Fall 2018 (2:2) 6

Wikipedia’s Gender Gap and Disciplinary Praxis: Representing Women Scholars in Digital and Writing Fields Matthew A. Vetter, John Andelfinger, Shahla Asadolahi, Wenqi Cui, Jialei Jiang, Tyrone Jones, Zeeshan F. Siddique, Inggrit O. Tanasale, Awouignandji Ebenezer Ylonfoun, and Jiawei Xing, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Wikipedia’s gender gaps, the result of a predominance of male editors and the correlating uneven participation and coverage of marginalized groups, are by now both well-known and well-documented (Cohen, 2011; Collier and Bear, 2012; Glott, Schmidt, and Ghosh, 2010; Gruwell, 2015; Wadewitz, 2013). This article seeks to interrogate these gaps in coverage as they manifest in discipline-specific representations, especially representations related to the academic fields of computers and writing, digital literacy, and . Preliminary analysis of articles related to these fields demonstrates a severe lack of coverage which, given these fields’ attention to digital literacies, should be improved. This article employs a bibliometric method of citation analysis (Eyman, 2015; Kaur, Radicchi, and Menczer, 2013) across five Wikipedia articles related to these fields to show how the gender gap manifests in the absence of cited research by non-male scholars. To address these content gaps, co- authors of this article move beyond analysis to define and engage in acts of critical digital praxis within Wikipedia, editing the encyclopedia to improve representation of women and women’s research in computers and writing and digital rhetoric fields. Descriptions of such editorial work and its implications, furthermore, provide a model for disciplinary praxis, and graduate pedagogy, in which authors work together to engage in the critique and remediation of Wikipedia’s disciplinary content and gender gaps. As a larger example of critical digital analysis and participation, this article also aspires to unpack and critique the ways in which media, even those professing an open-access and democratic ethic, perpetuate social hegemonies of marginalization.

1. Introduction: The Free democratic process to build a global Encyclopedia Anyone [White repository of knowledge. However, Wikipedia’s gender gaps—the result of a Males] Can Edit predominance of male editors and the Incredibly successful in terms of size correlating uneven participation and and scope, Wikipedia is often praised for coverage of marginalized groups—are by its collaborative model in which self- now both well-known and well- motivated editors work through a documented (Cohen, 2011; Collier and

7 Journal of Multimodal

Bear, 2012; Glott, Schmidt, and Ghosh, addition, Eszter Hargittai and Aaron Shaw 2010; Gruwell, 2015; Wadewitz, 2013). (2014) found that Wikipedia’s gender bias According to a global Wikipedia survey might be caused by women’s low conducted by a partnership between skill or lack of interest. Adrienne United Nations University and UNU- Wadewitz (2013), forwarding a more MERIT, only 13% of Wikipedia sensitive and nuanced perspective, argued contributors are women (Glott, Schmidt, that women—who typically are expected and Ghosh, 2010). While there has been to perform more invisible and unpaid some improvement in these numbers since labor in their lives—have less free time to this initial survey, more recent studies devote to volunteer projects such as demonstrate how the lack of women Wikipedia. editors contributes to ongoing problems Whatever its cause, the lack of women of gender representation. For instance, a editors has concrete consequences 2017 study of biographical articles in regarding what’s represented in the Wikipedia across languages found that encyclopedia. Noam Cohen (2011) only 17% of the biographies in the English tracked some of these consequences Wikipedia focused on women figures through a (somewhat heteronormative and (“Wikipedia Human Gender Indicator,” simplistic) analysis of representation, 2017). Wikipedia’s problematic gender noting that traditionally “male” subjects, politics exemplify the androcentric norms such as toy soldiers or baseball cards, are that often define online cultures and often elaborated on in a lengthy article, gender differences among males’ and while many subjects favorable to female females’ internet usage (Joiner et al., audiences are underrepresented. It is 2005). Beyond gender, Wikipedians are important to realize, however, that also typically technically skillful, formally gender gaps on Wikipedia have educated, English speakers, age 15–49, substantial, negative impacts beyond from developed and majority-Christian coverage of the subjects discussed by nations (“Wikipedia: Systemic Bias,” Cohen. As Wadewitz (2013) has 2017). recognized, “Wikipedia’s sexism lessens Speculation on why this unevenness of its legitimacy as a producer and organizer participation emerges varies by research of knowledge” and forfeits its goals of and researcher positionality, and often diversity and openness. perpetuates or advances heteronormative Wikipedia’s gender problems go or stereotypical discourses. Benjamin beyond content gaps or participation, Collier and Julia Bear (2012) posited that however. The encyclopedia’s adherence to one possible reason for women’s western, logocentric norms of knowledge reluctance to contribute might be related production limit its capacity to welcome to a negative self-perception regarding diverse epistemologies (Gruwell, 2015; their knowledge or ability, or a general Vetter and Pettiway, 2017). Unlike male discomfort in editing others’ work. In editors, who tend to write more

