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Welcome to

Butler's CRE 101 Homework Page
SPRING 2012

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 9:45 PM

Thinking well, in order to choose well, is the hardest work in the world, but that is our virtue as human beings, what we are made for. Let us not shrink from the duty of our nature, but embrace it with courage and humility.


Good critical thinkers are not afraid to think carefully about philosophical, moral and religious propositions
that might have truth in them that can be arrived at by reason but have no physical proof to them.

 Welcome to one of the most important courses you will take for your intellectual development: College Critical Reading! Don't let the name fool you! This is not a course in phonics practice or fill in the blank skill drills, but a course in critical thinking. We will be challenged to develop skills of inference, detection of fallacies of thinking in the writings of others, and the ability to argue persuasively our own points of view. It is a reading course because we will read. But it is also a speaking course because we will speak and discuss, a writing course because we will write, a logic course because we will construct precise arguments. Most accurately, it is a thinking course, because we will think-- carefully, analytically and deeply-- about ourselves and the ideas of others. And through that process we will not only develop our intellects, but our self awareness.


For maximum usefulness and minimum confusion, please read the following carefully:

  • This assignment calendar is updated frequently. The date and time of the last update will always be posted at the top of the page in red.
  • Sometimes I will add new assignments; sometimes I will delete or cross out assignments; sometimes I will postpone assignments.
  • The exact assignment due next meeting will always be given in class.
  • Next week's assignments may be changed in class. If you are absent, call or e-mail for the assignment!
  • Past weeks' assignments are placed at the bottom of this page.
  • If you are working ahead: Please check with me first. I often change things as the semester proceeds. Many future assignments are best done when scheduled, as they depend on class instruction immediately beforehand.
  • Assignment days in gray have not been updated and may or may not be assigned this semester.
  • Articles and items that are hyperlinked with a blue underline are available for you on the internet. Some assigned articles will only be available as handouts in class. Some will only be available online.

Past weeks' assignments are placed at the bottom of this page. Nothing goes away. 

Week    #1
January 
17 & 19

Tuesday

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thursday

The tools of critical thinking can help free the mind from prejudice, selfishness, intolerance, and arrogance, to help solve the tremendous problems now facing us as humans living on the planet.
~ Richard Paul

FIRST DAY OF CLASS:

No homework is due the first day of class,
but take a look at what's due for your next class ------------------------------>>
and get started.

In-Class Activities:

  • Course focus
    syllabus (online only): course requirements and materials
    E mail requirement
    Take attendance

So what is critical thinking?

 

Homework due Thursday:

  • If you haven't already done so, REPLY to the "WELCOME" e-mail I already sent to your maricopa.edu google email account. Follow the directions in my email. Here's a movie to show you how to log in and forward email to whatever email address you check every day.
  • Read the course syllabus (online only)
  • Sign and hand in course syllabus acknowledgement page.

In-Class Activities:

Extra Credit Opportunities:

  • This semester you may earn up to 30 points extra credit (i.e., 3 percentage points on your class average).
  • All extra credit must be done before the last week of class.You may turn in an extra credit assigment any time prior to the deadline.
  • The assignments are not giveaways. They are scholarly learning experiences which will be evaluated as usual. If an assignment is poorly done, no credit at all will be given.
  • Extra credit assignments are found in the yellow boxes (like this one) throughout the homework schedule, and they generally shouldn't be done before the week they are posted.

Attend one of the daytime or evening Grammar Workshops, presented by an experienced English professor,
take notes, pick up handouts, and type a full page about what you learned for 10 points extra credits
( If you miss class to attend a workshop, you will receive no credit.)

Grammar is the logic of speech, even as logic is the grammar of reason --Richard C. Trench

OR

Attend one of the Life Long Learning Seminars,
take notes, pick up handouts, and type a full page about what you learned for 10 points extra credit.
( If you miss class to attend a seminar, you will receive no credit :-( so don't do that!)

 

Week    #2
1/24 & 1/26

Tuesday

Critical thinking is the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself. ~Richard Paul

Thursday

"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted...
but to weigh and consider." --Francis Bacon

Homework due:

  • Read the Learning Through Discussion essay here..
    • Type in answers to the six questions about the essay and bring to class today.
  • Read ARQ chapters 1 and 2.
    • First two chapters of ARQ reproduced here if you do not yet have the textbook.
    • The ARQ study guides are strongly recommended, but not required to turn in.)

In-class Activities:

  • form groups
  • explain grading scale
  • 3 Levels of Reading
  • Introduce chapters 3 and 4.

Why must readers guess at meaning
while reading?

Good readers are focused on meaning, not words. While we are reading through the words in a sentence we are putting them together as meaningful thoughts, not separate words. But to make meaningful thought before we get to the end of the sentence or the paragraph we must predict, or guess, the meaning before it is entirely read. If we aren't guessing and "making meaning" while reading we won't remember the beginning of the sentence when we get to the end. It would be like reading a long list of unrelated words. Guessing while reading focuses on meaning rather than words. Most often we guess correctly at the author's meaning, but sometimes we don't. If we guess wrong, we realize our error because our guess doesn't make sense as we end the sentence or paragraph. Then we go back and reread to revise our prediction. Good readers often must reread to understand the author's meaning. Poor readers don't guess--they just read a list of words.

