Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Drake University/Global Youth Studies (Fall 2015)

This course page is an automatically-updated version of the main course page at dashboard.wikiedu.org. Please do not edit this page directly; any changes will be overwritten the next time the main course page gets updated.

A list of articles suggested for edit and past work is available here

Youth is a category both universal and particular. A period before adulthood has specific meanings as a marked social category. Nations view young adults as the key to the future but also a threat to the current social and political order. Yet being young varies by place, social location, and time. Sometimes, youth are forced to grow up sooner due to national or familial crises; in other settings, their adulthood is delayed because they cannot obtain the resources necessary to be considered an “adult.”

Young adults experience the social order differently from older societal members. They are less tied to the given institutional arrangements and resulting social relationships created before them. Our course explores how young adults around the world share experiences due to global circumstances but also live in unique contexts. Focusing on work and the economy, subcultures, and political activism, we will explore together the experiences of young adult lives.

To demonstrate and share the expertise we develop this semester, we participate as editors in Wikipedia. Very few articles exist in English Wikipedia on youth experiences in specific regions and countries of the world. Many articles about youth tell only the story of youth in the Global North. We seek to disseminate the best possible scholarly materials through working with the Wikipedia community and volunteer editors. Through this effort, we also improve our writing and research skills.