Fall 2018 (2:2) 8

“objectively,” female editors, more often Wikipedia edits described in this article than not, engage their bodily experience (as well as the drafting of this article itself) in writing (Gruwell, 2015). Wikipedia were a collaborative course assignment in fails to “accommodate feminist ways of English 808: Technology and Literacy. But knowing and writing” and instead they were also more than that: an attempt facilitates “reduced notions of objectivity” to move beyond traditional academic (Gruwell, 2015, p. 121). More broadly, curricula and to practice a type of research because Wikipedia fails to create a that valorizes doing (praxis) over other genuinely diverse and multivocal space types of both primary and secondary that includes and encourages women’s research that emphasize reviewing, voices, the encyclopedia favors gendered collecting and analyzing as epistemological norms and epistemologies to the exclusion processes. Accordingly, this article—in of a more democratic and multicultural its discussion and interrogation of encyclopedia. Wikipedia’s disciplinary gender gap— In this article, we seek to interrogate attempts to work towards two central Wikipedia’s gender problems further, goals. First, our analysis of articles related especially as such problems manifest in to computers and writing, digital rhetoric, discipline-specific coverage of subjects and digital literacy, demonstrates how the related to the academic fields of gender gap emerges and influences computers and writing, digital literacy, Wikipedia’s production of knowledge and digital rhetoric. Our focus on content within a disciplinary ecology. Second, and related to these academic fields emerges in response to the findings from this from the situated context in which this analysis, we also move beyond analytics to article was envisioned and written: a define and engage in acts of digital praxis doctoral-level seminar in Technology and within Wikipedia, editing the Literacy we participated in (as professor encyclopedia to improve representation of and students) in the Composition and women and women’s research within the Applied Linguistics PhD Program at disciplines explored. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In In the following sections, we attempt addition to exploring the digital and to theorize the type of digital praxis we cultural ramifications of Wikipedia’s engaged in as critical reflection and action. gender gap, this project helped us achieve We see such praxis as having very real the objectives of learning and applying material and multimodal effects, especially conceptual knowledge from these fields. as we seek to remediate Wikipedia’s Beyond traditional academic goals, we discursive representation of women were also interested in engaging a mode of scholars—and the accompanying cultural intellectual work that eschews normative capital and ethos production that academic spaces and epistemologies for accompanies such representation. Our more public, intellectual writing as digital theoretical framing of this work (see action. The citation analysis and Section 2) introduces and contextualizes

9 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics both the analytical and reflective accounts 2012). This article also responds to a of our engagement with digital praxis. recent feminist rhetorical analysis of Our procedure for a type of citation Wikipedia’s epistemological practices analysis (see Section 3) seeks to quantify performed by Leigh Gruwell in which she and materialize the omission of women calls for more critical pedagogical scholars from discipline-specific articles. approaches to the online encyclopedia Furthermore, our reflection (see Section (2015). 4) on the specific accounts of editorial praxis—what was added to specific 2.1 FROM MEDIA PRAXIS TO CRITICAL Wikipedia articles—is also grounded in DIGITAL PRAXIS this theory. In the final section, we Media praxis has its roots in the speculate on the implications of this type philosophical and pedagogical works of of project for graduate pedagogy. What Hannah Arendt and Paulo Freire, are the challenges presented by respectively, both of whom were working collaborative authorship within doctoral in a Marxist tradition. Praxis “brings coursework? What are the opportunities together theory, philosophy and political and constraints of critical digital praxis action into the realm of the everyday” beyond Wikipedia? (Fotopoulou and O’Riordan, 2014, para. 3). Building upon this understanding of 2. Digital Praxis and Embodied praxis as a form of theory into practice, Alexandra Juhasz defined queer feminist Multimodality - Extending and media praxis as the “making and theorizing Applying Theoretical of media towards stated projects of world Frameworks and self-changing” (qtd. in Fotopolou and Our examination and remediation of O’Riordan, 2014, para. 3). In other Wikipedia’s disciplinary gender gap words, digital media praxis not only engages two sets of theories in digital serves as a bridge between theory and rhetoric: (1) what Matthew Vetter, practice but also functions as feminist Theresa McDevitt, Daniel Weinstein, and action that is fluid and ever changing. Kenneth Sherwood (2017) have Drawing from Marxist and Arendtian previously termed “critical digital praxis,” definitions of praxis and Juhasz’s uptake of a mode of rhetorical praxis in the tradition media praxis, Aristea Fotopoulou and of media praxis (Fotopoulou and Kate O’Riordan (2014) reconfigured O’Riordan, 2014) and following a feminist media praxis as a form of political Freirean and Arendtian lineage for action rendered possible by digital media liberatory action (Arendt, 1958; Freire, platforms, such as social media sites and 2007), and (2) theories on the embodied technological tools. For instance, the materiality and multimodality of discourse online community SusNet (Jones, 2010; Rohan, 2010; Selfe, 2009; (http://reframe.sussex.ac.uk/susnet/) Shipka, 2011; Yancey, 2014; Wysocki, brings together feminist practitioners,

