required them to continuously check their own biases to be sure they were covering all points of view.
Anthropological course work can position learners to utilize the pillar of neutrality. Our course, for example, centered on global perspectives on gender. Learners were then prepared to include multiple points of view when writing about a non-Western culture for Wikipedia. For instance, a learner in our course who wrote about polygamy in Afghanistan discussed the issue in terms of practical reasons for the practice, cultural belief, historical context, and local and global politics. Several of our learners stated that this project broadened their awareness of their own biases and thus made it possible to ensure that they were seeking out sources that presented viewpoints different from their own.
Scholarship as Conversation
Scholarship as Conversation refers to the idea that discourse among scholars occurs over time, and new insights and discoveries occur because of the presence of competing ideas and differing perspectives (ACRL, 2015). These conversations are clearly seen on an article’s talk page.
Every article on Wikipedia has a talk page where the article’s content is discussed. rough examination of talk pages, our learners saw the peer-review process in action. Effective communication on these talk pages is a critical component of maintaining the growth of Wikipedia as a viable, volunteer-driven, open resource. e transparency of the discourse on the talk pages allowed us to discuss academic writing with our learners, as they were able to see comments and discussion around topic content and scope (Dowell & Bridges, 2019). When learners engaged in the talk pages of their chosen articles, they participated in peer review. As editors, it allowed them to “see themselves as contributors to scholarship rather than only consumers of it” (ACRL, 2015, para. 10).
Our learners were also required to review each other’s writing through an in-class, peer-review exercise. is provided an avenue for learners to gain the knowledge practice to “critically evaluate
