example, within quotation marks or separately indented).

Syllabus

Syllabus(2020)