Fall 2018 (2:2) 10

researchers, activists, and artists, opening encyclopedia’s gender gap, as a type of avenues for feminist knowledge repro- critical digital praxis that “engage[s] both duction in digital media spaces. In a students and faculty in practical action that similar vein, the feminist multimodal goes beyond the walls of the institution— journal Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, that participates more fully in the public and Technology (http://adanewmedia.org) sphere, and that leaves a lasting impact in creates a space for sustaining feminist our (digital) world” (para. 23). Such praxis within academic discourses and work reminds us that Wikipedia might be communities. Recent efforts to bring one of the most effective and lasting ways media praxis into disciplinary in which students (and other members of a conversations in rhetoric and composition university community) can create (Vetter et al., 2017; Vetter and Pettiway, embodied change in the digital world 2017) re-framed the term to emphasize beyond their classrooms. It also serves as a critical digital praxis as “a model for precursor to the more sustained and making writing interventions in public disciplinary-focused mode of scholarship digital cultures in order to both better this article attempts to describe and understand the writing activities of those theorize. cultures and make meaningful impressions Finally, the examination of critical with/in them” (Vetter et al., 2017). digital praxis as rhetorical action also In Wikipedia, critical digital praxis opens up opportunities for recognizing the allows for conscious reflection and action materiality and multimodality of digital regarding the encyclopedia’s gendered media and discourse. Just as all forms of politics of access, representation, and communication are both embodied and epistemology, and how those politics multimodal (Shipka, 2011; Wysocki, shape material realities both online and 2012), communicative praxis in digital offline. Citing Freire, Vetter et al. (2017) spaces is always embodied and redefined praxis as “both reflection and multimodal, and always creates specific action aimed especially at transformation” material impacts in our everyday lives. (para. 22). Such a definition moves beyond the longstanding platonic 2.2 MULTIMODALITY, EMBODIMENT, dichotomy splitting theory/thought and AND WIKIPEDIA’S DISCIPLINARY action/practice in western rhetoric KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION (Arendt, 1958). Instead, critical digital Forging connections between praxis signals an amalgam of both thought multimodality and embodiment may help and action. In the same work, “Critical develop a better understanding of how Digital Praxis in Wikipedia: The Wikipedia has material consequences Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon,” Vetter et al. beyond the encyclopedia. To theorize (2017) theorized the Art+Feminism Edit- some material aspects of Wikipedia, it a-thon, a one-day public Wikipedia editing might be useful to turn to Kathleen event specifically aimed at remediating the Yancey’s (2014) explanation of electronic

11 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics portfolios. Yancey wrote that, “the practice” (Shipka, 2011, p. 13, emphasis potential of arrangement is a function of in original). When all texts are examined delivery, and what and how you arrange— as multimodal, all texts can also be which becomes a function of the medium understood as sensory and thereby you choose—is who you invent” (Yancey, embodied both in how they are perceived 2014, p. 81, emphasis in original). and crafted. Despite the focus on the ePortfolio, Wikipedia epistemologies reflect the Yancey’s discussion also has implications world outside Wikipedia by for any digital archive. If we consider reconstructing and/or reinforcing global similar links and arrangements in knowledge with both material and Wikipedia, the encyclopedia also emerges embodied repercussions. Matthew A. as an important multimodal hypertext Vetter and Keon Pettiway (2017) point arranged to deliver particular material out that Wikipedia’s attempt to collect realities and identities. “‘the sum of all human knowledge’ has, so Other scholars have explored the far, been a project taken on by multimodal and multisensory nature of predominantly young, white, western composition (Ceraso, 2014; Jones, 2010; males” (para. 7) while also examining how Rohan, 2010; Selfe, 2009; Shipka, 2011). a “queer approach [to Wikipedia]…is Cynthia L. Selfe’s (2009) history of likely to be more focused on bodies, aurality in composition referenced the identities, genders, and/or sexualities, but importance of both metaphorical and embodied voice in composition, and her can also interrogate the intersectionality of notion of voices connects to the such subjects with reality, ontology, multivocal nature of Wikipedia. Further, or…epistemology” (para. 3) Here, Vetter we might look to Shipka’s (2016) and Pettiway (2017) showed how “transmodal” pedagogy that examined how Wikipedia references and enacts actual writers use both modal and linguistic physical bodies and how including more resources more freely. By looking at both diverse Wikipedians and representing modal and linguistic variation in texts, we people beyond those often acknowledged might see Wikipedia as continually by “young, white, western males” has real, shaping multimodal and translingual space embodied consequences beyond the with embodied consequences. Jody Shipka encyclopedia. To critically analyze the (2011) also reminded us that “when our encyclopedia’s marginalization of non- scholarship fails to consider, and when our male disciplinary scholars, and then to practices do not ask students to consider, remediate that marginalization through the complex and highly distributed inclusive efforts to better represent these processes associated with the production scholars, as we have done in this project, of texts (and lives and people), we run the is to engage in a form of critical digital risk of overlooking the fundamentally praxis with both multimodal and multimodal aspects of all communicative embodied effects.

