McMahon English 1C Critical Thinking Syllabus Fall 2015

McMahon English 1C Critical Thinking Syllabus Fall 2015

Office: H121P; extension 5673

Office Hours: M and W: 2:45-3:45 and 5:30-6; T and TH 12:30-1 and 3:30-4:15

Students with Disabilities:

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.

English 1C SLOs

English 1C Critical Thinking and Composition Students will:

1. Compose an argumentative essay that shows an ability to support a claim using analysis, elements of argumentation, and integration of primary and secondary sources.

2. Identify and assess bias, credibility, and relevance in their own arguments and in the arguments of others, including primary and secondary outside sources.

3. Organize an essay in proper MLA format and will also be technically correct in paragraph composition, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and usage.

Essay Requirements:

One. Students will express critical viewpoints and develop original thesis-driven arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory. This argumentative essay will be well organized, demonstrate an ability to support a claim using analysis and elements of argumentation, and integrate primary and secondary sources.

Two. The paper should use at least three sources and not over-rely on one main source for most of the information. Rather, it should use multiple sources and synthesize the information found in them.

Three. This paper will be approximately 5-6 pages in length, not including the Works Cited page, which is also required. The Works Cited page does NOT count toward length requirement.

Four. Within your argument, address issues of bias, credibility, and relevance.

Five. Analyze and employ logical structural methods such as inductive and deductive reasoning, cause and effect, logos, ethos, and pathos, and demonstrate understanding of formal and informal fallacies in language and thought.

Six. You must use MLA format for the document, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.

Seven. You must integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and analysis or commentary.

Eight. You must sustain your argument, use transitions effectively, and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Course Catalog Description:

This course focuses on the development of critical thinking skills. Students will apply these skills to the analysis of written arguments in various forms and genres, both classic and contemporary, and to the writing of effective persuasive essays. Students will learn to evaluate and interpret data, to recognize assumptions, to distinguish facts from opinions, to identify and avoid logical fallacies, to employ deductive and inductive reasoning, and to effectively assert and support argumentative claims.

Course Objectives:

One. Evaluate arguments in terms of bias, credibility, and relevance.

Two. Assess an argument's claims by examining assumptions, by differentiating between facts and inferences, by recognizing errors in logic, by analyzing support, and by identifying both explicit and implied conclusions.

Three. Recognize and assess argumentative claims embedded in literary works, advertisements, political tracts, and presentations in other media.

Four. Express critical viewpoints and develop original arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory.

Five. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate electronic sources and databases, to incorporate research from on-line and print media, and to compose unified, coherent, fully supported argumentative essays that advance their claims by integrating primary and secondary sources, and by employing the tools of critical interpretation, evaluation, and analysis.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will:

One. Compose an argumentative essay that shows an ability to support a claim using analysis, elements of argumentation, and integration of primary and secondary sources.

Two. Identify and assess bias, credibility, and relevance in their own arguments and in the arguments of others, including primary and secondary outside sources.

Three. Organize an essay in proper MLA format and will also be technically correct in paragraph composition, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and usage.

Policy on Plagiarism

Any attempt to commit fraud, misrepresenting someone else’s writing as your own, including turning in essays from previous semesters, will result in an automatic F grade, zero points, which mathematically, will disqualify you from earning a grade higher than a C for the semester. You will not be allowed to rewrite for a higher grade and because of the breach of trust it will be preferred that you drop the class. I will use turnitin to investigate plagiarism.

Each essay must be submitted to www.turnitin.com where it will be checked for illegal copying/plagiarism.

I cannot give credit for an essay that is not submitted to this site by the deadline.

The process is very simple; if you need help, detailed instructions are available at http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/student-quickstart-guide

You will need two pieces of information to use the site:

Class ID and Enrollment Password, which I’ll give you first week of class.

Late Essays Are Deducted a Full Letter Grade

English 1C Grammar Policy and Grading

Students in English 1C are expected to write clear, college-level essays with logical paragraph composition and sentence structure as well as correct grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation. If you feel you cannot be successful in this class due to struggles with grammar or other elements of essay composition, please see the instructor as early as possible to discuss resources and strategies for your improvement.

Grading 800 Total Points (6,000-word total)

Four in-class writing exams: 75 each for 300 point total (450-words per essay; 1,800 words)

Three typed 1,000-word essays: 100 each for 300 point total (3,000 words)

One Final 1,200-word essay 200 point total

Attendance and Class Participation

Deductions of 50 for more than 4 absences or more than 3 tardies; repeated use of smart phone in class or leaving class repeatedly to "take a call."

