-- S 00 -- Syllabus SM 2011

Lincoln University

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course: Critical Thinking

Department and number: English 75

Credit: 3 units

Course prerequisites: none

Semester: Summer 2011 – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45; 2:00-3:15

Instructor: Dr. Sylvia Y. Schoemaker Rippel

Email: sysr@lincolnuca.edu

Course-related email for the semester: profsylvia@gmail.com

Office hours and location: T, Th 11:45-12:30 and by arrangement, room 307

Office phone: 510-628-8036

Instructional Materials and References

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Mayfield, M. (2010). Thinking for yourself. (8th Ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning: Wadsworth. (TFY)

ISBN: 13: 978-1-4282-3144-3

Daiek, D., &; Anter, N. (2004) Critical reading for college and beyond. New York: McGraw-Hill. (CRCB)

ISBN: 0072473762RECOMMENDED TEXT:

Harris, Robert. A. Creative Problem Solving. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing, 2002. (CPS)

 ISBN: 1-884585-43-4

COMPANION SITES

Thinking for Yourself Site

Critical Reading for College and Beyond Companion site:

Note: Course and student blogs and wiki sites to be presented in class

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Critical thinking (E75) considers the cognitive skills and communicative strategies for defining, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information. The course includes structural and operational approaches to task/mission analysis, decision-making, change forecasting, adaptation, and evaluation. Systems approach to analysis and solution of complex problems. Conceptual issues in problem definition, goal determination and measurement of effectiveness. (3 units)

OBJECTIVES

Students will develop their cognitive skills and enhance their communicative strategies for defining, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information. Skills emphasized include ability to examine objectively various sides of issues and to effectively use the procedures involved in systematic problem solving. Additional skills targeted include increased ability to develop and apply academic and professional communication skills, including improved ability to interact appropriately with challenging materials at an increased level of communicative competence.

FORMAT

The course sessions will include presentation, discussion, and application modes.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are expected to attend class, to participate in individual and group work in a productive manner, to complete assignments according to schedule and at a level appropriate to university rubrics, and to take personal responsibility for meeting the objectives of the course.

TOPICAL OUTLINE

Topics covered include observation skills, appropriate language skills and encoding strategies, differentiating among fact, inference, judgment, recognizing fallacies of reasoning and evaluation, understanding viewpoint, analyzing character, logic, and emotion in persuasion.

For each of the units (as well as additional assignments given in class), students will do the following:

Read assigned materials with care and understanding,

Create a personalized, three-level outline for assigned readings, turning text headings into questions for the first level of the outline, and developing the second and third level with your main and more detailed answers to your formulated questions.

Reflect on the assignments in writing (a brief paragraph or two), discussing your thoughts on the primary content; include points of personal interest.

Email your assignments to me at profsylvia@gmail.com, with your outline and reflections attached or  in the body of your email.  Be sure to keep a copy of the email for yourself and add it to your ePortfolios/PowerPoint presentations for midterm and final submission and sharing.

Assignments are due on the dates indicated on the schedule below. Revisions to the schedule will be announced in class as needed. Class attendance is mandatory for content, interactions, and presentations.  Researched materials must be documented using a consistent style for both in-text and end-text citations of sources using the published standards of the most recent subject-appropriate style guide, such as APA (social sciences) or MLA (humanities), for example.

SCHEDULE

Session			Unit	TFY Text Assignment	CRCB Text Assignment
1	Jun 7	Tues	Introduction Where Do You Stand?
2	Jun 9	Thurs	Observation	TFY C1, Observation	CRCB C1, Reading
3	Jun 14	Tues	Language and Thought	TFY C2, Word Precision	CRCB C2, Vocabulary
4	Jun 16	Thurs	Facts	TFY C3, Facts	CRCB C3, Memory
5	Jun 21	Tues	Inferences	TFY C4, Inferences	CRCB C4, Time
6	Jun 23	Thurs	Assumptions	TFY C5, Assumptions	CRCB C5, Main Ideas
7	Jun 28	Tues	Opinions Evaluations	TFY C6, Opinions TFY C7, Evaluations	CRCB C6, Details CRCB C7, Inference
8	Jun 30	Thurs	Midterm
9	Jul 5	Tues	Points of View	TFY C8, Viewpoints	CRCB C8, Texts
10	Jul 7	Thurs	Argument	TFY C9, Argument	CRCB C9, PSR Strategies
11	Jul 12	Tues	Fallacies	TFY C10, Fallacies	CRCB C10, Marking
12	Jul 14	Thurs	Induction	TFY C11, Inductive Reasoning	CRCB C11, Advanced Strategies
13	Jul 19	Tues	Deduction	TFY C12, Deductive Reasoning	CRCB C12, Arguments
14	Jul 21	Thurs	Final

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA & METHOD OF EVALUATING STUDENTS

Students will demonstrate their level of achievement through appropriate and accurate application of critical thinking theory, including problem-solving, analysis, and decision-making criteria in approaching and solving text, classroom, and real-world exercises, individually and as group participants.

