HUP 102: Critical Thinking
| John Chaffee, Ph.D., Director |
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Vera Albrecht, Ph.D. |
| Minerva Ahumada, Ph.D. |
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Richard Brown, Ph.D. |
| Emmanuel
Nartey, Ph.D. |
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Aaron
Rizzieri, Ph.D. |
| Payal
Doctor, Ph.D. |
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| Dates and times of
meetings |
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Instructor: |
| La Guardia CC, Fall
2011 |
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Email:
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Course Description
The goal
of this course is to sharpen your ability to think effectively. We may use our critical thinking skills in a
wide range of situations from identifying and correcting problems on a national
or global scale to achieving our personal goals. Critical thinking enables us to solve
problems and to make the best choices in our academic, professional, and
personal lives. Effective thinking
involves close attention to detail, an ability to stand back from situations,
weighing of pros and cons (the positive and negative attributes involved in
every situation), and ultimately a willingness to make decisions on the basis
of information that has been collected and to take responsibility for those decisions
once they have been made. In this way,
critical thinking involves how we see the world, how we organize what we see,
and how we behave in the world. In our
society, the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening are essential
to critical thinking. The exchange of
ideas with others is a crucial component of critical thinking in action.
Course Objectives
- Students will learn to identify and analyze arguments.
- Students will learn to evaluate situations from various perspectives.
- Students will learn how their perceiving lenses influence their
thinking and beliefs.
- Students will develop the ability to solve problems, analyze issues,
and make informed decisions in their academic, career and personal lives.
Course Requirements
Text
- Thinking Critically,
10th Edition John
Chaffee Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 2009
Grading
Student performance and progress will be evaluated on the basis of
attendance, homework, class participation, quizzes and tests, short and long
papers, and a final examination. [include breakdown of % for each grade—exams, papers, homework,
quizzes, attendance, and participation]
Attendance
- Attendance recorded in each
class will be final unless you have dated proof of your attendance or provide
legitimate proof for an excused absence.
Anyone not present when
attendance is taken will be marked absent. It is your responsibility to talk to
the instructor after class (or during office hours) about the reasons for your
lateness.
- Anyone who misses more than
5 hours of class time for any reason
cannot receive a passing grade in the class.
Please note that an absence from a class that meets once a week for
3 hours counts as 3 hours of absence; absence
from a two hour class counts as two hours of absence etc.
Class Participation
The aim of this course is to develop your ability to think. The best
way for you to develop and sharpen your capacity to think is for you to be
actively involved in the classes. This means not only being attentive in class
but also participating in the class discussions.
Lectures
You should learn to take notes during class. Material discussed in class is fair game for
tests and quizzes. Get a peer’s phone
number and email address so you have someone to contact about notes if you have
an excused absence.
Writing
Assignments
In all of the written work that you do for this course, you
should make certain that (1) your work is typed; (2) spelling and punctuation
are accurate; and (3) grammar and syntax are correct. Please use the Writing Center for help with
(2) and (3). Before you hand in any
written assignment, be sure to proofread your
work, paying particular attention to the errors you know frequently occur in
your own writing. Your language should
reflect that of a college student.
Writing Center
This is a reading and writing intensive course. It is expected that you will utilize the
Writing Center for help with content, grammar, and sentence structure in each
of your papers BEFORE you turn it in. I
strongly suggest that each of you make use of this resource; this resource has
helped students improve their writing and, as a result, improve their grade in
this class.
- Contact: Room E-111, Monday
–Friday (9:15am – 9:30pm)
- Website: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/english/writingcenter/schedule.htm
Academic Integrity
This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community
College’s academic integrity policy. If
you are caught plagiarizing, an Academic Integrity Complaint will be
filed.
- Plagiarism is the act of
using someone else’s work as your own without giving proper credit to that
person. If it is found that you have
used online sources inappropriately by copy and pasting or ‘borrowing’ in part
or in whole from previously written essays, texts, or webpages, you will be
reported in accordance with LaGCC’s Academic Integrity Policies.
- It is better to err on the
side of caution than to get a zero on the assignment. Simply forgetting to cite a source still
counts as plagiarism.
