Critical Thinking
ORG536
Thursday evenings 7:00-9:45 pm
Webb Hall 210
Texts (Stocked at ECSU bookstore):
Asking the Right Questions, 8th
edition, by M.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will
need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the
Office of AccessAbility Services at
Office Hours: I will be in my office for visits or telephone calls on Mondays from 5:00-6:30, Wednesdays from 10:00-noon, and Thursdays from 2:00-3:30. I am also available to meet at other times, by appointment. Please free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you have, or to set up appointments with me. scotte@easternct.edu
Assignments: Check WebCT regularly for your assignments. There will be written assignments which must be uploaded the day before class, written assignments to be brought to class, and class participation reflections which must be completed within a couple of days of the class meeting.
Grading: Your grade in this class will be based on your performance each day. You will have the opportunity to earn points for homework assignments and class participation. I will give you an idea of what will constitute good (=B) work and give you full points if you do what I ask. Doing this consistently through the semester will earn you 126 points, which will be a B. It will be up to you to go above-and-beyond to produce excellent (=A) work, but when you do, I will give you more than full points. You will have to do this at least 10 times in the semester to earn an A. If you miss a class, you will miss the opportunity to participate and to do any in-class assignments, but you can still receive credit for homework assignments turned in on time. Other students in the class will rely on your completing your assignments on time in order for them to be able to do theirs, so late homework assignments will not be accepted. You will receive 5 free points for the semester. You may feel free to apply them to missed class participation, missed homework assignments, or just to boost your grade.
137 and above = A
134-136 = A-
131-133 = B+
126-130 = B
123-125 = B-
118-122 = C+
114-117 = C
110-113 = C-
104-109 = D
Below 104 = F
Attendance: If you expect to miss a class, and you are supposed to bring an assignment to class, please make arrangements for a classmate to deliver your homework to the class and to communicate any missed information to you.
Academic Integrity: All individual projects must be the work product of the individual who submits it. All group projects must be the work product of the group which submits it. All sources must be properly acknowledged. Quotation marks must surround any string of 4 or more words used verbatim from a source. Penalties, including failure in the course and recommended dismissal from the program, will be assessed upon violation of this policy.
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Topic |
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1/24/08 |
Introductions |
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1/31/08 |
Asking the right question. Issues and Conclusions. Reciprocation. Commitment and Consistency. |
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2/7/08 |
Definition Categorization Assertion |
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2/14/08 |
Reasons. Ambiguous words and phrases. Social proof. Liking. |
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2/21/08 |
Arguments Logic Induction/Deduction |
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2/28/08 |
Value Conflicts and Assumptions Descriptive Assumptions. Authority. Scarcity. |
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3/6/08 |
Are there any fallacies in the reasoning? |
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3/13/08 |
Intuition, Appeals to authority, testimonials Personal observation, case studies, analogies. |
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3/27/08 |
Rival causes Deceptive statistics. |
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4/3/08 |
Omitted information. Reasonable conclusions |
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4/10/08 |
Review of techniques. |
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4/17/08 |
Debate |
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4/24/08 |
Debate |
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5/1/08 |
Debate |