Homework due:

  • Read ARQ chapters 3 and 4. Don't forget the value of the ARQ study guides for chapters 3 and 4--NOT TO BE HANDED IN.
  • myCompLab training--if you haven't already registered with your access key, please bring it to class with you. You will need it for the training and for a short online assignment and submission.
  • BRING myCompLab access key with you if
  • 3 levels of reading audio slide show (20 minutes). Learn the 3 levels of reading.
In-Class Activities:
  • myCompLab training
    Introduction to essay, "Thinking as a Hobby
    Discuss ARQ chapter 3: the difference between "Prescriptive and Descriptive" arguments.
  • Quiz

So, what IS an argument, anyway? (heh, heh.)

 

How to convert a .wps or .wpd word processing file to a universal .rtf (rich text format) file

for sharing with people whose computers can't open .wps or .wpd.

Watch the 3 minute video.

Back to Top

Week   #3
1/31 & 2/2
"If you approach critical thinking as a method for defending your initial beliefs or those you are paid to have, you are engaged in weak-sense critical thinking.
Why is it weak? To use critical-thinking skills in this manner is to be unconcerned with moving toward truth or virtue." --Brown and Keeley, ARQ.

Tuesday

Good critical thinkers are not afraid to think carefully about philosophical, moral and religious propositions
that might have truth in them that can be arrived at by reason but have no physical proof to them.

Thursday

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. (John 18:38)

Homework due:

  • Bring pinkcopy of Thinking as a Hobby
  • Review ARQ chapters 3 and 4. Study guide and practice passages 1 and 2, are recommended!
  • Email me if you don't have a copy of the ARQ 1-10 study guide.
  • Do ambiguous terms assignment onmyCompLabwriting space--due 7:00 AM

In-Class Activities:

  • Emerging Leaders 5 minute Guest Presentation

  • More info on Thinking as a Hobby essay due Thursday

Butler ABSENT today, however:

Homework due today:

  • Read the essay Thinking as a Hobby (handed out) and Answer one of the Study Guide Questions, either #1, #2, or #4 on myCompLabwriting space.
  • Submit your essay in the myCompLab composing space no later than 12:00 P.M.  today.  Essays submitted after that time will not be accepted for credit. Please format your homework essays properly. Here is an example.
  • Also bring your copy of Thinking as a Hobby next Tuesday.

In-Class Activities: none, Butler absent

  • Class review of "Thinking as a Hobby"
  • Intro Obscene passage (heh, heh.)
  • Review 3 Levels of reading and compare to Golding
What is a planet?
What is no longer a planet?

For more on ambiguous terms, visit here.

That Chain E-mail Your Friend Sent to You Is (Likely) Bogus. Seriously.

 
Week #4
2/7 & 2/9

 

Tuesday

I know that you believe you understand what you think I said,
but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
--Robert McCloskey

ARE WE COMMUNICATING?

Thursday

"In the United States the majority undertakes to supply a multitude of ready-made opinions for the use of individuals, who are thus relieved from the necessity of forming opinions of their own."--Alexis de Tocqueville

PVCC Student Life Calendar

Homework due:

  • Check MyCompLab for an Ambiguous terms (chap 4) composition due Tuesday at 7:00 AM

In-Class Activities:

 
Homework due:
  • Read chapter 5 and Review slide show Assumptions (right click and save to your computer.Then click through the slide show.)
  • study guide 5 and chapter practices 1-2 strongly recommended.
  • rainforest destruction bring a copy to class for ticket to group
In-Class Activities:

Sample Argument analysis: ambiguous terms and values assumptions

Week # 5

2/14 & 2/16

Tuesday

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.~ Leo Tolstoy

Thursday

"A nation that is ignorant and free, is a nation that never was and never will be."
--Thomas Jefferson

Homework due:

For sample analys of Border argument, go to:

    In-Class Activities:
  • Groups evaluate their Fraternity Drinking work and then present to the class. What does Fierberg want, what is his reasoning structure, what are the ambiguous terms, what does Fierberg value?
  • Butler's critical analysis
National Health Insurance and Government Bids Analyses

Homework due:

  • Write a brief critical summary and analysis essay of the short argument on Student Travel

In-Class Activities:

  • Intro chapter 7 Fallacies
  • Review Frat Drnking Activity
  • Assumptions group practice (handout)

 

Week   #6
2/21 & 2/23

Tuesday

"The fiction writer is an observer first,last, and always,but he cannot be an adequate observer unless he is free from uncertaintly about what he sees. Those who have no absolute values cannot let the relative remain merely relative; they are always raising it to the level of the absolute." --Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners

Thursday

"Individuality begins in the realization that it is impossible to escape being influenced by other people and by circumstance."
--Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking

Homework due:

  • Read ARQ chapter 7 and do practice exercises 1 and 2 for yourself
    (not to be turned in)
  • Analyze Bill and Taylor's bad arguing in exercise 3 on pages 86-87. Find at least two fallacies per each paragraph and don't just name the fallacies, but explain the problems: what's wrong with the author's statements. To be typed and turned in.

In-Class Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Wanna waste time?

Homework due:

  • Read the whole Declaration of Independence carefully, in preparation for class discussion. In paragraph #2 he lays out the justification for revolution as a "right" of the people when their rights are being abused by their rulers. This paragraph is an argument with its own conclusion and reasons. Please type an outline of the issue, conclusion, reasons, ambiguous terms (if any--and their problems to the reasoning), and value and descriptive assumptions of just this 2nd paragraph for homework. (10 points, typed-- a labeled list, not an essay.) (If you need help understanding Jefferson's beautiful but antiquated English prose, read this paraphrase.)
Here's a site with lots of supplementary material on the Declaration

In class activities:

  • preview chapter 8, 3 criteria

60 fallacy challenges for fun and profit!

An excellent resource for Fallacies and other critical thinking problems.

