CRT205: CRITICAL THINKING

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CRT205: CRITICAL THINKING

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Start Date: 7/23/12 Course End Date: 9/23/12

Copyright

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Course Description

In this course, students develop the ability to think clearly and critically. Practice includes developing writing skills that enable students to clearly present claims to support their conclusions and avoid reinforcing biases. Students are given the opportunity to analyze and discuss various types of media—including television, Internet, and print—to determine which sources provide the most reliable information. Topics addressed include the relationship between critical thinking and clear writing, credibility of sources, rhetorical devices, fallacies, unclear or misleading language, and the characteristics of various types of arguments.

Policies

Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents:

University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Facilitator policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum.

University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality.

Course Materials

Moore, B. N., & Parker, R. (2012). Critical thinking (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

All electronic materials are available on the student website.

Assignment point values

Week One

Discussion Questions/Participation

40 Knowledge Check

10 What is Critical Thinking?

30 How Bias Influences Critical Thinking

30 Week Two

Discussion Questions/Participation

40 Knowledge Check

10 Mapping an Argument

50 Week Three

Discussion Questions/Participation

50 Knowledge Check

10 Writing Sample Revisions

50 Week Four

Discussion Questions/Participation

40 Knowledge Check

10

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Week Five

Discussion Questions/Participation

40 Knowledge Check

10 Identifying Rhetorical Devices

50 Week Six

Discussion Questions/Participation

50 Knowledge Check

10 Fallacy Drag and Drop

20 Week Seven

Discussion Questions/Participation

50 Knowledge Check

10 Differentiated Reasoning

50 Week Eight

Discussion Questions/Participation

40 Knowledge Check

10 Individual Influence of Moral Reasoning

50 Week Nine

Discussion Question/Participation

30 Knowledge Check

10 Capstone CheckPoint

20 Comprehensive Argument Analysis

130

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Week One: Thinking Critically

Objectives  Explain the basic elements of critical thinking.  Describe the importance of thinking critically.

Read  The Instructor and Course Policies document  The course description and objectives.  The instructor’s biography and post your own.

 The Associate Level Material: Final Project Overview and Timeline located on your student website.  Chapter 1 of Critical Thinking.

Review  The Associate Level Material: Website Resources Tutorial located on your student website: Chapter Overview, Frequently Asked Questions, Tips on Applications, Help with Exercises.

 The exercises included throughout the assigned chapter of the text. Although you are not required to complete these exercises, it is helpful to review them in preparation for completing the weekly Knowledge Checks. In addition, these exercises will help you better understand concepts from the assigned readings.

Participate 20 points

In class discussion. See Instructor policies for details on participation.

Respond 10 points each Due Day 2 & 3

To weekly discussion questions.

Take 10 points Due Day 5

Knowledge Check quiz.

After taking the Knowledge Check quiz, you must copy and paste the results into a Word document and then submit that document as you would any other assignment.

Assignment 1a Due day 4 30 points

What is Critical Thinking?

 Write a 250- to 350-word original response to the question: What is Critical Thinking?

 Use the textbook as your resource and include at least one citation and reference to support your definition.

 Review Chapter 1 of Critical Thinking.

 Review and be guided by the grading rubric in the Course Materials forum

 Format your response consistent with the Associate Level Writing Style Handbook.  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname 1A.

 Post your assignment as an attachment.

Notes:

Your response should be written in an essay format (introduction, body and conclusion) and conform to the standards set forth in the APA Writing Style Handbook located at:

https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CWE/pdfs/Axiawriting_style_handbook.pdf

If you need help with APA formatting, please use the template found in the course materials section as a guide.

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Your responses should always include facts obtained from a credible source. (For this assignment the credible source is your textbook). For the purposes of this course, a credible source is usually going to be secular (non religious), and will be from an academic, or professional piece of work written by an expert.