Fall 2018 (2:2) 12

Vetter and Pettiway (2017) paralleled gender gap in terms of participation claims by Gruwell (2015) that while the (Glott, Schmidt, and Ghosh, 2010), encyclopedia is predominantly male- possible causes (Collier and Bear, 2012; centric, Wikipedia can work to adopt a Hargittai and Shaw, 2014), and systemic more inclusive and ecological model by or structural factors (Gruwell, 2015; appealing to existing epistemological Wadewitz, 2013), most research on how processes in its ongoing production. content gaps manifest has been limited to Gruwell recognized these processes, anecdotal (and stereotypical) findings arguing that “Most [Wikipedia] articles are (Cohen, 2011) or more narrow studies written by several different authors over (“Wikipedia Human Gender Indicator,” time, apparently privileging multiplicity 2017). Our own analysis of Wikipedia’s and resisting the notion of single, gender gap as it manifests in disciplinary- hegemonic Truth. This kind of multivocality is, in fact, a key tenet of specific articles is, admittedly, also feminist research and writing” (p. 121). limited, especially in terms of the number To move more concretely toward a vision of articles it studies. We forward such of multivocality, however, we must analysis, however, with two specific goals. encourage and enact both a criticality of First, we seek to quantify and materialize Wikipedia’s uneven and biased production the omission of women scholars in and participation by editors outside the computers and writing, digital rhetoric, dominant demographic. This article, and and digital literacy fields to help make the the acts of critical digital praxis it gender gap—what is essentially an describes, represents our attempt to absence—more visible. Second, we are answer the call made by Gruwell (2015), also hopeful that our method for citation and to enact both criticality and analysis, which we describe below, will be participation through direct editorial taken up in other research (both on remediation of the encyclopedia’s gender Wikipedia and outside this context) as a gap. In the following section, we explore way to materialize gender bias across how this gap manifests in very tangible, scholarly discourses. material ways through quantitative and Our analysis of Wikipedia articles qualitative analysis of representative related to computers and writing, digital articles on topics related to digital rhetoric, and digital literacy, began with rhetoric, computers and writing, and informal examination of Wikipedia digital literacy. categories related to these fields (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:C 3. Wikipedia’s Gender Gap and ontents/Categories). We identified the Disciplinary Representation following relevant categories—Media While researchers have worked to theories, Composition, Writing, understand the extent of Wikipedia’s Computing and society, Digital

13 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics humanities, and Rhetoric—and used a The use of citation analysis, as a method digital tool, Yanker for quantifying a text or author’s uptake (https://tools.wmflabs.org/pirsquared/ts by other scholars, as well as for analyzing _archive/mzmcbride/yanker.py/yanker. authors’ citation networks, has increased py), to identify and explore articles within considerably in recent years as a means to these categories. Next, we manually quantify researcher impact across selected Wikipedia articles that were disciplines (Kaur, Radicchi, and Menczer, directly and closely connected to the fields 2013). Although he acknowledged its we were interested in. Finally, we limits regarding overall consideration of a identified five specific articles to study: text, Douglas Eyman (2015) asserted that citation analysis constitutes the most • Digital rhetoric obvious and traditional method to trace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D the use and value of texts. The five articles igital_rhetoric), we identified in this project vary in terms • Multimodality of their length, comprehensiveness, and (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ the quality level rated by Wikipedia. Multimodality), However, each article includes a • Computers and writing references section from which we could (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C examine how many non-male scholars and omputers_and_writing), their works are cited in the production of • Digital literacy the article. Ultimately, we view this type (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D of analysis as a useful heuristic for igital_literacy), and visualizing Wikipedia’s gender gap along • Media theory of composition disciplinary lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M In employing this method of citation edia_theory_of_composition). analysis, we worked through the following procedures and considerations. First, we To determine how these five articles counted the total number of references represent or fail to represent non-male used in each article, including those that scholars, we employed a type of citation led to broken links. We then counted the analysis. As an area of bibliometric number of non-male authors cited in the research, citation analysis examines references to identify the percentage of citations in scholarly articles and other non-male scholars to male scholars being texts as a means to establish and measure cited. If the same citation was included in relations between authors, articles, texts, the references more than once, it was only and academic fields. Citation analysis counted once. Next, we identified the allows researchers to examine frequency, gender of the authors cited in the patterns, and graphs of citations in books, references section based on their names articles, and other texts which utilize (when obvious). If the gender was not similar academic systems of reference. apparent from names, we utilized the links

