2025:Program/Wikipedia Writing in University course “Ethnography of the World”
Session title: Wikipedia Writing in University course “Ethnography of the World”
- Session type: Lecture
- Track: Education
- Language: en
🎥 Session recording: https://w.wiki/FQsE 🎥
The "Ethnography of the World" course in the Department of Ethnology at National Chengchi University is a required course for freshmen, aiming to help students understand contemporary ethnic groups. Since traveling is not feasible, the course focuses on contributing to Chinese Wikipedia, allowing students to apply their knowledge while benefiting Taiwan’s online community. In collaboration with Wikimedia Taiwan, the Taiwan Education Project/NCCU Ethnography of the World Study Project ran from 2016 to 2020. Over six years, students produced numerous entries, achieving significant results but also facing challenges. This session reviews the teaching experience and analyzes the advantages and limitations of integrating Wikipedia writing into university courses.
Description
Between 2016 and 2020, the core of the “Ethnography of the World” course was centered around Wikipedia article editing and contributing on various ethnic groups. Therefore, the course first aimed to familiarize students with Wikipedia itself and teach them how to edit Wikipedia. Simultaneously, students were introduced to methods of data collection and proper citation formats for referencing sources. Based on the weekly progress of ethnic group articles, students also participated in guided discussions. The course was structured into two main parts: 1. Preparatory Work Before Writing (1) Database Exploration: In addition to commonly used books and websites, National Chengchi University also provided rich database resources for students to access. Through Teaching Assistant led classes, students were introduced to the library's database system and, in particular, the eHRAF database, which is closely related to global ethnographic and cultural studies. This allowed students to enhance and broaden their research abilities, while also improving efficiency. (2) Data Organization and Citation: A major focus of the course was teaching students how to organize fragmented data and re-present it within an ethnographic framework. Through lectures, students learned how to properly cite references and format footnotes, enabling them to write entries that meet academic standards. (3) Understanding Wikipedia Syntax: As an open academic platform, Wikipedia allows everyone to participate, discuss, and contribute. However, beyond just writing text, creating a complete Wikipedia page also requires basic familiarity with its syntax. This course guided students through Wikipedia markup language, helping them take their first step into the world of Wikipedians. 2. A Dialogue Between Wikipedia Entries and Ethnography The course divided the ethnic group entries into eight core themes based on key elements of ethnography: 1. Ethnic distribution, population, and language 2. Geographical environment 3. Historical background 4. Society, family, and marriage 5. Industry and daily life 6. Beliefs and customs 7. Art and literature 8. Current situation Writing articles involved weekly thematic discussions. Students were divided into groups to share the content they had written for each theme regarding their assigned ethnic group. This approach not only helped students learn about different cultures around the world but also encouraged peer feedback and reflection, allowing them to improve or supplement their articles. Additionally, the discussions served as a review of the theories, applications, and terminology covered in ethnology and ethnography classes. Through writing on Wikipedia, students deepened their understanding of world ethnicities and ethnographic content. The completed entries contributed to Chinese Wikipedia, allowing more people in Taiwan to learn about diverse global cultures. However, the course faced a challenge: information on many lesser-known ethnic groups was scarce. Since this was a required first-year course and grades were important to students, complaints began to arise, leading to difficulties in course management.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
Inclusivity The project promotes cultural diversity and inclusivity by encouraging students to create Wikipedia entries on a broad spectrum of ethnic groups. By engaging with lesser-known communities and presenting a wide range of cultural narratives, and helps ensure that underrepresented voices are included in Wikipedia.
Impact The project has a significant real-world impact by contributing to Chinese Wikipedia, thereby broadening public understanding of global cultures.
Sustainability The project emphasizes long-term skills: critical thinking, responsible research, collaborative editing, and digital literacy.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Khu, Iok-sun
- From Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Currently a student in the Department of Ethnology at National Chengchi University. My research interests focus on Tuva and Mongolia. Been editing Wikipedia for over ten years, since elementary.
- I also serve as the President of the Preparatory Committee for the Formosan Vexillological Association.
- jphuang
- .