Wikipedia

A few days ago in class we had a discussion about Wikipedia. Our discussion was based on an article by Scott Jaschik entitled “A Stand Against Wikipedia” where he discussed the ban of Wikipedia by Middlebury College. Several classmates share the same viewpoint that I do about the use of Wikipedia and other Wiki sources. I believe Wikipedia is a great place to begin researching a topic especially if a student does not have any background information about the subject. Wikipedia provides other educational resources for the topic and can help individuals refine their search. However, I think that Wikipedia should not be used as a primary source because the information can be incorrect due to the fact that anyone can go to the site and add or change information on it.

The faculty at Middlebury College really pushed for the ban of Wikipedia because students were putting incorrect information from the site in their papers and on tests. This argument against Wikipedia reminded me of a Jewish Studies course I took last semester. Before our midterm exam, we received a review sheet with numerous vocabulary terms and essay topics. To save time, many students in the class looked up the vocabulary terms on Wikipedia instead of going back through all of their lecture notes. The majority of these students ended up receiving a C or lower on the midterm because the Jewish terms on Wikipedia were not accurate definitions.

I do not disagree with Middlebury College for putting a ban on Wikipedia, but I do disagree with the way they went about it. I think that it is important to inform students why it is not a good idea to use Wikipedia in papers and to explain to them the difference between a bad source and a good source. Banning an informational website without giving students an explanation as to why is not teaching them. I think Steven Bell made a really good statement when he said that “I think our goal should be to equip students with the critical thinking skills to judge.” He believes a better approach to getting students to use better resources would be to “triangulate” Wikipedia. Students could use Wikipedia, but then use other educational sources to see if the information provided in Wikipedia is accurate.

Authors In Popular Media

Our first English 201 essay project is to choose a movie, novel, or other artifact where authorship is depicted. Our task is to explain how the author is portrayed in the artifact and then create an argument comparing or contrasting this portrayal to the texts of Barthes, Foucault, and/or Benjamin. The goal is to determine if these theorists concept of authorship is different or similar to our interpretation of the artifact.

I originally thought I would do my essay on the television series Sex and the City. That is one of my favorite shows and thought it would be fun to analyze it. Then I decided I should do my project on a movie that I have never seen. My boyfriend told me that Finding Neverland would be a good choice. I recently watched it and really enjoyed it. The film describes the experiences that led author James M. Barrie to write Peter Pan. The movie begins with one of Barrie’s plays failing, which pressures him to create a well-written play. He meets four young boys and their mother, who is a widow. They develop a very close relationship to Barrie and their summer together provides him with inspiration and ideas for his play Peter Pan. I’m still in the process of determining what text to use for my essay and therefore what argument I want to make!

"Death of the Author"

Today for class we read “Death of the Author” and “From Work to Text” by Roland Barthes. I found both readings difficult to understand and after reading them I was still confused about the argument presented in the text. I felt better once I got to class and discovered that everyone was in somewhat the same position that I was in.

In class we got into groups to focus on a passage from “Death of the Author.” Our group discussed how individuals reading an author’s work may have different interpretations of what the author is trying to convey and therefore there is disconnection between the author and reader. Barthes believes that this disconnection leads to the author’s loss of identity. I believe that readers can never know the exact intentions of an author, but knowing information about the author’s background or current life may facilitate understanding. Along with several of my classmates, I think that knowing the author makes reading much more enjoyable and relatable.

I’m hoping that after class on Friday I will have a better understanding of these texts by Barthes!!

My First Blog!!

Hey everyone! My name is Chelsey and I am from Wausau, WI. I am a senior at the University of Madison-WI and my major is social welfare. In my free time I enjoy partaking in activities outdoors, going to concerts, playing volleyball, and spending time with my friends and family. I am also a big Packer, Brewer, and Badger fan and love going to sporting events!



This is my first time ever creating a blog and I am doing it for my English 201 class. My blog will contain my comments, ideas, and reactions related to content covered in the course. I also will be responding to my classmates' posts throughout the semester. I think this will be a great way of interacting!