PHIL 5: Critical Thinking/Writing
Sections 5504 & 5494, SPRING 2018

Course Syllabus

 

Section 5504, TTh 12:00-1:20, Emeritus 1620

Section 5494, TTh 1:30-2:50, Emeritus 1518

Prof. Mulder Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11:00-12:00 Emeritus 1513.

FOR REGISTERED PHIL 5 STUDENTS: Electronic communication through Canvas is preferred, using the "Inbox" or "Messages" icon in the left or bottom margin.

For OTHERS-Email: dmulder@santarosa.edu

I respond to messages within 24 hours, Mon-Thurs.

SCROLL DOWN FOR:

• Course Description
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Textbooks
• Important Dates
• Course Requirements
• Grading Policy
• Prerequisites
• Special Needs
• Standards of Conduct, Required Student Agreements
• Dropping the Class
• Pass-No Pass Option

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Course Description

“The Skeptic [critical thinker] demands evidence; the Cynic assumes that what he or she is being told is false. Cynicism is a form of gullibility—the cynic rejects facts without evidence, just as the naïve person accepts facts without evidence.”

– Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, UNSPUN: finding facts in a world of disinformation, p. 175

"Many employers say today’s university graduates don’t quite measure up. In survey after survey, they rate young applicants as deficient in such key workplace skills as written and oral communication, critical thinking and analytical reasoning."

BBC, “This is the real reason new graduates can’t get hired”

 

This course covers the application of principles of critical thinking to the writing and analysis of extended argumentative essays.

This is an introductory course in critical thinking and critical reading and writing skills. In this course, you will learn how to identify, construct, analyze, and evaluate ARGUMENTS. These skills will increase your comprehension of material you read in other courses and material from the media. These skills will also make your writing clearer and more persuasive. We will cover the different kinds of argument and various methods for evaluating arguments. We will also work on critically reading argumentative ("persuasive") essays and writing argumentative essays. Our primary objective is to develop your ability to distinguish good arguments from bad arguments and your ability to reason and write well. We will study fallacies, language, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, and arguments involving (mathematically non-intimidating) probability and statistics. We will also give special attention to advertising, the news media, political rhetoric, and science vs. pseudo-science. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Textbooks

• Critical Thinking: A Student's Introduction, by Gregory Bassham et al. 5th OR 4th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013 (5th ed.), 2011 (4th ed.) -- If you want to use a copy from the reserve desk in the library, bring a valid SRJC student ID card. Call Number B809.2 .C745 2013 or B809.2 .C745 2011.
• UnSpun, by Jackson and Jamieson. New York: Random House, 2007. Reserve: BF637.D42 J33 2007
• Science and Religion by Thomas Dixon. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Reserve: BL240.3 .D57 2008
• Plus all my ONLINE NOTES

Recommended: 

• The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. Fourth edition. Free PDF Online. 
• The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation . Free PDF Online.
• Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 12th edition, Pearson, 2016. PDF of 1990 Edition free online

You can locate and order textbooks online via the SRJC Bookstore or online elsewhere. Older editions can be quite inexpensive online at Ebay, Amazon, etc.  I have had students tell me they found a FREE PDF of Critical Thinking 4th edition at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/engrade-myfiles/4008228113384505/Students_Guide_to_Critical_Thinking.pdf I don't know who posted it or whether it will remain there, but it's worth a try downloading it.

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Instructor Announcements

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences. PLEASE SET YOUR PREFERENCES TO RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS OR TEXT MESSAGES WHEN I POST AN ANNOUNCEMENT.

Important Dates:

Day Class Begins: Thursday, January 18, 2018
Day Class Ends: Thursday, May 17, 2018
Day of Final Exam: Thursday, May 24, 2018

Course Requirements

Class Participation + Class Presentation (4% each of course grade)

Proper classroom conduct and respectfulness, and regular attendance and participation in class are required. See Standards of Conduct and Attendance below.

I recommend that you think of your education as you think of athletics, working out, or musical practice. The goal is health, fitness, or musical skills, not just getting a certificate. And the fitness you get out of it depends entirely on what you put into it. You can’t get someone else to do your thinking for you, any more than you can benefit from someone else doing your exercise for you!

Participation in classroom activities, including both in-class and online discussions, small group work, and/or individual work cannot be made up if you are absent.

You will both write up AND present either

A) a brief (approx. 5 minute) summary and explanation of an article from the appropriate list on topics related to our course:

• 12:00 Class-Article Presentation Sign-Up
• 1:30 Class-Article Presentation Sign-Up.

OR

B) a brief (approx. 5 minute) example of a “critical thinking lapse” or a “critical thinking success” from your own experience or someone you know. It must come from something you have a personal connection with, NOT FROM ANY PUBLIC MEDIA. You can find several examples HERE.

Assignments

Regular reading assignments from the textbooks and my own online materials in Canvas must be completed before the class meeting for which they are assigned.

All homework writing assignments and exercise sets must be completed and turned in online in Canvas. If it's not in your Canvas account, it doesn't count.

There will be six (6) graded homework assignments consisting of

1. Exercise sets (worth 4% each) online in Canvas throughout the semester.
   • Two submissions allowed; grade is the average of two scores. 
   • The LOWEST GRADE DROPS, so five count toward your final grade.
   • No time limit other than due date and time
   • The material comes from the textbook, class lectures and supplemental materials.
2. Essays: approx. 800-1000 word (2-3 page), throughout the semester to be submitted online in Canvas (worth 8% each). The LOWEST GRADE DROPS, so five count toward your final grade.