More than 5 absences or more than 4 tardies is a loss of 100 points. These rules are designed so that we will be complaint with Title 5 Contact Hour Laws prescribed by the State of California.

Based on 800 points, the grades are assigned as follows:

720-800 is an A.

640-719 is a B.

560-639 is a C.

480-559 is a D.

479 and below is an F.

Books You Need for This Class:

One. From Critical Thinking to Argument, Fourth Edition, by Sylavan Barnet and Hugo Bedau

Two. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Three. The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille

Four. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

All Essays Need 3 credible sources to be used for in-text parenthetical citation and MLA formatted Works Cited page.

The first three essays are 1,000 words typed and double-spaced.

The final essay is 1,200 words and typed and double-spaced.

Essay One: From Critical Thinking to Argument

Choosing a debatable topic that we’ve covered in class or another current topic of your choice, utilize the argumentative principles in our text From Critical Thinking to Argument to write a 4-page argumentative essay.

Here are some of the essay options we'll cover:

Option for Essay #1

In a 4-page essay, develop an argumentative thesis about the purpose of college in the context of "3 Reasons College Still Matters" by Andrew Delbanco.

Consider the notion of specificity in your college goals.

Micro: Specialize in major to make money

Mid-level Macro: Learn fundamentals to apply to all classes and life challenges

Maximum Macro: Become a critical thinker rather than a mindless consumer

Option for Essay #1:

Support, refute, or complicate Steve Almond's argument in "Is It Immoral to Watch the Super Bowl?" that the NFL is an immoral institution unworthy of our patronage.

Option for Essay #1

In a 4-page essay, defend, refute, or complicate Marc Lewis' argument that addiction is not a disease.

Option for Essay #1

Support or refute the argument in Robby Soave's essay "Why Drug Testing Students Is Un-American" that drug testing students is an unacceptable violation of democratic freedoms that will cause far more harm than good.

Essay Two: Man's Search for Meaning

Choice 1: Support, refute, or complicate the assertion that Frankl Lite is a more compelling orientation than Full Potency Frankl. Use Toulmin or Rogerian model.

Choice 2: Support, refute, or complicate the assertion that unless we can sacrifice on the scale described in Peter Singer's essay "What Should a Billionaire Give--What Should You?" we cannot live a life of true meaning as defined by Viktor Frankl. Use the Toulmin essay model.

Choice 3: Support, refute, or complicate the assertion that the lifestyle described in Joseph Epstein's essay "The Perpetual Adolescent" is antithetical to the kind of meaning that Viktor Frankl defines in his book Man's Search for Meaning. Use the Toulmin essay model.

Essay Three: The Culture Code

Option A

One camp believes Rapaille is a marketing genius who uses invaluable psychological insights to gain codes that unlock the power of consumerism and as a result he is worth is huge asking price as a consultant. However, another camp esteems Rapaille as little more than a fraud who recycles the same archetypal “codes” and stereotypes and as a result he has no “secret sauce” to make him worth all the money he makes. In a 1,000-word essay, typed and double-spaced, support, refute, or complicate one of the assertions above.

Be sure to use Toulmin model of argumentation and have a Works Cited page with no fewer than three sources.

Option B

In a 1,000 word essay, compare Clotaire Rapaille's vision of an adolescent America with Joseph Epstein's similar vision in his essay "The Perpetual Adolescent." Be sure to follow comparison essay guidelines for structure and transitions.

Essay Four (Final): The New Jim Crow

Support, refute, or complicate Michelle Alexander's thesis that the current justice and prison system are perpetuating the old Jim Crow into a new Jim Crow. Use Toulmin or Refutation model.

Because this is your Final, it is a bit longer than your previous typed papers. While they are four pages (1,000 words), this essay is five pages (closer to 1,200 words).

Be sure to have a Works Cited page with no fewer than three sources and be sure one of the sources is from the El Camino College database.

Reading and Writing Schedule for Fall 2015

8-25 Introduction; Critical Reading

8-27 FCTA (From Critical Thinking to Argument) Chapters 1-2

9-1 FCTA Chapters 3-4

9-3 FCTA Chapters 5-6

9-8 FCTA Chapters 7-8

9-10 FCTA Chapter 9

9-15 Writing Exam 1 for 50 points

9-17 Essay 1 Due; Frankl Lesson 1

9-22 Frankl Lesson 2

9-24 Frankl Lesson 3