Bill&Taylor analysis

Assumptions Practice Handout Answers

 
Week  #7
2/28 & 3/1

 

Tuesday

"I know of no country in which there is so little
true independence of mind and freedom of discussion as in America."
Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835 --Democracy in America

Was de Tocqueville right? Is he right today?

Thursday

That Chain E-mail Your Friend Sent to You Is (Likely) Bogus. Seriously.

"Scientists do not create the world; they learn about it and attempt to imitate it, following the laws and intelligibility that nature manifests to us. The scientist's experience as a human being is therefore that of perceiving a constant, a law, a 'logos' that he has not created but that he has instead observed: in fact, it leads us to admit the existence of an all-powerful Reason, which is other than that of man, and which sustains the world. --Joseph Ratzinger

Homework due:

  • Study read ARQ Chapter 8 ( The study guide is strongly recommended.) and analyze and correct practice passages 1 and 2 on p. 100-102. (not to turn in)
  • ARQ chapter 7: Fallacies ARQ 7 Passage 5 , analysis, typed.
  • Use this Fallacies Chart as a reference
  • In class:
    • Review Superior Ed
    • Dec of Indep. presentations
    • Introduce "High Tech Parents"

     

     

     

    Dr. Butler was absent Tuesday 10/4

    Homework due:

    • study read Chapter 9 and analyze and self correct practice passages 1 and 2 on p. 118-120. (Not to turn in)
      • The study guide is strongly recommended.
    • Type a one-page essay analysis to ARQ 8 passage 3(Macs vs. PCs) on pp. 101-102"
      • briefly summarize the author's conclusion and reasons (2-3 sentences), then
      • critique the quality of the argument, making reference, when appropriate, to any ambiguous terms, assumptions or fallacies.
      • Include especially an analysis of the type and quality of evidence the writer presents to support the claim. There are eight types of evidence explained in chapters 8 and 9, and remember Butler's three criteria for evaluating the quality of evidence for a particular argument: Right type? Accurate? Sufficient?
    • Thursday class: Since I was absent Tuesday, please bring Tuesday's homework with you as well.
    • Read Bias: What is It?

    In Class:

    • Review ARQ 8 Passage 3 MACS vs PCs
    • Declaration of Independence group presentations
    • Group "constitutions" activity.

     

    Week #8
    3/6 & 3/8

     

    Tuesday

    "A long time ago Aristotle pointed out that every argument finally rests on something that cannot be proved[that is, an assumption], and that it is the mark of an uneducated person not to realize that." --Miller, E.L. and J. Jensen, Questions that Matter

    Thursday

    "Clear thinking is a very rare thing, but even just plain thinking is almost as rare. Most of us most of the time do not think at all. We believe and we feel, but we do not think." --Leonard Woolf, 1936, British author

    Homework due:

    (PRIOR to attempting the homework assignment below this box,
    it is recommended you explore all the links below,
    which define and contrast news and opinion articles.)
    • Go to USA Today online to read the news article on high-tech parents. (Or download the MS word document of it if you can't access the website.)
      • Write a brief essay in which you first obectively summarize in one paragraph the issue being reported (Who, what, when, where, why, about the controversy). Do not criticize or add your own opinion. Be sure to open with a citation of the article you are summarizing.
      • In your second paragraph, state and briefly explain the values of the parents, and the values of the children and how they are in conflict. Also report the values of the child raising "experts." Do not criticize or add your own opinion.
      • Then state and briefly explain in your third paragraph what the descriptive assumptions are that may be underlying the parents' and the childrens' beliefs about this technology in general, the devices in particular, and the assumptions the parents and children may have about one another. Do not add your own opinion about the issue.
      • Finally, in your fourth paragraph, construct a short argument (one paragraph) in which you state your opinion on the issue and two or three reasons for your opinion. Try to avoid using ambiguous terms. Keep in mind the criteria for analysis as well as for writing as specified in the CRE 101 Rubric
      • This assignment, 2- 3 pages (double-spaced, size 12 type, one inch margins) is worth 20 points. (Four to five pages is too long!)
      • See the bottom of Fraternity Alcohol ambiguous terms analysis for an example of how to cite an article.

    In-Class Activities:

    • Dec. of Ind. presentations
    • Review Macs vs PCs
    • Intro chapter 10: Rival Causes

    .

    Homework due:

    • Read chapter 10: Rival Causes. The study guide and passages 1 and 2 for self-instruction are highly recommended.
    • Do anAnalysis of "Skipping Breakfast" Chapter 10, ARQ, passage #4

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review Chapter 10, passage #4
    • Review Macs vs PCs
    • Review Breakfast skippers
    • Desert Island groups
    • Discuss Midterm Exam
    • Possible CRITO exercise
    • Possible CIP
    Please remember that if you are absent, the homework is still due on time unless previous arrangements are made with the teacher. Tests and quizzes cannot be made up unless previous arrangements are made.

    ENJOY SPRING BREAK (3/12-3/16)

    Week   #9
    3/20 & 3/22

    Tuesday

    "If a person believes only what he can see with his own eyes, then really he is blind…because in that case he is limiting his horizon in such a fashion that the essential things escape him." --Joseph Ratzinger

    Thursday

    "In our culture repetition rather than research often leads us to believe something must be true.
    We need to use good critical thinking skills to find the truth."
    -John Bonavitacola
    Homework due:

    • Write an analysis of Arpaio squandering taxpayer money: a one-page essay critique of its argument. Start with one or two sentences stating the writer's claim and reasons. Then develop your argument as to the strengths, if any, and weaknesses of the argument, including ambiguous terms, unacceptable assumptions, fallacies, and quality of evidence. (Do not take sides on the issue)

    In-Class Activities:
    • Review High Tech Parents
    • Practice analysis: Rainforests.

