McMahon English 1C Critical Thinking Syllabus Spring 2016
Email: [email protected]
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.
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:
- Evaluate arguments in terms of bias, credibility, and relevance.
- 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.
- Recognize and assess argumentative claims embedded in literary works, advertisements, political tracts, and presentations in other media.
- Express critical viewpoints and develop original arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory.
- 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:
- Compose an argumentative essay that shows an ability to support a claim using analysis, elements of argumentation, and integration of primary and secondary sources.
- Identify and assess bias, credibility, and relevance in their own arguments and in the arguments of others, including primary and secondary outside sources.
- Write an essay that is correct in MLA format, 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.
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.
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
Books You Need for This Class:
One. From Inquiry to Academic Writing, Third Edition, by Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky
Two. The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike
Three. Rules for Writers, 8th Edition, edited by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers
Other Materials: 4 large blue books for in-class writing exams
All 4 Typed 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 fourth and 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 Inquiry to Academic Writing to write a 4-page argumentative essay.
Essay Two: The Best American Short Stories
Using the principles of literary analysis for writing paragraphs and thesis statements, develop an argumentative, cause and effect analysis, or extended definition thesis that addresses one or more of the assigned short stories.
Essay Three: From Inquiry to Academic Writing, Chapters 12 and 13
Develop an argumentative thesis for a 4-page essay that addresses one or more of the assigned selections from Chapters 12 and 13.
Essay Four (Final): From Inquiry to Academic Writing, Chapters 14 and 17
Option A
Develop an argumentative thesis for a 5-page essay that addresses race, gender, and privilege in Chapter 14. Be sure to incorporate at least two essays from Chapter 14 to develop your essay.
Option B
Develop an argumentative thesis for a 5-page essay that addresses consumerism and economics in Chapter 17. Be sure to incorporate at least two essays from Chapter 17 to develop your essay.
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.
Grading 700 Total Points (6,000-word total)
Four in-class writing exams: 50 each for 200 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.
Reading and Writing Schedule
1-19 Introduction: What is critical thinking? We will study current events for our first typed essay. The essay will be structured from the critical writing tools we learn in the first 9 chapters of From Inquiry to Academic Writing.
1-21 FITAW (From Inquiry to Academic Writing) Chapters 1-2; Critical Writing and Thinking: Is College Worth the Cost?
1-26 FITAW Chapters 3 and 4; Identifying Claims and Analyzing Arguments: Continue College Debate.
1-28 FITAW Chapters 5 and 6; Developing a Thesis and Evaluating Sources: Is the Anti-Vaxxer Movement Defensible?
2-2 FITAW Chapter 7; From Summary to Thesis: Is Watching the NFL Morally Defensible?
2-4 FITAW Chapters 8 and 9; Ethos, Logos, and Pathos; Introductions and Conclusions: Is America Doomed to be a “Gun Country”?
2-9 In-Class Writing Exam 1 for 50 points
2-11 Typed Essay 1 Due; “The Other Woman” 38-44 from Best American Short Stories of the Century
2-16 “You’re Ugly, Too” 652-670. Theme of pride
2-18 “Greenleaf” 348-368. Theme of pride continued. Compare to “You’re Ugly, Too.”
2-23 “Where I’m Calling From” 581-594. Pride vs. Authenticity. Literary Paragraph Analysis
2-25 “The Country Husband” 325-347. Theme of Suburban Conformity
3-1 “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” 450-465. Compare to “The Country Husband.”
3-3 “Defender of the Faith.” 384-410. Ethics and Duty.
3-8 In-Class Writing Exam 2
3-10 Typed Essay 2 due; FITAW “Growing Up Tethered” 428-443
3-22 “Becoming Part of Something Bigger Than Ourselves” 444-457
3-24 “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor” 482-489
3-29 “Still Separate, Still Unequal” 347-359
3-31 “Facts About the Achievement Gap” 360-367
4-5 “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” 374-388
4-7 “On the Uses of a Liberal Education” 389-404
4-12 In-Class Writing Exam 3
4-14 Typed Essay 3 due; “White Privilege” 536-543
4-19 “The Myth of Race” 515-535; “Why Do We Make So Much of Gender?” 544-550
4-21 “Gender, Class, and Terrorism” 588-594
4-26 “How I Discovered the Truth About Poverty” 606-610
4-28 “United States of Walmart” 789-796
5-3 “The Buyologist Is In” 796-809
5-5 “The Rise of the Rest” 816-829
5-10 In-Class Exam 4
5-12 Final Essay Due
In the World of Critical Thinking Are All Opinions Alike?
Some people say after reading an essay, “Well, it’s just an opinion.” But are all opinions alike?
The answer is no.
Robert Atwan in his American Now textbook writes six major types of opinions.
As you will see, some are more appropriate for the kind of critical thinking an essay deserves than others.
One. Inherited opinions: These are opinions that are imprinted on us during our childhood. They come from “family, culture, traditions, customs, regions, social institutions, or religion.”
People’s views on religion, race, education, and humanity come from their family.
Inherited opinions come from cultural and social norms.
In some cultures, it's okay to tell others your income. It's a taboo in America.
We are averse to eating dogs in America because eating dogs is contrary to America’s cultural and social norms. However, other countries eat dogs without any stigma.
We are also averse to eating insects in America when in some countries grubs are a delicacy.