Fall 2018 (2:2) 14

Figure 1. Graph of citation analysis shows number of non-male (orange) references and total (blue) number of references cited in Wikipedia articles on or before November 7, 2017. included in the references or performed from non-male scholars respectively. The informal internet research to access total number of citations across the five authors’ websites, published articles articles vary, ranging from 2 to 48, and/or books, and identified gender based depending on article development. on biographical information from these Articles at the level of start-class (a low- sources. If there were multiple authors in quality rating according to Wikipedia’s one citation, we counted a non-male grading system) include fewer citations, citation when at least one of the authors and are typically less comprehensive was non-male. In utilizing these methods regarding content. For example, the for gender coding, we also acknowledge article “Computers and writing” included the problematic assumptions we are only two citations at the time of analysis. making about how individuals identify To promote a standardized measurement, across a gender spectrum that may not be we conducted citation analysis of all immediately visible and/or code-able by articles being studied across a consistent name or informal web research. However, time period, using Wikipedia’s “history” we ultimately see such gender coding as function to assess article citations on or useful in that it allows for the initial before November 7, 2017. Since we identification and analysis of patterns of would be editing some of these articles as citation across gender differences. part of this project, we also made sure to For the five articles, we counted the perform this quantitative analysis before total number of all citations and citations making our own edits.

15 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics

Figure 2. Citation analysis data shows number and percentage of non-male scholars referenced in 5 Wikipedia articles, and the class of each article. Figures 1 and 2 display the results of gap, while perhaps not as pronounced as our citation analysis in a visual graph and might be expected, manifests in the quantitative data set. The article “Digital percentage of non-male scholars being rhetoric” included 13 (or 36%) citations of cited in each article. Only one article, non-male scholars out of 36 total “Digital literacy” showed a higher references. Following this general trend, percentage of non-male scholars being in “Multimodality” we found 15 (or 31%) cited. These findings help to visualize the of 48 references to be from non-male gender gap further as it emerges within scholars. In “Media theory of disciplinary representations pertaining to composition,” only 12 of 29 references (or the fields of computer and writing, digital 41%) pointed to non-male scholars. rhetoric, and digital literacy. In the next “Computers and Writing” and “Digital section, we describe our critical response literacy” demonstrated a more balanced to Wikipedia’s gender gap. We edited relationship between total and non-male citations. The former included only 2 three of the five articles analyzed above, citations, and an even 50% split between “Multimodality,” “Digital rhetoric,” and gender identities. The latter, “Digital “Computers and writing,” with the literacy,” showed a slightly larger explicit goal of increasing representation percentage of non-male citations (21 out of non-male scholars by adding and of 39, or 54%). As becomes apparent representing scholarship written by from these results, Wikipedia’s gender women researchers.

Fall 2018 (2:2) 16

4. Materializing New educational topics. Accordingly, in Disciplinary Representations “Education,” we added research by Lesley Wikipedia edits that work toward Gourlay (2010), to more clearly describe inclusion of non-male scholars in the impact of multimodal pedagogies on higher education. The section already discipline-related articles, as a form of critical digital praxis, help materialize the emphasized the connection between scholarship of women researchers through education and multimodality, while also discursive processes of representation and providing some context for classrooms. legitimization. In the following However, it did not explicitly broach the subsections (4.1, 4.2, 4.3), we reflect on subject of higher education, so we chose our work with three Wikipedia articles— to fill that gap. In the “” subsection (immediately following), we “Multimodality,” “Digital rhetoric,” and “Computers and writing”—reporting on added another scholar, Kathy Mills their development before our edits, as (2011), outlining her research on the importance of multiliteracies in education. well as the specific content and scholars we added to improve their representation In addition to these edits, we also of women researchers. In addition to these found that contemporary theory-based reports, we also focus on the implications classroom practices were not included in of this project for disciplinary knowledge, the current version of the article. To graduate pedagogy, and disciplinary correct this omission, we edited the article representation, respectively. by adding two subsections, “Gaming” and “Storytelling,” which review additional 4.1 “MULTIMODALITY” AND applications of multimodality. In addition DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE to these content gaps, we also attempted On our first read of “Multimodality,” in to improve the article’s gender gap. To addition to the issues suggested by accomplish this, we added research Wikipedia editors within the article itself, conducted by Diana George (2002) we found a number of specific content pertaining to the application of visual gaps which pointed to a lack of literacy and other mass media in English disciplinary knowledge. For example, in classroom and postsecondary writing “Classroom literacy,” a subsection under instruction from 1946 to the twenty-first “Education,” there were only two century. We also added Jody Shipka’s paragraphs with a brief review of literacy (2005) proposal for a multimodal task- as defined by Gunther Kress and a list of based framework, emphasizing the modes utilized in contemporary class- importance of having students experience rooms. Furthermore, the “Education” the system of delivery, reception, and section showed an overall lack of circulation of their digital products. development when it came to applying Wikipedia is heralded as “the free visual or multimodal literacy to encyclopedia that anyone can edit” and