     

    Homework due:

    Check the reviewing for the midterm page for all the things to study. There are live links to the essay and exercise analyses to help you review.

    Rainforest products practice analysis

    In-Class Activities:

     

    Week #10

    3/27 & 3/29

    Tuesday

    "There are two ways to slice easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking." --Alfred Korzybski, linguist

    Thursday

    "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day." --Thomas Jefferson

    Homework due:

    • Review for the midterm exam
    • Use this website for reviewing for the midterm. Be sure to review the model analyses of arguments we have done. They will help you prepare to do your midterm essay.

    In-Class Activities:

    • In Class: take the midterm exam, part 1 (50 points, knowledge of critical reading and analysis)
    • I will explain and distribute the midterm take-home, Part 2 (100 points, written essay: argument analysis) due next class.

    Homework due:

    • midterm take-home, Part 2 (100 points, written essay: argument analysis)

    In-Class Activities:

    • Intro chapter 11
    • Review Midterm

    • Groups create prescriptive arguments:
      • One prescriptive argument plus three reasons
      • avoid the use of ambiguous terms!
      • Possible topics:
        • smoking in restaurants
        • photo radar
        • legal drinking age
        • legalization of marijuana
        • raising tuition to build more classroom space

     

    Week #11

    4/3 & 4/5

    Tuesday

    He who establishes his argument by noise and command, shows that his reason is weak.--Michel de Montaigne
    French essayist (1533 - 1592)

    Thursday

    "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."--Mark Twain

     
    Homework due::
    • Read chapter 11 and analyze ARQ 10 and 11 passages
    • Outline the Conclusion and reasons. then for each passage

    • For passage 10, List multiple questions about what information is missing, and what other rival causes their might be to help you determine if the conclusion is a good one.

    • For passage 11, List multiple comments about how the statistics are deceptive and misleading (for each statement of Jennifer and Anthony) and what information might be missing to help you decide the meaningfulness or accuracy of the statistic. .

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review Homework
    • Grade reports
    • Intro chapter 12

    How Reliable is this Budweiser-sponsored
    "Responsible Drinking Survey?"

     
    Homework due:
    • study read ARQ chapter 12, and work through Practice passages 1 and 2. Check your answers.

    • Read about polling in pages 2-5 of online "Suspicious Statistics Packet"

    In-Class Activities:

    • Research/polling concepts

    Most Medical Research is Wrong?
    Who am I to believe?
    Isn't Science to be trusted?

     

     

    Week
    #12

    4/10 & 4/12

    Tuesday

    "Truth is based on the reality of things. Truth occurs when the mind conforms to a reality that it did not itself create." --James Schall, U. of Georgetown

    Thursday

    "All generalizations are false, including this one."
    Mark Twain

    Homework due:

    In-Class Activities:

    • Quiz on polls
    • Suspicious Statistics (handout)
    • Analyze Wallet study
    • Intro Trifles
    • Here's pie in your face (Yum!)

    Homework due:

     

    In-Class Activities:

    • LTD: Fill out the Evidence chart for the investigation of the murder (handwritten). You will be evaluating the evidence to bring to a "jury." Chart the facts, opinions and intrpretations of them. Then report
    • For help: a tutorial on the difference between facts and opinions.
    • For the difference between facts, opinons, and reasoned judgments.
    • Statistics Passage analyses in groups Wallets, Phoenix,
    • Quiz on Polling Terms?
       

     

    Week #13

    4/17 & 4/19

    Tuesday

    The aim of science, at its "strong sense critical thinking best, is truth--
    --the way the world is.


    The aim of politics is policy--
    --the way the world should be and what to do about it.

    Thursday

    The danger of science is claiming we know the truth before we really do.

    The danger of politics, at its "weak sense critical thinking" worst,
    is wanting science to support policy, rather than policy to flow from real truth.

    When you mix science and politics carelessly, truth is often a casualty, and politics a failure.
    Homework due:

    • pages 3-7 of 7-page handout "Suspicious Statistics Handout" (Gay brain size and Black AIDS conspiracy):

      Notes (handwritten OK) that reflect the following:

      I am most interested in you seeing how the research fails to prove the claim--that is, the shortcomings and flawed methods, as well as what information is missing that you the critical reader would need to complete your evaluation of the conclusion. So it is not so necessary to detail the whole typical "listing" of the elements and problems of reasoning except as some might apply. Chapters 11 and 12 may be most useful to you. 

      Also, how does the newspaper itself reveal a bias in its reporting?
      (these articles are also available online on pages 8, and 17 -19 of the 22-page online Suspicious Statistics Packet)

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review Gay Brain and Black AIDS Conspiracy
    • Review additional Suspicious Statistics
    • Introduction of online TONE packet

    Example of Letter to the Editor satire

     

    Extra Credit: 10 points

    Can your smile really predict your success in marriage?

    Read the article and analyze it for ambiguity,
    assumptions, evidence, and missing information. (200 words)

     

    Homework due:

    • Complete this Critical Thinker Inventory to submit in class. Download this document and fill it in and print it off. (10 points for a thorough and thoughtful completion of the assignment).