Assignment 1b Due Day 7 30 points

How Bias Influences Critical Thinking

 Write a 250- to 350-word original response to the following prompt:

o Describe what is meant by “bias” as it relates to critical thinking.

o Give an example of a decision or argument you recently made which was influenced by bias.

o Explain how your decision or argument might have been different had you not had a bias.  Review Chapter 1 of Critical Thinking and share what type of bias was in place and how this influenced

the outcome of your decision or argument.

 Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname1b.  Post your assignment as an attachment.

Notes:

If you need help with APA formatting, please use the template found in the course materials section as a guide.

Your responses should always include facts obtained from a credible source. For the purposes of this course, a credible source is usually going to be secular (non religious), and will be from an academic, or professional piece of work written by an expert.

Week Two: Arguments

Objectives  Identify the major components of an argument.

 Differentiate between inductive and deductive arguments.

Read Chapter 2 of Critical Thinking.

Review  The Associate Level Material: Website Resources Tutorial located on your student website: Chapter Overview, Frequently Asked Questions, Tips on Applications, Help with Exercises.  The exercises included throughout the assigned chapter of the text.

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Assignment 2 Due Day 7 50 points

Mapping an Argument

 Examine 2 of the 4 articles provided by your instructor from the Opposing Viewpoint in Context category in the University Library.

 Write a 350- to 550-word response for each article in which you identify the major components of each article by considering the following questions:

o What is the issue?

o What are the stated and unstated premises?

o What is the conclusion?

o Explain your answer.

 Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname2.  Post your assignment as an attachment.

Notes:

DO NOT use a question and answer format where you simply write the answer to each question. The questions are there to guide you and help you focus your response.

Your response should be written in an essay format (introduction, body and conclusion) and conform to the standards set forth in the APA Writing Style Handbook located at:

If you need help with APA formatting, please use the template found in the course materials section as a guide.

Your responses should always include facts obtained from a credible source. For the purposes of this course, a credible source is usually going to be secular (non religious), and will be from an academic, or professional piece of work written by an expert.

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Week Three: Critical Thinking and Writing

Objectives  Describe the relationship between critical thinking and clear writing.  Identify vagueness and ambiguity in written content.

Respond 10 points each Due Days 2-4

Writing Sample Revisions

 Choose two examples from the Associate Level Material: Writing Samples (located on your student website) and rewrite them to remove the vagueness and ambiguity.

 Describe the relationship between critical thinking and clear writing.  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname3.

 Format your paper consistent with Associate Level Writing Style Handbook guidelines.  Post your assignment as an attachment.

Notes:

Your responses should always include facts obtained from a credible source. For the purposes of this course, a credible source is usually going to be secular (non religious), and will be from an academic, or professional piece of work written by an expert.

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Week Four: Credibility

Objectives  Define credibility and its application to media, advertising, and other persuasive arguments.  Assess the credibility of media and advertising claims.

Evaluating Media Credibility

 Watch two current television news programs on the same day and compare them—some examples are Fox News, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, and CNN. Take note of differences in the stories that were covered, the amount of air time devoted to the major stories, and the bias or slant used when presenting a controversial story.

 Write a 350- to 700-word response addressing the following:

o Include details on the channel watched, the time of the broadcast, and the date.

o Which news program did you feel was the most credible? Why?

o What characteristics influenced your decision about the programs’ credibility?  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname4.

 Format your paper consistent with Associate Level Writing Style Handbook guidelines.  Post your assignment as an attachment.

Notes:

Be sure to include the time and date of the program as well as your time zone and the broadcasting network. (using APA citation guidelines) Your response should be written in an essay format (introduction, body and conclusion) and conform to the standards set forth in the APA Writing Style Handbook located at: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CWE/pdfs/Axiawriting_style_handbook.pdf If you need help with APA formatting, please use the template found in the course materials section as a guide.

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Week Five: Rhetorical Devices

Objectives Identify various rhetorical devices used to influence attitudes and beliefs.