17 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics egalitarianism and equality are expected composition classroom. In among editors regardless of background, “Multimodality,” we made edits to include gender, races, class, and ability. However, a conceptual definition of multimodality as the prevalence of gender gaps among inclusive of all communication (Ball and articles has ramifications for the Charlton, 2014). In the subsection on representation of disciplinary knowledge. “Electracy,” we added the work of Sarah In working to add references and Arroyo (2013) to extend Gregory information produced by women scholars Ulmer’s theory of electracy to such as Gourlay, Mills, George, and examinations of participatory culture. Shipka, we sought to bridge the gender Finally, we fleshed out the education gap in this article, while improving its section by introducing Elizabeth Clark’s representation of disciplinary content, and (2010) discussion of ePortfolios, digital answering calls made by Gruwell (2015) stories, online games, Second Life, and for more critical interrogation and blogs as teaching practices. We also added participation of Wikipedia. a brief review of a recent multimodal textbook in rhetoric edited by Elizabeth 4.2 “DIGITAL RHETORIC” AND Losh, Jonathan Alexander, Kevin Cannon, GRADUATE PEDAGOGY and Zander Cannon (2017). In our initial analysis of the “Digital Reflecting on this project’s significance rhetoric” article, we noticed that less than for graduate pedagogy, we especially half of references came from women or noticed how it opened up our experience non-male authors. Accordingly, we were with digital rhetoric and writing beyond interested in trying to bridge this gap by conventional coursework. Editing bringing in more women rhetoricians and Wikipedia allowed us to move beyond further improving the article’s print practices to engage a more public development. In our assessment of the audience and practice digital and article’s needs, we identified five specific pragmatic approaches to rhetoric and areas to contribute to, which correspond communication. As educators, this project to the following sections or subsections: also enabled us to begin thinking about “Collaboration,” “Copyright issues,” how we might interrogate traditional “Multimodality,” “Electracy,” and pedagogical strategies and theories, “Education.” To the subsection on especially in relation to digital technology. “Collaboration,” we introduced the work We began to think, especially, about the of Catherine Braun and Kenneth Gilbert opportunities for other types of active and (2008) to more fully describe processes of public pedagogies that this model of academic and interdisciplinary education encourages, and how we might collaboration. In “Copyright issues,” we enact similar projects in our future introduced the scholarship of Danielle classrooms. As an assignment that DeVoss (2010) which outlines remix required public writing, furthermore, this strategies for using digital materials in the project also enabled us to use Wikipedia as

Fall 2018 (2:2) 18

a professional platform for academic represent theoretical work of women writing. Finally, because many of us scholars more directly related to the identify as women, our editorial work in computers and writing community. the encyclopedia further helped us to Creating a section about the history of the challenge the gender gap by merely conference helps highlight the important expanding its editorial demographic work of scholars in this field—many of through our participation. whom are women—and also allowed the conference and field to be noted for 4.3 “COMPUTERS AND WRITING” AND having feminist roots. For this edit, we DISCIPLINARY REPRESENTATION relied especially on the historical work of “Computers and writing,” the final Lisa Gerrard (1995; 2006). To better article we worked on in this project, was represent the field and conference’s significantly under-developed before we support of minority scholars, we added began editing and remains somewhat information about an award presented under-developed even after our updates. annually at the Computers and Writing The article’s lack of development also Conference, the Gail Hawisher Caring for highlighted the arbitrary references used the Future Scholarship, as well as how such in its creation. There were only two an initiative supports efforts for inclusion references—one a book by James Gee and (Butler et al., 2017). A final goal of this Elizabeth Hayes (2011) and the other a editorial work was to add an informative link to the website for the academic review of the theoretical concept cultural journal Computers and Composition: An ecology. Drawing from seminal works by International Journal. It seemed strange that Gail Hawisher, Cynthia Selfe, Brittney the only reference to academic writing Moraski, Melissa Pearson (2004), and linked to a book on digital literacies (as a Kristine Blair (1998), we contributed to field that is certainly relevant but ancillary the disciplinary representation of female to computers and writing). This link voices in this article while also updating its seemed particularly problematic after illustration of major disciplinary theories. researching the history of the sub-field and By bringing in scholarly discussions by conference because so many of its scholars these women scholars, furthermore, our were absent from the article. edits serve as a collaborative effort to help To improve the article’s representation alleviate the gender gap on Wikipedia. of the many women scholars in the We seek to inject diverse voices into the subfield of computers and writing, and to Wikipedia’s coverage of computers and improve the article’s content develop- writing. As such, this Wikipedia editing ment, we created a section on the practice, albeit not offering a conclusive conference’s history, added information solution to problems of representation of about how the field supports minority women on the digital platform, serves as scholars, and, finally, added a review of an initial effort to make Wikipedia a more the concept “cultural ecology” to better inclusive space for all scholars.