    In-Class Activities:

      Review Flag letters

     

    Extra Credit Activity: 10 points
    • Online TONE packet activity (10 points):
      • Review the flag-draped coffin cartoon on page 4 of the online packet. (drawn during the national debate over whether we should invade Kuwait at the beginning of the first Gulf War in 1991). (Only online)
      • Analyze all eight letters to the editor on the “Flag letters” page 5, online packet or first page of tan packet handed out in class. ,
      • For each of the eight letters, handwrite or type one or two sentences in which you identify the various tones being employed by the writer, and how those tones are accomplished (what words, details, and arrangement of details create each tone).  Some letters have multiple tones. 

     

    Extra Credit: 10 points

    Read the following article and analyze it for
    assumptions, evidence, and missing information. (200 words)

    Fatality rate on Ariz. roads at record low

    Explain how this article does or does not provide enough evidence for the claim that
    speed cameras have reduced traffic fatalities in Arizona.

     

     

    "In most quarrels, truth is the first victim. But beware. Untruth always does its worst harm to its advocates. It demands that they close themselves off from any evidence that does not support their claims. They begin to live more and more in the past, distorting whatever happens in the present to convince themselves that nothing has changed. It takes a lot of energy to keep up pretenses; and , as a result, potentially life-enhancing possibilities are not pursued. The stubborn refusal to admit being wrong is cumulatively soul destroying." -- Michael Casey

    Week #14

    4/24 & 4/26
    Tuesday

    Bias is not merely supporting only one side of an argument,. Rather, bias is distorting or representing unfairly one or both sides of an argument to the writer's advantage... It may occur because the writer has a personal gain to achieve by winning the argument, or because of unaware prejudice.
    It is weak sense critical thinking.

    Thursday

    I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly. --Michel de Montaigne

     

    Homework due:

    • Begin studying for the final exam: especially the study guides and chapters 6-12 of ARQ.
    • Review the difference between facts, opinons, and reasoned judgment
    • Be clear on what bias is and isn't: Read Bias: What is It?
    • Tuesday:Quiz on Polling Terms Because of my absence, and Thanksgiving resulting in reduced class time, we will use this as a study document after Thanksgiving-be prepared to ask questions about terms you are not sure of.

      In-Class Activities:

      • Don't be late or you might miss the alien visitors!

      "The Truth is out there!"
      --Agent Mulder, FBI

     

    Wacko Global Warming?

    Do you agree with all his logic? If not, where/how does he go wrong? Watch the 10 minute video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc5N9BTjyAM&feature=fvwrel

     

     

    • Mark up and label the instances of cynicism, sarcasm, irony,and satire in each letter of the Flag Letters handout.
    • Read this online version of "Spanish Forbidden." Based on the article, which is not an argument, but a news report, construct a short summary of the controversy (one paragraph--objectively reported. Followthatby a shortargument of your ownonyour position on the issue: Three reasons/arguments for or against supported with reasoning and/or evidence.)

    In-Class Activities:

    • Article analysis: Read "Spanish Forbidden." Based on the article, which is not an argument, but a news report about an argument, write a short essay in which you describe the various fallacies committed by the different sides (These are not fallacies committed by the reporter.)

       

    • 10 points extra credit:

      • Find a recent (2010) newspaper or magazine article that reports the findings and conclusions of a research study. (A news report, not an opinion piece).

        • Outline the claim and evidence and procedure (how the study was conducted).
        • Write a list of questions about what information is missing that prevents you from safely judging the study was well-done and the conclusion was solid.
        • Note any deficiencies in the methodology of the study.
        • Include a readable photocopy of the article with your analysis. (10 points)

    So what's the evidence for UFO's?

    Baloney Detection Kit

    Is science all there is for knowing about the world?

     
    Everyone thinks. It is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking left to itself is biased, distorted, ill-founded, or prejudiced. Much of our thinking leads to problems in our lives. Much of our thinking leads to cruelty and injustice. Of course, the mind doesn’t just think, it also feels and wants. What is the connection? Our thinking shapes and determines how we feel and what we want. When we think well, we are motivated to do things that make sense and motivated to act in ways that help rather than harm ourselves and others.

    ~ Richard Paul - Linda Elder "The Human Mind"

     

    Week #15

    5/1 & 5/3
    Tuesday

    Go here to read the latest news about how state governments
    fudge on statistics     to get federal aid to education.

    Ethos: The ethics and trustworthiness of the arguer.
    Logos: The use of logic to show the truth of the argument
    Pathos: The use of emotion to assist the reader to accept the argument.


    He who knows only his side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may have been good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side he has no ground for preferring either opinion."
    --John Stuart Mill

    Homework due:

    • TWO Alien Study Guide answers due as carefully written one-page essays (Ten points each. Choose from Questions 1-5). PLEASE RETURN 15-PAGE WHITE TRANSCRIPT, EVEN IF YOU WROTE ON IT.

    • Bring Statistics packet
    • Bring your tone packet to class.

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review Alien answers
    • LTD: Aliens group activity Group activity
    • Review Flag letters for tone
    • Form study groups

    The Latest Fast Food advantage!

    How about this satire on getting adults to read

    Truth in Advertising--or is it?

    Family fun with Microsoft

    A website devoted to satiric "news:"

    the onion

     

     

    Thursday

    • ALL EXTRA CREDIT DUE
      Begin studying all chapters of ARQ 1-12 for final exam
    • Biased statistics: Researcher: Abortion Advocates Manipulate Data
    • Bias: Bring your yellow tone packet to class.
    • Bring yellow/gold colored Assumptions packet to class.
    • Please bring and return Aliens transcript

    In-Class Activities:

    • Groups analyze an article:
    • Mother Teresa
    • Review for final: bring questions about meanings of course content.

     

    Definition of Satire:
    Poking fun at a problem by offering a ridiculous, extreme solution or situation
    that actually further exposes the real problem.