Identifying Rhetorical Devices

Option 1: Article Review

 Choose one newspaper editorial and one magazine article from the lists provided by your instructor and write a 350- to 550-word response to the following:

o What rhetorical devices are found in each article?

o Based on their characteristics, how can the rhetorical devices be categorized?

o What impact do the devices have on their respective articles?

Option 2: Video Review

 Watch a video clip from the list provided by your instructor:  Write a 350- to 550-word response to the following:

o What rhetorical devices are found in the clip?

o Based on their characteristics, how can the rhetorical devices be categorized?

o How do these devices influence audience response?

o How do these devices influence the credibility of the claims made?

 Read the instructions in the Associate Level Material: Identifying Rhetorical Devices located on the student website and select one option to complete the assignment.

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Note:

Be sure to include the APA citations. Your response should be written in an essay format (introduction, body and conclusion) and conform to the standards set forth in the APA Writing Style Handbook located at: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CWE/pdfs/Axiawriting_style_handbook.pdf If you need help with APA formatting, please use the template found in the course materials section as a guide.

Week Six: Fallacies

Objectives Categorize various fallacies based on their characteristics.

Read Chapters 6 and 7 of Critical Thinking.

Respond 10 points each Due Days 2- 4

Complete Due Day 7 20 points

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Week Seven: Deductive Arguments and Inductive Reasoning

Objectives  Identify deductive arguments.  Identify inductive reasoning.

Read Chapters 8-10 of Critical Thinking.

Respond 10 points each Due Days 2- 4

Differentiating Reasoning

 Re-evaluate the articles you examined in Week Two.

 Address the following issues in a 350- to 550-word response for each article:

o Discuss whether the author used deductive argument or inductive reasoning.

o Identify the deductive argument, or some of the supporting information for the inductive reasoning.

o Explain your answer using the course materials to support your findings.  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname7.

 Format your response consistent with the Associate Level Writing Style Handbook. Use citations when necessary.

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Week Eight: Moral Reasoning

Objectives Explain how moral reasoning influences critical thinking.

Read Chapters 11 and 12 of Critical Thinking.

Respond 10 points each Due Day 2& 4

Individual Influence of Moral Reasoning

 Read the article provided by your instructor from the Opposing Viewpoints in Context category in the University Library.

 Write a 350- to 550-word response to the following:

 Focusing on the actions, not the abuse, select one person involved in this case(Assistant

Coach/Athletic Director/State Attorney General/School President, etc.) and discuss the following:

o What were the actions taken by the person you chose?

o What was the impact of those actions?

o If you had held the same position, what action would you have taken?

o How did your moral reasoning impact your decision?  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname7.

 Format your response consistent with the Associate Level Writing Style Handbook. Use citations when necessary.

Notes:

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Week Nine: Critical Analysis

Objectives Apply critical thinking skills in evaluating media messages, information sources, and other forms of information.

Read Review the readings from previous weeks.

Respond

10 points for the DQ Due Day 2

20 points for the Capstone DQ Due Day 3

To both the 1 DQ question and the capstone discussion question:

CAPSTONE DQ QUESTION:

 Has this course influenced the way you respond to media messages?  Has it influenced the ways in which you will develop your own messages?

 Has it influenced the information sources and other forms of information you will use or avoid in the future?

 Has your understanding of critical thinking changed since the beginning of the course?

Comprehensive Argument Analysis

 Use the Associate Level Material: Final Project Overview and Timeline as a guide to complete the Associate Level Material: Critical Analysis Forms.

 Submit the Associate Level Material: Critical Analysis Forms (two of them) document to your instructor.

 Each form must include a source title, citation, the principal issue, and supporting details.  Use the following naming convention to save your file: Lastname_FP.

 Post your assignment as an attachment.

Note: No assignments will be accepted after midnight of the last day of class. Make sure to get everything submitted before this deadline.