Special Circumstances
If you have any special circumstance such as a learning disability,
religious, or military obligation that could affect your participation in this
course at any time throughout this semester, it is your responsibility to bring
it to your instructor’s attention and review the appropriate documentation and
procedures for each circumstance.
| Class Theme |
Reading Due |
Writing Assignments |
| Chapter
1: Thinking |
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1. Introduction
Living
an examined life
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2. Working towards your goals
Organized approach to decision
making
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9
– 14;
14
- 25 |
Thinking
Activity. 1.2 (pg.14): Analyzing
a future goal |
| 3. Living Creatively Becoming more creative
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25
– 27;
27
- 32 |
Thinking
Activity 1.9 (pg. 33): Becoming More Creative |
| Chapter 2: Thinking Critically |
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4. Thinking actively
Exploring the Situation with Questions
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55
– 60 |
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5. Thinking
independently
Perspective-taking
Supporting views
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60 –
67 |
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6. Discussing ideas
Problem solving
Prepare for debates
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68 - 77 |
Thinking Activity 2.9 (pg. 74): Reading Critically: Creating
a dialogue
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| 7. Debates |
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| 8. Debates |
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9. Analyzing issues
Mary Barnett case
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79 - 86 |
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10. Mary Barnett case trial
Debate
Analysis
Reasoning of jurors and judges
Thinking Critically about Visuals |
54, 62, 66,
72, 87 |
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| 11. Exam #1 |
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| Chapter 3: Solving Problems |
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12. Solving Problems
Accepting & Identifying the problem
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96 - 108 |
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13. Solving problems
Generating, evaluating alternatives
Reaching a solution |
108 - 119 |
Thinking Activity 3.2 (pg. 116): Analyzing
an unsolved problem
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| 14. Problem-solving presentations |
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15. Problem-solving presentations
Thinking Critically About Visuals |
102,
109, 110,
113, 118 |
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| Chapter 4: Perceiving and
Believing |
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| 16. Viewing the world through lenses |
131 – 140 |
Written analysis of T.A. 3.2 |
| 17. Analyzing contrasting perspectives |
140 – 143 |
Thinking
Activity 4.4 (pg. 143): Assassination of Malcolm X; Analyzing accounts of 9/11
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18. Perceiving and Believing
Types of Beliefs |
149 – 165 |
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19. Perception and Global Conflict
Thinking
Critically About Visuals |
167–
174; 137,
143, 146,
154, 171 |
Questions for
Analysis (pg. 174) |
| Chapter 5: Constructing
Knowledge |
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20. Believing and Knowing
Knowledge and Truth
Stages of Knowing
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178 – 180; 180 – 185 |
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| 21. Thinking
Critically about Beliefs Thinking Critically About Visuals
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186-207;
188,
192, 206,
208, 217 |
Thinking Activity
5.7 (pg. 200): Evaluating
Different Perspectives
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| 22. LaGuardia & Wagner Archives visit |
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| Chapter 6: Language and Thought |
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| 23. The Evolution of language Using language effectively
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227 – 237; 240 – 254
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Archive project |
24. Using Language Persuasively
Thinking Critically About Visuals |
254 - 259; 244, 246, 251 |
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| 25. Exam #2 |
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| Chapter 7: Forming and Applying Concepts |
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26. Forming Concepts
Applying concepts |
277 – 287;
288 – 306 |
Compose a persuasive speech |
27. Defining concepts
“Who’s an American?”
“What is “religion?”
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306 – 319 |
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| 28. Thinking Critically About Visuals |
286, 297,
304, 310 |
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| Chapter 10-11: Constructing
Arguments and Reasoning Critically |
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| 29. Constructing Arguments |
415 – 426 |
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| 30. Evaluating Arguments |
426 - 437 |
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31. Extended arguments
“Should we ration health care?” |
440 – 452 |
Thinking Activity 10.5 (pg. 441): Compose
an extended argument |
| 32. Fallacies |
455
– 463
473
– 487 |
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| 33. Thinking Critically About Visuals |
417, 430, 442 |
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| Chapter 12: Thinking Critically,
Living Creatively |
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| 34. Living a life philosophy |
511 – 514 |
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| 35.
Finding Meaning in Life |
542
- 546 |
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| 36. FINAL EXAM |
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