    Here is an example of political satire as a response to the perceived BIAS of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in favor of the Palestinians and against the Israelis:

    Sarchasm • \SAR-cha-sym\ • noun : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. (Ha Ha?)

    Sarcasm on YouTube (Oh, My!):

    Week
    #     16

     

     

    Go here to read the latest news about how state governments
    fudge on statistics     to get federal aid to education.

    Ethos: The ethics and trustworthiness of the arguer.
    Logos: The use of logic to show the truth of the argument
    Pathos: The use of emotion to assist the reader to accept the argument.

    Last Class

    He who knows only his side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may have been good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side he has no ground for preferring either opinion."
    --John Stuart Mill

     

    ALL EXTRA CREDIT DUE (MONDAY ONLY)
    • Read Bias: What is It?
    • Biased statistics: Researcher: Abortion Advocates Manipulate Data
    • Bias: Bring your yellow tone packet to class.
    • Bring yellow/gold colored Assumptions packet to class.
    • Please bring and return Aliens transcript

    In-Class Activities:

    • Formulate exam questions on ARQ chapters (with answers)
    • Group quiz with Tone and Media Bias
    • Classroom Bias
      • murderous baby sitter
      • EV reps
      • Mother Teresa
    • For a tutorial on the difference between facts and opinions.
    • For the difference between facts, opinons, and reasoned judgments.
    • Groups formulate answers to questions: 5points complete, accurate answers
      • Define the key terms
      • Explain several steps to answer the question:
        1. Assumptions
        2. Ambiguous terms
        3. Missing information
        4. Rival Causes
        5. Decpetive Statistics

      •  

    The Latest Fast Food advantage!

    How about this satire on getting adults to read?
    • final exam part 2 in class--Don't be late!

    In-Class Activities:

    • final exam part 2 in class--Don't be late!

    Definition of Satire:
    Poking fun at a problem by offering a ridiculous, extreme solution or situation that actually further exposes the real problem.

    Here is an example of political satire as a response to the perceived BIAS of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in favor of the Palestinians and against the Israelis:

    Sarchasm • \SAR-cha-sym\ • noun : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. (Ha! Ha!)

    Sarcasm on YouTube (Oh, My!):

     

    Final Exams Week:

    So what have you learned in this course?

    "My hope [is] that we have not labored in vain,
    and that our experiment will still prove that men can be governed by reason."
    --Thomas Jefferson

    "We live at a time, philosophically speaking, when a lot of people have just given up on the pursuit of truth. They no longer believe there's something out there that decides what will be truth or falsity." --Ralph McInerny, University of Notre Dame

    But Butler hasn't given up on truth,
    and he's going to grade you on it!

    No class during Finals week: study and show up on time for your scheduled exam:

    Section #32481 (TR 10:30-11:45A): Tuesday, May 8, 10:30 A.M.-12:20 P.M.
     
    Section #32483 (TR 9:00-10:15A): Thursday, May 10, 7:30 A.M.-9:20 A.M.

    (Vacation starts after your finals are over!)

     

    What to review for the final:

    You are ready for this.

    You can do it.

    You will do it.

    You've already done it.
     

    (And don't forget, vacation starts after the exam)

    Thank you for all your contributions to discussion this semester!

     

     

    The following grey assignments cells are NOT part of this semester's schedule of activities. However, the yellow exta credit boxes are eligible, and all extra credit is due by paper copy in class on the first day of class during the final week of class. Email submissions will not be accepted.

     

     

    Week #16 

    MonMonday/Tuesday2/7 and TuesMonday/Tuesday2/8

    Research shows that people can be mistaken even when they are making a special effort to judge objectively. Sometimes their errors are caused by considerations so subtle they are unaware of them.--Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking

    WednesMonday/Tuesday2/9 and ThursMonday/Tuesday2/10

     

    PVCC Student Life Calendar

    "Nothing corrupts intellectual power like the abuse of the language. Free speech becomes an endangered species when powerful words, misused, become shortcuts for specious argument and repetitious cliches trivialize noble ideas." --Suzanne Fields, columnist
    Homework due:
    • ALL EXTRA CREDIT DUE

    In-Class Activities:

    • Monday: You be the judge jury.
    • Tone/bias
    EXTRA Credit: 10 points
    • 300 words minimum 3 paragraphs minimum
    • First, review all of your homeworks, the textbook, notes, and this web page.
    • Then, explain in detail the three most important concepts/skills you have learned in this course. Why are they so important, and how will you be different as a result of them? (NOTE: This is not "guess what Butler thinks are the three most important concepts," but what YOU think and why. Less than detailed

     

    "The Truth is out there!"
    --Agent Mulder, FBI
    Homework due:

    • none

    In-Class Activities:

    • Tone/Bias
    • grade sheets
    • review for final

     

     

    A goofy claim by the Arizona Department of Education

    Extra Credit: 20 points
    Watch a movie!

    Analyze the critical thinking of three jurors in the famous 1956 film drama, 12 Angry Men. Send me an email for the details.

     

     

     


    The aim of science, at its "strong sense critical thinking best, is truth--
    --the way the world is.
    The aim of politics is policy--
    --the way the world should be and what to do about it.

    The danger of science is claiming we know the Truth before we really do.

    The danger of politics, at its "weak sense critical thinking" worst, is wanting "truth" to support policy, rather than policy to support real Truth.

    When you mix science and politics carelessly, truth is often a casualty, and politics a failure.