We think it's normal to slaughter trees every year as part of our celebration of Christmas.
We eat until we're so stuffed we cannot walk in America; in contrast, in Japan they follow the rule of hara hachi bu, which means they stop at 80% fullness.
Peanut butter in America represents Mom's Love; in France and Brazil, however, peanut butter is trash and an insult to place in front of someone.
In America, we put dry cereal into a bowl and then pour milk over it. That is not practiced in a lot of other countries.
In America when a woman says yes to a man's date proposal, the man, Louis C.K. tells us, will shake his fist like a tennis champion and scream, "Yeah!" We admire this behavior because we grow up seeing it.
We soak up these types of opinions through a sort of osmosis and a lot of these beliefs are unconscious.
Two. Involuntary opinions: These are the opinions that result from direct indoctrination and inculcation (learning through repetition). If we grow up in a family that teaches us that eating pork is evil, then we won’t eat at other people’s homes that serve that porcine dish.
Or we may, as a result if our religious training, abjure rated R movies.
Or we may have strong feelings, one way or another, regarding gay marriage based on the doctrines we’ve learned over time.
We may have strong feelings about immigration policy based on what we learn from our family, friends, and institutions.
We may have strong feelings about the police and the prison system based on what we learn from family, friends, and institutions.
Three. Adaptive opinions: We adapt opinions to help us conform to groups we wish to belong to. We are often so eager to belong to this or that group that we sacrifice our critical thinking skills and engage in Groupthink to please the majority.
A student from China back in the 1940s or 1950s was raised in the country. He went to a city school and the richest boy made a sculpture of a butterfly. Everyone loved the butterfly but my student. He explained that a butterfly had 4 wings, not 2. He was sent to the "dunce corner" for the whole day.
He should have kept his mouth shut or pretended that butterflies have 2 wings. That's an example of Groupthink.
Atwan writes that “Adaptive opinions are often weakly held and readily changed . . . But over time they can become habitual and turn into convictions.”
For example, it’s easy for one to be against guns in Santa Monica. However, those views might be less “adaptive” in rural parts of Kentucky or Tennessee.
It's easy to be a vegan in Southern California, but you'll have more challenges being a vegan in certain parts of Texas, Kansas, and the Carolinas where barbecue is king.
Four. Concealed opinions. Sometimes we have strong opinions that are contrary to the group we belong to so we keep our mouths shut to avoid persecution. You might not want to proclaim your atheism, for example, if you were attending a Christian college.
Five. Linked opinions. Atwan writes, “Unlike adaptive opinions, which are usually stimulated by convenience and an incentive to conform, these are opinions we derived from an enthusiastic and dedicated affiliation with certain groups, institutions, or parties.”
For example, the modern “Tea Party” people or self-proclaimed Patriots embrace a series of linked opinions: Obama is not American. Obama is a socialist. Obama is helping terrorists get across the boarder. Terrorists helped elect Obama. Obama wants to strip Americans of their right to own guns so that the government and/or terrorists can move in and take Americans’ freedoms.
As you can see, all these opinions are linked to each other. Believing in one of the above opinions encourages belief in the other.
Six. Considered opinions. Atwan writes, “These are opinions we have formed as a result of firsthand experience, reading, discussion and debate, or independent thinking and reasoning. These opinions are formed from direct knowledge and often from exposure and considering other opinions.”
Often considered opinions result in examining mythologies or fake narratives that are drilled down our throats and we deconstruct these false narratives so that we can see the truth behind them.
There are many fake narratives:
Columbus “discovering” America.
The European pilgrims “sharing” with the American Indians.
White slave owners “blessing” Africans with Christianity.
The pharmaceutical industry making our health job one.
Mexican workers in America "stealing" jobs from Americans.
Poor people "choose" to be poor.
Poor people deserve to be poor because they're bad, morally flawed human beings.
Obese people got fat from being morally flawed such as being selfish and gluttonous.
Developing critical thinking skills means being able to pick apart a false narrative and examine the true narrative behind it.
Some would define literacy as developing critical thinking skills and that failure to do so is to remain a mindless consumer, an obedient child to the parental authorities of market trends and advertising.
It's your choice: You can either swallow the blue pill (blissful ignorance) or the red pill (uncomfortable, often painful truth).
First Option for an Argumentative Essay 1: Due 2-11
The Costs and Benefits of College
Writing Assignment:
In a 4-page essay that addresses the major points in "College Calculus" and "America: Abandon Your Reverence for the Bachelor's Degree," develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the question if college is worth the cost for your particular area of study. You must have a minimum of 3 sources for your Works Cited page and use MLA format. You may consult the following:
"3 Reasons College Still Matters" by Andrew Delbanco.
"College Is Still Worth It, Despite the Cost"
Option 2:
Support or refute the argument that there is no valid defense of the Anti-Vaxxer position.
"How to Change an Anti-Vaxxer's Mind"
"Why Vaccination Refusal Is a White Privilege Problem"
"What Everyone Gets Wrong About Anti-Vaccine Parents"
"We Seem to be More Frightened Than We've Ever Been"
"Anti-Vaxxers: Enjoying the Privilege of Putting Everyone at Risk"
Option 3:
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 4:
Support, refute, or complicate the argument that gun control is a futile attempt to reduce America's senseless violence.
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