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CRTW 201: Critical Reading, Thinking, and Writing Winthrop University

Fall 2017 Honors Course Syllabus

Instructor: Amanda Hiner, Ph.D. Office Location: Bancroft 241 Phone: 803-323-2351 E-mail: hinera@winthrop.edu Home E-mail: alhiner@comporium.net Website: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/hinera

Office Hours: T/R 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.; T/W 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Class Hours: T/R 8:00 – 9:15 a.m. Section Number: H-004 Credit Hours: Three (3) Class Location: Owens 107

Required Texts

Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder. Critical Thinking: Learn the Tools the Best Thinkers Use. Concise ed., Pearson, 2006.

Tavris, Carol, and Elliot Aronson. Mistakes Were Made (but not by me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad

Decisions, and Hurtful Acts. Mariner, 2015. “The Correct Use of Borrowed Information.” Winthrop University English Department.

Recommended Text Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. Rules for Writers. 7th ed., Winthrop University Custom Ed., Bedford/St.

Martins, 2012.

Course Description

CRTW 201 focuses on critical reading, critical thinking, and deliberative/argumentative writing. The class builds on skills acquired in WRIT 101 and refined in HMXP 102. Successful critical thinking employs both inductive and deductive reasoning, draws upon primary and secondary resources for evidence and support, evaluates multiple viewpoints and methods, considers both the immediate and the long-term consequences of actions, avoids errors in logic and method, and recognizes the limitations that cultural experiences and individual temperaments place on our perceptions. In this course, students will develop and strengthen their critical thinking skills through the analysis of extended works of mature prose and demonstrate those improved skills through substantive writing and speaking assignments.

Course Goals To learn that the complex process of critical thinking is a part of all we do and that the process relies on such

skills as observing, speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

To use writing, reading, speaking, and critical thinking to foster general cognitive development and intellectual growth in an academic environment.

To recognize critical thinking and problem solving strategies in different academic disciplines.

To evaluate arguments, evidence, and the contexts in which they appear.

To prepare for writing by carefully analyzing evidence.

To plan, organize, and develop essays based on introspection, general observation, deliberation, research, and the critical reading of mature prose texts drawn from varied disciplines.

To learn to revise effectively by completely rethinking, restructuring, and rewriting essays.

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To recognize individual writing voices and learn how those voices can be adapted to fit different audiences and rhetorical situations.

To improve oral communication skills through classroom discussions and small group activities. See a complete listing of course goals on the Winthrop Department of English website.

Winthrop University Level Competencies (ULCs)

Competency 1 Winthrop graduates think critically and solve problems.

Winthrop University graduates reason logically, evaluate and use evidence, and solve problems. They seek out and assess relevant information from multiple viewpoints to form well-reasoned conclusions. Winthrop graduates consider the full context and consequences of their decisions and continually reexamine their own critical thinking process, including the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments.

Competency 2 Winthrop graduates are personally and socially responsible.

Winthrop University graduates value integrity, perceive moral dimensions, and achieve excellence. They take seriously the perspectives of others, practice ethical reasoning, and reflect on experiences. Winthrop graduates have a sense of responsibility to the broader community and contribute to the greater good.

Competency 3 Winthrop graduates understand the interconnected nature of the world and the time in which they live.

Winthrop University graduates comprehend the historical, social, and global contexts of their disciplines and their lives. They also recognize how their chosen area of study is inextricably linked to other fields. Winthrop graduates collaborate with members of diverse academic, professional, and cultural communities as informed and engaged citizens.

Competency 4 Winthrop graduates communicate effectively.

Winthrop University graduates communicate in a manner appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. They create texts – including but not limited to written, oral, and visual presentations – that convey content effectively. Mindful of their voice and the impact of their communication, Winthrop graduates successfully express and exchange ideas.

Student Learning Outcomes Knowledge: By the end of the semester, students will be able to

identify and define filters, barriers, and impediments to critical thinking

identify and define the elements of reasoning

identify and define the standards of reasoning

identify and define the character traits of a critical thinker Skills: By the end of the semester, students will be able to

apply the elements of reasoning to analyze their own thinking and the thinking of others

apply the standards of reasoning to analyze their own thinking and the thinking of others

use critical reading strategies to analyze a variety of texts

plan, draft, and revise critical writing in a variety of rhetorical contexts and disciplines

effectively discuss their thinking and the thinking of others in a variety of oral forms (e.g., discussions, group presentations, etc.)