    "Do not confound the truth with falsehood,
    nor conceal the truth knowingly."
    -- the Koran, 2:42"

    "...the truth will set you free." --Jesus Christ

    Homework due:

    • Tone Packet: Read the first two pages on "Tone" and "Language and Thought Vocabulary" then: Flag letters: For each letter, identify the several tones, and for each tone, the words in the letter that reveal that tone.
    • Bring your tone packet.

    In Class Activities:

    • Homework analysis
    • group activity

     

     

    (hint:)

    A website devoted to satiric news:

    the onion

     

     

    ID Dilemma: Should you be able to surf the net anonymously?

    Homework due:

    In Class Activities:

    • Bring your tone packet.
    • group activity
    • Review for final exam

     

    Week

    "A 2003 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 68 percent of children under 2 watch TV or videos daily and 26 percent have a TV in their bedroom. Nonetheless, the pediatrics academy recommends that children of that age not be exposed to TV or videos, saying that learning to talk and play with others is much more important."

    Grammar is the logic of speech,
    even as logic is the grammar of reason
    --Richard C. Trench

    Homework due:

    • Bring BOTH "Suspicious Statistics" and "Tone/Slanting" packets.
    • Second part of Sex Abuse Survey assignment (30 points). If you liked getting your midterm essay back with electronic comments from me, submit this one by email before class (no extra credit this time). Otherwise, a hard copy is due in class today.
      • Read two responses to the sex abuse survey: "Shocking Sex Survey" by the newspaper editor, and "Flawed sex survey still managed to tell the truth about sex abuse," by the researcher who did the study.
      • Then write an analysis of them. Indicate how well each opinion article addresses the relevant problems of the research.
      • Conclude with your reasons for believing which of the two opinion articles did a better job than the other in making its case.
      • Do not give your own opinion on the issue at hand (sex abuse and its prevalence) and try not to let your own biases interfere with your judgments as a critical thinker.
      • Your formal essay should be about two pages in length (300-400 words, 30 points).

    In-Class Activities:

    • Analysis of Sex Abuse survey responses

    An example of good research and reporting on sexual abuse

    How to spot bias in the media

    10 points extra credit:
    Lose weight by sleeping more?

    Analyze these two current articles about the connection between sleep and obesity in children, neither of which tells the whole story of the research that was done.

    1. Indicate what important information in the second article is missing from the first and which helps you make a better decision as to the validity and reliability of the study being reported.
    2. Compare them both to the official "abstract" of the full study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. What does the abstract add, if anything, that neither article mentions but which gives you confidence that the study was well done? (In order to view the full study online, you would have to pay $12.00 minimum, or subscribe to the journal.)

    http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/1105fatkids.html#

    http://www.alegent.com/body.cfm?id=4794&action=detail&ref=11777

    http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/120/5/1020

    Oh, and by the way,
    that new medical breakthrough you just read about
    or heard about on national news?
    Homework due:
    • TBA

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review "You, the taxpayer..."
    • Tone: "Lighten up" and "WebCams"

    Just in case you haven't got it yet on the satire thing:

    Extra Credit: (5,000 points)

    Can you tell the difference?
    Which is a satire and which is the real thing?
    What's the point?

    #1. http://www.darfurgenocide.org/
    #2.How can we raise awareness in Darfur?

    Maricopa Scholarships click here!

     

    So what have you learned in this course?

    Thinking well, in order to choose well, is the hardest work in the world, but that is our virtue, what we are made for. Let us not shrink from the duty of our nature, but embrace it humbly and courageously.


    "Humans exist not only physically, but also spiritually, possessing a moral sense, the core of which is the dignity of being human. Our high regard for dignity is the natural source of our sense of justice. When a system or a country allows everyone to live with dignity, it can gain spontaneous approval from the people, which is how St Thomas Aquinas understood political virtue: virtuous good governance lies not only in maintaining order, but [even] more in establishing human dignity. [If it acts] otherwise, [a government] will provoke various forms of resistance, with conscientious objection among the principal forms."
    --Liu Xiaobo, jailed in 2009 for criticizing the Chinese government.

    Homework due:

    • Bring BOTH "Suspicious Statistics" and "Tone/Slanting" packets.
    • Final written analysis due: (10 points) Choose one:
      • Read all four articles of pages 14-18 in the "Tone/Slanting" packet.
      • And read all four articles of pages 22-23d in the "Suspicious Statistics " packet.
        • Choose one of the eight articles and in one paragraph summarize the writer's main point; in a second paragraph, critique the writer's reasoning/evidence. 200-300 words.
        • Be prepared to share your summary/critique aloud in class.

    In-Class Activities:

    • Pre-exam Grade sheets
    • in-class activity: Tone/Bias packet activity (10 points)
      • Slanting: Saints and Sinners: Read pages 10 and 11 of the Tone/Bias packet. Each writer describes an encounter with the (then) recently deceased Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who became famous for her charitable care for the homeless and dying.
      • Show how each writer uses specific words and details to create a favorable or unfavorable slant, or unique point of view toward Mother Theresa. How does each person's background affect their bias?

      Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.--Buddha Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be ye a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.--Buddha

    Homework due:

    • Bring BOTH your "Suspicious Statistics" and "Tone/Slanting" packets this week and next.
    • analysis due (20 points, late papers will not be accepted). Write an essay critical of the research reported and the news article itself, "Sex Abuse Rate is high in state." What are the apparent problems with the research being reported and what are the problems with the newspaper article itself? (This is a front page news article reporting on a research study that reaches some startling conclusions--be clear about who is arguing and who is reporting, and how well each did their job.) Your essay should be about a page in length (250 words, 20 points)

    In-Class Activities:

    • Review Sex Abuse Rate article
    • Tone/Bias/Slanting Packet:
      • Flag Letters
      • British Nanny
      • The happiest jetsetter

    • CNET Top 5 differences between MACS and PCs: What are the evidences that Tom Merritt is not neutral in his report?