19 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics

5. Implications and rative scholarly article with multiple Opportunities for Graduate authors (10, in this case) presents specific challenges in terms of organization, Pedagogy coherence, and task delegation. It also As a form of public and disciplinary poses challenges for assessment of engagement, the Wikipedia contributions individual work. However, engaging theorized in this article represent a form students in this type of collaboration of critical digital praxis applied to a public ultimately facilitates collaborative writing intellectual project. Such praxis, in a practice and encourages professional Freirean and Arendtian tradition, begins as applications of course projects. critical examination and reflection on the This project sought to unpack, analyze, encyclopedia as an inherently biased and and remediate systems of social oppression uneven site for the production of in Wikipedia, especially those stemming knowledge. Wikipedia’s gender gap, as from and intersecting with the well- shown in our citation analysis, emerges documented systemic bias related to the even along disciplinary lines, and becomes community's gender problems. It also manifest in specific articles through its sought to illustrate the embodied omission of non-male scholars. This multimodality of knowledge production in project sought to remediate this gap what has become the encyclopedia of our through direct editing to include these time. Wikipedia’s representation (or non- scholars. Such work materializes the representation) of non-male scholars scholarship of women researchers through matters because such processes dictate and representation in what has become the produce discursive and material realities defacto encyclopedia and global source of related to ethos, authority, and academic public knowledge, Wikipedia. As part of reputation to a wider public audience the coursework in a doctoral seminar in outside academia. Our edits, although Literacy and Technology, our work on limited to a handful of articles, work this project also allowed students to towards broader representation of and engage with research related to course materialization of women scholars in fields topics (multimodality, digital rhetoric, related to digital rhetoric and computers computers and writing) as they updated and writing. Although these acts of public and added to Wikipedia articles. writing were focused on and in Our decision to attempt a collaborative Wikipedia, we also hope, through this scholarly article that reports on this project, to encourage other scholars and project, furthermore, represents a teachers of rhetoric, writing, and digital conscious effort to engage in more media to imagine performances of critical meaningful coursework that deliberately digital praxis in new contexts, especially breaks with traditional academic norms of those immediately accessible to our individual performance and assessment in students. What might critical digital praxis graduate education. Writing a collabo- look like when applied to other digital

Fall 2018 (2:2) 20

communities and interfaces? What might Composition: An International Journal for be accomplished through those acts? We Teachers of Writing, 27, 27-35. conclude by asking our readers to consider Cohen, N. (2011, January 30). Define those questions. gender gap? Look up Wikipedia’s contributor list. The New York Times. References Retrieved from Arendt, H. (1958). The human condition. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/ Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 31/business/media/31link.html?r=3 Arroyo, S. (2013). Participatory &hp composition: Video culture, writing and Collier, B., & Bear, J. (2012, 11-15 electracy. Carbondale, IL: Southern February). Conflict, confidence or Illinois University Press. criticism: An empirical examination of the Ball, C. & Charlton, C. (2014). All gender gap in Wikipedia. Paper writing is multimodal. In Adler- presented at the CSWC’12 on Kassner, L. & Wardle, E. Naming what Computer Supported Cooperative we know: Threshold concepts of writing Work, Seattle, WA. studies (p. 42-43). Logan, UT: Utah doi:10.1145/2145204.2145265 State University Press. Devoss, D. N. (2010). English studies and Blair, K. (1998). Literacy, dialogue, and intellectual property: Copyright, difference in the “electronic contact creativity, and the commons. Pedagogy, zone.” Computers and Composition, 15, 10(1), 201-215. 317-329. Eyman, D. (2015). Digital rhetoric: Theory, Braun, C. C & Gilbert, K. L. (2008). method, practice. Ann Arbor: University This is scholarship. Kairos, 12(3). of Michigan Press. Butler, J., Cirio, J., Del Hierro, V., Fotopolou, A., & O’Riordan K. (2014). Gonzales, L., Robinson, J., & Haas, A. Introducing queer feminist media (2017). Caring for the future: praxis. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Initiatives for further inclusion in Media, and Technology, 5. computers and writing. Kairos: A Freire, P. (2007). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and New York, NY: Continuum. Pedagogy, 22(1). Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. R. (2011). Ceraso, S. (2014). (Re)Educating the Language and learning in the digital age. senses: Multimodal listening, bodily London, U.K.: Routledge. learning, and the composition of sonic George, D. (2002). From analysis to experiences. College English, 77(2), design: Visual communication in the 102-123. teaching of writing. College Composition Clark, J. E. (2010). The digital and Communication, 54(1), 11-39. imperative: Making the case for a 21st- Gerrard, L. (1995). The evolution of the century pedagogy. Computers and computers and writing conference.