Grading Guidelines

100-95	A
94-90	A-
89-87	B+
86-84	B-
83-80	C+
79-77	C+
76-74	C
73-70	C-
69-67	D+
66-64	D
63-60	D-
59 or <	F

	Participation	15%
	Quizzes	10%
	Projects	15%
	Term Paper	30%
	Presentation	10%
	Final Exam	20%
	Total	100%

Reading Guides and SQ3R Link

http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm

Reading Exercise

Reading Exercise: Sehtolc Gnihsaw

Reading Exercise: Sehtolc Gnihsaw

The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange the items into different groups. Of course one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step; otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then, one never can tell. After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.

Connotations

In addition to literal, dictionary meanings, words often have implied, emotional meanings known as connotations. These connotations play a big role in the search for the "right word" because they sometimes clash with a writer's intended meaning or view.
For example, in the following sentence, the word pushy conflicts with the meaning in the rest of the sentence:


The pushy citizen patiently waited for his turn at the microphone before confidently expressing his concerns about the city council's recent decision to staff the fire station with volunteers.A pushy individual probably wouldn't have waited patiently for his turn to speak, but rather would have barged in whenever he felt emotionally led to do so. Perhaps, a more appropriate descriptive word for an individual who "patiently waited" before "confidently expressing his concerns" might be assertive.
Words with similar dictionary meanings often have different connotations, so it is very important for a writer to choose words carefully. Consider the following table. Each row contains a list of words with similar dictionary meanings but different shades of feeling.

	Favorable	Neutral	Unfavorable
1.	relaxed	inactive	lazy
2.	prudent	timid	cowardly
3.	modest	shy	mousy
4.	time-tested	old	out-of-date
5.	dignified	reserved	stiff-necked
6.	persevering	persistent	stubborn
7.	up-to-date	new	newfangled
8.	thrifty	conservative	miserly
9.	self-confident	proud	conceited
10.	inquisitive	curious	nosy

---

More on connotations...

Each of the following sentences includes a pair of words with similar dictionary definitions but different connotations. One of the words is more appropriate based on the context of the sentence. That word appears in the right-hand column.

Sentence Examples	Appropriate Word Choice
As snakes continue to grow, they (junk, shed) the protective keratinous layer on the surface of their bodies because it does not expand.	shed
Oblivious to those around him, the father tenderly (smiled, smirked) at his newborn baby through the window of the hospital nursery.	smiled
During rush hour traffic in a metropolis, cars creep along at agonizingly slow (velocities, speeds).	speeds
Even the coolest star in the night skies is unbelievably (sultry, hot) according to astronomers.	hot
The local newspaper's front-page story indicated that $50,000 was (stolen, pilfered) from the town's largest bank during the night.	stolen
The pack of wild horses (loped, sprinted) alongside the train at top speed for more than 200 yards.	sprinted
Although many Americans purchase meat at their local grocery stores, some farmers still (butcher, execute) livestock to feed their families.	butcher
The French are (noted, notorious) for their fine food.	notorious

From:

LEO: Literacy Education Online Connotations

Critical Thinking -- What is It? -- Video

Bloom's Taxonomy of Skills (Revised)

Bloom's Taxonomy of Skills (Revised)

What Do You See?

Assumptions Web Links

DEFINITION OF ASSUMPTION

This entry at wordreference.com explains the many meanings of the word assumption.

http://www.wordreference.com/definition/assumption

HYPOTHESIS DEFINED - American Heritage Dictionary

Compare the definitions of the word hypothesis given at the Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/3/H0370300.html

HYPOTHESIS DEFINED - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Compare the definitions of the word hypothesis given at the Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/hypothesis

JEAN PIAGET

This site is available for learning more about Jean Piaget and his theories on cognitive development.

http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/piaget.html

THESIS

"How to Write a Thesis Statement." A useful discussion prepared at Indiana University.

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml

E-Prime

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING E -PRIME
Robert Anton Wilson

E-PRIME, abolishing all forms of the verb "to be," has its roots in the field of general semantics, as presented by Alfred Korzybski in his 1933 book, Science and Sanity. Korzybski pointed out the pitfalls associated with, and produced by, two usages of "to be": identity and predication. His student D. David Bourland, Jr., observed that even linguistically sensitive people do not seem able to avoid identity and predication uses of "to be" if they continue to use the verb at all.

Bourland pioneered in demonstrating that one can indeed write and speak without using any form of "to be," calling this subset of the English language "E-Prime." Many have urged the use of E-Prime in writing scientific and technical papers.

Korzybski felt that all humans should receive training in general semantics from grade school on, as "semantic hygiene" against the most prevalent forms of logical error, emotional distortion, and "demonological thinking." E-Prime provides a straightforward training technique for acquiring such semantic hygiene.

To understand E-Prime, consider the human brain as a computer. (Note that I did not say the brain "is" a computer.) As the Prime Law of Computers tells us, GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT (GIGO, for short). The wrong software guarantees wrong answers. Conversely, finding the right software can "miraculously" solve problems that previously appeared intractable.
It seems likely that the principal software used in the human brain consists of words, metaphors, disguised metaphors, and linguistic structures in general.