    Did you know there is a specific area in your brain to detect and interpret sarcasm? Is your saracasm detector working?

    Definition of Satire:
    Poking fun at a problem by offering a ridiculous solution or situation that actually further exposes the real problem.

    Here is an example of political satire as a response to the perceived BIAS of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in favor of the Palestinians and against the Israelis:

    BAD RESEARCH
    Extra Credit opportunity:

    Sometime in the next week or two, clip or zerox from a newspaper or magazine, or copy from a website, a current report of a poll or research study. Analyze its statistics and methodology using what you know about how to conduct research and relevant ARQ questions (through chapter 12). If you are lucky, you'll find a really poor one with lots of stuff to go after, but be careful not to criticize it negatively if there really isn't anything clearly wrong. You may only be able to generate a list of questions regarding significant omitted information. (10 points)

    Must be submitted before the last week of class.

    Homework due :

    • All Extra Credit due this week (by Friday via e-mail)
    • "Where's the bias?" Anlayze as detailed in the handout. Need not be typed.
    • Tone: Read the opinion piece,"You, the taxpayer, failed teen who died in custody" (in packet). In one or two paragraphs, state the author's main conclusion and reasons, and analyze her use of tone. (What tones are employed and how?) 10 points
    In-Class Activities (CRE #1852):

    • Tone/Bias packet activity: page 9: "Pro-family reps imperil E.V. drug aid":

      1. Summarize the controversy being reported.
      2. Define all slanted, emotionally loaded terms and how they bias the news report.
      3. Indicate the tones created by the reporting, and how they are created.
      4. State the probable position of the newspaper and reporter on the issue (group work, 10 points)

    Is the news fake?

    How reliable is the news media?

    Another faked news story

    A good way to evaluate sources

    Sarcasm on YouTube (Oh, My!)
    Billy learns about sarcasm

    Join the fight:
    Say "NO!" to sarcasm on YouTube

    Extra Credit:

    Is Arizona the "Dumbest State?"

    Read the news article. Then explore theseveral pages of the website that reports its methodology and statistical findings. Write a one-page critique of both the newspaper article and the "study." Report on the balance, accuracy, tone, and fairness of the news article, and on the soundness of the study's methodology and conclusions. (10 points)

    Must be submitted before the last week of class

     

    Ghoulish Extra Credit!

    (10 points)

    Critically read the news report "Town decries police inquiry into vampire slaying." (This is a news report, not an opinion piece!)

    Imagine yourself as a CRE 101 investigator, sent by your classmates to Romania to investigate these "vampire slayings*," which are really occurring, and for which people are getting in trouble with the police. Your mission is to analyze the news report and the testimonial evidence provided by the police and villagers below, and to report back to the class with your judgment on the truth of the matter regarding this phenomenon. Be creative, but:

    • Your report will need to account for the beliefs of the police and the various villagers interviewed--why do they believe what they believe, and why is it, or isn't it, true?
    • And, if you believe either the villagers or the police to be mistaken, how would you demonstrate their error to them so that they would come to know the truth?
    • Finally, comment on the tone of the reporter Matthew Schofield. What does he accomplish with this piece without saying it directly or injecting his own direct opinions into it?
    • *Make sure you get clear about who is "killing" whom!

    Another Extra Credit Opportunity

    • Analyze a magazine or newspaper ad that presents a combination of verbal and visual information.Clip or photocopy the ad to submit along with your analysis. 10 points for a thorough, accurate analysis.
    1. Outline the argument structure: Conclusion, Reasons, Ambiguous Terms, Assumptions, and
    2. analyze it for quality of evidence: Types of Evidence, Emotional Appeals, Fallacies. (Typed).
    3. Indicate what you believe to be missing (if anything) in order for a consumer to make a good purchasing decision.

      Must be submitted before the last week of class.


    All the experts were wrong!
    And it took the scientific establishment over 20 years to acknowledge it with a Nobel prize!

    Read the story of Australian physician and 2005 Nobel prize winner Barry Marshall, who overcame the stubborn disbelief of the medical establishment to prove that ulcers were caused by bacteria, not stomach acid, and thus should be treated, not by antacids, but by a course of antibiotics.

    For 10 points extra credit, read the short article and in one paragraph explain what blinded the "experts" to the truth.

    Must be submitted before the last week of class.




    10 points
    EXTRA     CREDIT
    for asking some really good questions

    Are you madly in love?

    Or just nuts?

    Read the following (typical) science news article and ask hard questions about the science.

    Love and madness not that different?

    Before you accept any of this as truth, what skeptical questions do you want answered?
    • What ambiguous terms do you want defined? Why?
    • What assumptions do you want clarified?
    • What cause/effect relationships do you want proved?
    • What statistical procedures do you want reported?
    Must be submitted before the last week of class.

    SLANTED NEWS: 10 points Extra Credit:
    Find a news article, preferably from an online mainstream newspaper, that is slanted/biased instead of journalistically neutral. Explain how the article is slanted/biased and in what direction. Point out the words/techniques the author and/or editor use to create the bias. One page, 200-300 words.
    (no credit if you blow it and pick an opinion piece)

    Must be submitted before the last week of class.



     

     

     


    Butler's CRE Homework Page     © 2011 Paradise Valley Community College.
    Questions/comments about this web page? Send me an e-mail!
    url: http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/~butler/cre/index.html