21 Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics

Computers and Composition. 12, 279- Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 8(4), 371- 292. 378. doi:10.1089/cpb.2005.8.371 Gerrard, L. (2006). The evolution of the Jones, L. A. (2010). Podcasting and Computers and Writing Conference, performativity: Multimodal invention the second decade. Computers and in an advanced writing class. Composition, 23, 211-227. Composition Studies, 38(2), 75-91. Glott, R., Schmidt, P., & Ghosh, R. Kaur, J., Radicchi, F., & Menczer, F. (2010). Wikipedia survey - Overview of (2013). Universality of scholarly results. Retrieved from impact metrics. Journal of Infometrics, http://www.ris.org/uploadi/editor/ 7(4), 924-932. 1305050082Wikipedia_Overview_15 Losh, E. M., Alexander, J., Cannon, K., March2010-FINAL.pdf & Cannon, Z. (2017). Understanding Gourlay, L. (2010). New approaches to rhetoric: A graphic guide to writing. qualitative research: Wisdom and Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. uncertainty (1st ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Mills, K. A. (2011). The multiliteracies Taylor & Francis. classroom. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Gruwell, L. (2015). Wikipedia’s politics Matters. of exclusion: Gender, epistemology, Rohan, L. (2010). Everyday curators: and feminist rhetorical (in)action. Collecting as literate activity. Computers and Composition, 37, 117- Composition Studies, 28(1), 53-68. 131. Selfe, C. L. (2009). The movement of air, doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2015.06.009 the breath of meaning: Aurality in Hargittai, E., & Shaw, A. (2014). Mind multimodal composing. CCC, 60(4), the skills gap: The role of internet 616-663. know-how and gender in differentiated Shipka, J. (2005). A multimodal task- contributions to Wikipedia. Information based framework for composing. Communication and Society, 18(4) 424- College Composition and Communication, 442. 57(2), 277–306. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2014.957711 Shipka, J. (2011). Toward a composition Hawisher, G., Selfe, C., Moraski, B., & made whole. Pittsburgh, University of Pearson, M. (2004). Becoming literate Pittsburgh Press. in the information age: Cultural Shipka, J. (2016). Transmodality in/and ecologies and the literacies of processes of making: Changing technology. College Composition and dispositions and practices. College Communication, 55(4), 642-692. English, 78(3), 250-257. Joiner, R., Gavin, J., Duffield, J., Vetter, M., McDevitt, T., Weinstein, D., Brosnan, M., Crook, C., Durndell, & Sherwood, K. (2017). Critical A., Lovatt, P. (2005). Gender, digital praxis in Wikipedia: The internet identification, and internet Art+feminism Wikipedia edit-a-thon. anxiety: Correlates of internet use. Hybrid Pedagogy.

Fall 2018 (2:2) 22

Vetter, M. & Pettiway, K. (2017). Hacking heteronormative logics: Queer feminist media praxis in Wikipedia. Technoculture, 7. Wadewitz, A. (2013, July 26). Wikipedia’s gender gap and the complicated reality of systemic gender bias (Web log post). Retrieved from https://www.hastac.org/blogs/wade witz/2013/07/26/wikipedias-gender- gap-and-complicated-reality-systemic- gender-bias Wikipedia Human Gender Indicator. (2017, November). Gender by language. Retrieved from http://whgi.wmflabs.org/gender-by- language.html Wikipedia. (2017). Wikipedia: Systemic bias. Retrieved from John Andelfinger, Shahla Asadolahi, Wenqi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip Cui, Jialei Jiang, Tyrone Jones, Zeeshan edia:Systemic_bias Siddique, Inggrit Tanasale, Jiawei Xing, and Wysocki, A. F. (2012). Into between— Ebenezer Ylonfoun were students in English On composition in mediation. In K. L. 808: Technology and Literacy, a course Arola & A. F. Wysocki (Eds.) offered by the PhD Program in Composition and Applied Linguistics at Indiana University of Composing(media) = Pennsylvania, taught by Dr. Matthew Vetter, composing(embodiment) (pp. 1-24). in the fall of 2017. Boulder, CO: Utah State University Press. Matthew Vetter is an Assistant Professor of Yancey, K. B. (2014). Made not only in English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania words: Composition in a new key. In and affiliate faculty in the Composition and Applied Linguistics PhD Program. A scholar in C. Lutkewitte (Ed.), Multimodal writing, rhetoric, and digital humanities, he composition: A critical sourcebook (pp. 62- explores how technologies shape writing and 88). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. writing pedagogy. Vetter’s work has appeared Martins. in College English, Composition Studies, Computers and Composition Online, the Digital Rhetoric Collaborative, Harlot, Technoculture, Pedagogy, Hybrid Pedagogy, and publications sponsored by the Wiki Education Foundation.