Graded homework in Canvas opens after one week's class meeting and is due before the next week's class meeting. NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED.

 

Online Practice (4% of course grade)

There will be several online exercise sets in Canvas throughout the semester labeled "Practice." They can be repeated as often as you wish, highest score counts.

You must complete 90% of the practice exercise sets with a grade of C (70%) or better to get full credit.
Completing 75-89% of the practice with a C or better gets 3/4 credit.
Completing 60-74% of the practice with a C or better gets 2/4 credit.
Completing 45-59% of the practice with a C or better gets 1/4 credit.
Completing 33-44% of the practice with a C or better gets 1/8 credit.
Completing less than 33% of the practice gets a zero.

In-Class Exams

There will be two midterms (worth 7% each) and one final exam (worth 14%) --

• Must be completed in class, in designated time period.
• Comprehensive. Mix of objective and short answer questions.
• OPEN book, OPEN notes.
• The material comes from the textbooks, class lectures and online materials.
• Late midterm allowed ONLY during the next class, docked 10%.
• NO LATE FINALS.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at the designated time on the due date. Assignments will be open for 116 hours, so NO late work is accepted. Exams may be completed late with a 10% grade penalty per class meeting late. No penalty if you have documented, serious reasons for missing the scheduled midterm.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. Students are encouraged to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism: 
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's statement on Academic Integrity

Grading Policy

Click the “Grades” link in Canvas to keep track of your grades.

Weighting: 
4% Class Participation

4% Class Presentation  

4% Completing Online Practice

4% x 5 for each of Graded Online Exercise Sets (after dropping lowest grade)
8% x 5 for each of the Graded Essays (after dropping lowest) 
7% x 2 for in-class Mid-Terms (No drops)
14% for the Final Exam

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A: 90-100% 
B: 79-90% 
C: 67-79% 
D: 55-67%

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least a 67% overall average and must complete the midterm exams and the final exam to pass the class.

Attendance

For face-to-face courses, students who fail to attend the first class meeting may be dropped by the instructor. For classes that meet online, students who fail to log on and initiate participation by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time of the first day of the class may be dropped by the instructor.

Prerequisites

All students in Phil 5 must have completed Engl 1A or equivalent with a C or better. Phil 5 presupposes that students have mastered all the learning outcomes & objectives of Engl 1A:

Engl 1A Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Write a comprehensive, well-developed, and coherent expository essay with a focused thesis
and appropriate support.
2. Recognize and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
3. Identify and analyze argumentative, stylistic, and narrative techniques.
4. Locate, summarize, synthesize and employ research in a well-developed and documented research essay.
5. Employ correct use of MLA format and formal citations.
6. Read, annotate, summarize, and discuss all kinds of academic college-level non-fiction and fiction.
7. Comprehend and use college-level vocabulary.
8. Explain the conventions of advanced academic discourse, including style, tone, point of view, and the importance of original thought in developing oral and written arguments.

Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

Reading--From expository essays and full-length works of non-fiction:
1. Identify the main idea or thesis.
2. Identify the sequencing or order of the ideas presented.
3. Explain how the writer supports and illustrates ideas and connects
them to the thesis.
4. Paraphrase and summarize paragraphs and essays.
5. Annotate an essay with appropriate comments.
6. Identify the stylistic features of an essay.
7. Identify an essay's tone.
8. Distinguish between literal and inferential information and identify.
9. Identify argumentative techniques and recognize logical fallacies.
10. Articulate comprehension of complex, college-level texts in writing or in
class discussions.
11. Articulate opinions and assumptions in relation to reading material.

Writing--:
1. Per IGETC standards write expository and argumentative essays, each with a clearly identifiable thesis,
totalling 6,000 to 8,000 words.
2. Organize essays, paragraphs, and sentences logically and coherently.
3. Develop paragraphs with concrete, appropriate, and relevant details.
4. Apply knowledge of rhetorical patterns to effectively shape paragraphs.
5. Write essays which express a mature attitude toward their subject with a consistent and appropriate
point of view.
6. Write analytical essays responding to opposing arguments and avoiding logical fallacies in argumentative/persuasive writing.
7. Revise essays for clarity, precision, sentence variety, correct diction, and appropriate voice.
8. Recognize and correct errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
9. Apply appropriate and effective writing strategies to in-class essays.

Research:
1. Demonstrate facility with college-level library research techniques including online research tools.
2. Recognize the difference between primary and secondary sources.
3. Use MLA format in citing research.

Special Needs

Every effort is made to conform to accessibility standards for all instructor-created materials. Students should contact their instructor as soon as possible if they find that they cannot access any course materials. Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278).

Health issues (physical and mental) can interfere with your academic success. Student Health Services is here to support you. Details are at shs.santarosa.edu. 

 

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it. A student may be dropped from any class when that student's absences exceed ten percent (10%) of the total hours of class time. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact the instructor to avoid being dropped from the class.

 

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by October 2, 2016. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

List of assignments

Note to students: the assignments listed below are in alphabetical (not chronological) order. To see them listed by due date, go to Modules.

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