Course Objectives:
This course will promote academic success in English 140 and other courses.
Critical thinking is the process of evaluating what you see and hear then judging what those ideas mean to you. Critical thinking utilizes logic and analysis, which involve checking for accuracy of statements and sound reasoning that leads to acceptable conclusions.
You will apply critical thinking in your academic and social lives by exploring the following objectives:
- develop a more concrete understanding of individuality
- gain confidence as a thinker, reader, and writer
- acquire a positive attitude toward academic readings and new situations
- apply readings and films on the college experience to your own experiences
- react, question, and summarize as you read and afterward
- integrate reading, writing, and thinking processes
- form qualified, thoughtful opinions
- enhance your use of language to communicate thoughts effectively
- think like Spock
In addition, as a designated Freshman Year Experience course, General 103 offers you the following opportunities:
- introduce you to a liberal education and awaken intellectual curiosity
- enhance skills needed for academic success
- strengthen your connection to UW-Eau Claire
- engage you in meaningful academic and non-academic out-of-class activities
- enhance your accountability for your education
This course also aims at beginning to fulfill the following “Goals of the Baccalaureate Degree”:
- An understanding of a liberal education
- An appreciation of the University as a learning community
- An ability to inquire, think, and analyze
- An ability to write, read, speak, and listen
- An understanding of values
- An understanding of human behavior and human institutions
Purchase Text: Higher Learning: Reading and Writing About College, by See and Taylor
Rental Text: Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking by Vincent Ryan Ruggerio
Attendance
Attendance is a requirement that will be enforced each class period. Students who are absent miss a valuable, significant amount of learning that cannot be duplicated. If you miss class you are expected to have completed the assignment and be prepared for class the day you return. This is your responsibility. Late work will not be accepted for grading, although I will evaluate late work.
Course Requirements:
Learning Journal
Each student is required to keep a Learning Journal based on the Critical Thinking Points “As You Read,” “After You’ve Read,” or “Some Possibilities for Writing” in Higher Learning. This is not “busy work,” and will not be graded as such. Thoughtful, insightful responses to readings promote critical reading and thinking, as well as the ability to synthesize material.
Each week respond to at least one “Critical Thinking Point” found somewhere within the readings for the week. This gives you much choice in which readings and which prompts you respond to. One page (word processed, of course) minimum.
Please be aware that I will collect these without notice, so you must keep up with your reading and responses!
Papers
- Paper 1: Who are you?
- Paper 2: What would you like to become?
Campus Event Responses
The following options are available to immerse you in types of Campus Culture:
Attend a literary event, campus film, play, sporting event, campus church service (different denomination than yours), a Cabin event, musical event, Forum event, Artist Series event, a Student group meeting, or dorm event; observe a house party; or attend any “campus” option of your own (see instructor first).
Please write a one-page response for each of the two events and include the following information:
- Summarize the experience
- Discuss how the event is a part of “college culture”
- Discuss why you would or would not attend another event like this
Midterm (take home exam)
What is critical thinking and how does it apply to your academic and social life?
Use concepts discussed in class to give specific descriptions and examples.
Final (take home exam)
Who are you now? Using critical thinking concepts learned over the course of
the semester, what have you learned about yourself? Use specific examples.
Grading
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Learning Journal |
15% |
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Level 1 Paper |
15% |
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Level 2 Paper |
20% |
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In-Class Writing |
10% |
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Campus Event Response |
15% |
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Midterm |
10% |
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Final |
15% |
Tentative Weekly Outline
| week 1: 9/4 and 6 |
Preview textbook |
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Overview of UWEC resources |
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Introduction to course
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| week 2: 9/11 and 13 |
Introduction to critical thinking |
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Characteristics of critical thinkers
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| week 3:9/18 and 20 |
Thinking strategies |
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Becoming an individual
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| September 17 Last day to drop full-semester classes with no record
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| week 4: 9/25 and 27 |
Paper 1 due |
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Recognizing opinions |
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Testing / forming opinions
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| week 5: 10/02 and 04 |
Campus Event Response due |
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| week 6: 10/9 and 11 |
What is an argument |
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Steps to understanding
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| week 7: 10/16 and 18
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Errors in Perception
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| week 8: 10/23 and 25
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Midterm
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| week 9: 10/30 and 11/01
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Campus Event Response due
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| week 10: 11/6 and 8
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Logical fallacies/Clarifying issues
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| November 12
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Last day to withdraw from full semester class(es)
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| week 11: 11/13 and 15 |
Forming a judgment |
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Paper 2 due
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| week 12: 11/20
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Thinking Critically about advertising
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| week 13: 11/27 and 29 |
Thinking Critically about TV |
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Campus Event Response due
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| week 14: 12/4 and 12 /6
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Thinking Critically about TV
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| week 15: 12/11 and 13 |
Thinking Critically about |
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contemporary music
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| Wed., December 19, @ 1:00 PM FINAL due NOTE: you must come to this exam |
