Wiki Education: Shaping Public Knowledge About Religion

Guests

Helaine Blumenthal is the Senior Program Manager of Wikipedia Student Program. She develops relationships with instructors to deepen our support for program activities. Dr. Blumenthal is responsible for mentoring the instructors who teach Wikipedia classroom assignments. She ensures that instructors are well-supported throughout their Wikipedia assignment and helps them navigate Wiki Education’s robust set of resources. Helaine has a PhD in history and brings extensive experience in higher education and academia to Wiki Education.

Bo Adams is trained as a New Testament scholar, a software developer, and a librarian, Dr. Adams directs the collections, staff, and vision of Emory University’s Pitts Theology Library, one of the premier theological libraries in North America. Adams also teaches courses at Emory’s Candler School of Theology focused primarily on research methods, the history of reading practices, and the changing tools of ministry in the digital age. His research and teaching interests are in understanding reading communities, reading technologies, and reading practices, both ancient and modern. He serves on the board of directors of the American Theological Library Association.

Kirsten Gerdes is an associate professor of philosophy and humanities at Riverside City College and the Chair of the Department of History, Philosophy, Humanities, and Ethnic Studies. Her interdisciplinary research crosses the fields of gender studies, religious studies, and philosophy, with her most recent chapter entitled “Finding the Truth Where We Left It” published in The Unique, the Singular, and the Individual. In addition to her research, she has presented on feminist pedagogy in general education courses for the National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference and is passionate about continuing her development and implementation of culturally responsive and equity-minded pedagogy.

Shira Klein is associate professor and Chair of the History Department at Chapman University and works in two areas: Italian Jewish history and the digital humanities. Her book Italy’s Jews from Emancipation to Fascism (Cambridge University Press) was a finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award and is forthcoming in Hebrew. Her co-authored article “Wikipedia’s Intentional Distortion of the History of the Holocaust” has surpassed 55,000 views, attracted newspaper coverage in a dozen countries, and been translated into Hebrew and Polish. Dr. Klein is also a scholar-activist; she is founder and president of Academics for Peace, a 501c3 amplifying the voices of academics who call for justice and equality in Israel/Palestine.