The Sapir-Whorf-Korzybski Hypothesis, in anthropology, holds that a change in language can alter our perception of the cosmos. A revision of language structure, in particular, can alter the brain as dramatically as a psychedelic. In our metaphor, if we change the software, the computer operates in a new way.

Consider the following paired sets of propositions, in which Standard English alternates with English-Prime (E-Prime):

lA. The electron is a wave.
lB. The electron appears as a wave when measured with instrument-l.

2A. The electron is a particle.
2B. The electron appears as a particle when measured with instrument-2.

3A. John is lethargic and unhappy.
3B. John appears lethargic and unhappy in the office.

4A. John is bright and cheerful.
4B. John appears bright and cheerful on holiday at the beach.

5A. This is the knife the first man used to stab the second man.
5B. The first man appeared to stab the second man with what looked like a knife to me.

6A. The car involved in the hit-and-run accident was a blue Ford.
6B. In memory, I think I recall the car involved in the hit-and-run accident as a blue Ford.

7A. This is a fascist idea.
7B. This seems like a fascist idea to me.

8A. Beethoven is better than Mozart.
8B. In my present mixed state of musical education and ignorance, Beethoven seems better to me than Mozart.

9A. That is a sexist movie.
9B. That seems like a sexist movie to me.

10A. The fetus is a person.
10B. In my system of metaphysics, I classify the fetus as a person.

The "A"-type statements (Standard English) all implicitly or explicitly assume the medieval view called "Aristotelian essentialism" or "naive realism." In other words, they assume a world made up of block-like entities with indwelling "essences" or spooks- "ghosts in the machine."

The "B"-type statements (E-Prime) recast these sentences into a form isomorphic to modern science by first abolishing the "is" of Aristotelian essence and then reformulating each observation in terms of signals received and interpreted by a body (or instrument) moving in space-time.

Relativity, quantum mechanics, large sections of general physics, perception psychology, sociology, linguistics, modern math, anthropology, ethology, and several other sciences make perfect sense when put into the software of E-Prime. Each of these sciences generates paradoxes, some bordering on "nonsense" or "gibberish," if you try to translate them back into the software of Standard English.

Concretely, "The electron is a wave" employs the Aristotelian "is" and thereby introduces us to the false-to-experience notion that we can know the indwelling "essence" of the electron. "The electron appears as a wave when measured by instrument-1" reports what actually occurred in space-time, namely that the electron when constrained by a certain instrument behaved in a certain way.

Similarly, "The electron is a particle" contains medieval Aristotelian software, but "The electron appears as a particle when measured by instrument-2" contains modern scientific software. Once again, the software determines whether we impose a medieval or modern grid upon our reality-tunnel.

Note that "the electron is a wave" and "the electron is a particle" contradict each other and begin the insidious process by which we move gradually from paradox to nonsense to total gibberish. On the other hand, the modern scientific statements "the electron appears as a wave when measured one way" and "the electron appears as a particle measured another way" do not contradict, but rather complement each other. (Bohr's Principle of Complementarity, which explained this and revolutionized physics, would have appeared obvious to all, and not just to a person of his genius, if physicists had written in E-Prime all along. . . .)

Looking at our next pair, "John is lethargic and unhappy" vs. "John is bright and cheerful,' we see again how medieval software creates metaphysical puzzles and totally imaginary contradictions. Operationalizing the statements, as physicists since Bohr have learned to operationalize, we find that the E-Prime translations do not contain any contradiction, and even give us a clue as to causes of John's changing moods. (Look back if you forgot the translations.)

"The first man stabbed the second man with a knife" lacks the overt "is" of identity but contains Aristotelian software nonetheless. The E-Prime translation not only operationalizes the data, but may fit the facts better-if the incident occurred in a psychology class, which often conduct this experiment. (The first man "stabs," or makes stabbing gestures at, the second man, with a banana, but many students, conditioned by Aristotelian software, nonetheless "see" a knife. You don't need to take drugs to hallucinate; improper language can fill your world with phantoms and spooks of many kinds.)

The reader may employ his or her own ingenuity in analyzing how "is-ness" creates false-to-facts reality-tunnels in the remaining examples, and how E-Prime brings us back to the scientific, the operational, the existential, the phenomenological--to what humans and their instruments actually do in space-time as they create observations, perceptions, thoughts, deductions, and General Theories.

I have found repeatedly that when baffled by a problem in science, in "philosophy," or in daily life, I gain immediate insight by writing down what I know about the enigma in strict E-Prime. Often, solutions appear immediately-just as happens when you throw out the "wrong" software and put the "right" software into your PC. In other cases, I at least get an insight into why the problem remains intractable and where and how future science might go about finding an answer.


This text comes from:
D. David Bourland, Jr. & Paul Dennithorne Johnston, "To Be or Not: An E-Prime Anthology," International Society for General Semantics, 1991, pp. 23-26