Attitudes: By the end of the semester, students will be able to

recognize and appreciate the differences between critical and noncritical thinking in both themselves and others

integrate critical thinking character traits into their academic and personal lives

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Honors Course Requirements In-Class Verbal Participation/Reading Quizzes 10% Essay One (Critical Analysis Essay -- Elements/Impediments) 10% Essay Two (In-Class Essay) 10% Essay Three (Critical Analysis Essay Using the Standards) 15% Research Paper/Self Reflection/Annotated Bib. 25% Tavris/Aronson Group Presentation 10% Final Essay Exam (Stages Self Analysis) 10% Thinking Journal Assignments (6) 10%

The Honors papers and projects are longer and require additional steps, tasks, and application. It is expected that the Honors papers will require three to four additional hours per project, resulting in approximately 20 additional hours of work. Additional self-reflective tasks or “real-life” application will be required by these honors tasks. The caliber of the critical thinking will be assessed using rubrics developed by the English Department of Winthrop University and by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. The verbal component of the course is fulfilled by in-class small-group discussion and large-group verbal participation. Thinking Journal entries must be turned in on specific due dates through Turnitin. Any Thinking Journal entry submitted late to Turnitin will receive the standard late paper penalty. No Thinking Journal assignment grades will be dropped, so please make every effort to complete and submit all six entries to Turnitin.

Grading of Assignments The English Department of Winthrop University has established a departmental CRTW Writing Rubric. In addition, you will be provided with a Class Participation Rubric which outlines expectations for class participation and criteria for class participation grades. Your essay grades and your final grade will be based on the following 100 point scale:

100 – 93% = A 76 – 73% = C 92 – 90% = A- 72 - 70% = C- 89 – 87 % = B+ 69 – 67% = D+ 86 – 83% = B 66 – 63% = D 82 – 80% = B- 62 – 60% = D- 79 – 77% = C+ 59 – below = F

Attendance Policy I follow the standard Winthrop University policy on attendance, which stipulates that missing more than 25% of class meetings (7 class periods) will result in a grade of “N,” “F,” or U,” whichever is appropriate. Three absences (excused or unexcused) or less will have no effect your final grade in the course. Four absences (two weeks of the semester) will subtract four percentage points from your final grade, and five absences will subtract five percentage points. Six absences (three weeks of the semester) will subtract seven percentage points from your final grade. Certain absences, such as those for extended illnesses, family emergencies, or school-sanctioned travel, may be considered “excused” if the student provides adequate written documentation of the excused absence. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period. If you arrive after roll is taken, it is your responsibility to remind me after class that you should be marked “present.” I make every effort to carefully record student attendance on a daily basis. My official record of class attendance will be the only record used to determine student attendance at the end of the semester. I will not change my record of student attendance based upon a student’s memory of how many classes were attended.

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Draft and Revision Policy I will be happy to comment on and provide feedback on drafts submitted to me in my office or in class up to 24 hours prior to the paper’s due date. I will not accept drafts for review one day or less before the paper is due. I will make every attempt to return drafts to you within 48 hours of receiving them. I can’t proofread or make sentence-level corrections on your papers, but I will comment on any weaknesses or strengths I see in the draft. I cannot accept email drafts for feedback. You may submit either Essay One or Essay Three as a revision at the end of the semester. On revisions, the new grades are averaged with the original paper grades. You will be given specific guidelines for optional essay revisions.

Late Paper Policy

All due dates are noted in the syllabus and on paper assignments. Students will lose one-half letter grade (5 points) for each calendar day an essay is turned in late. All essays must be submitted to Turnitin by midnight on the day they are due in class. No paper will be graded that has not been successfully submitted to Turnitin. All Thinking Journal entries are subject to a late paper policy and will have five percentage points deducted for every calendar day they are submitted past the due date.

Student Code of Conduct As noted in the Student Conduct Code: “Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult individuals.” The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty Plagiarism refers to the act of presenting someone else’s thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument as your own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense which can result in failure in a course and, whether intentional or not, is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. The document The Correct Use of Borrowed Information thoroughly explains the scope of this academic violation. This document is also included in the Winthrop Custom Edition of Rules for Writers.

Use of Technology Students must subscribe to the class listserv by the second class period of the course. I will frequently use the class listserv to distribute assignments, reading selections, and important reminders for the course. Students are responsible to print, read, and bring to class all materials and documents distributed through the class listserv. All cell phones should be set to “vibrate” and should be kept in your backpacks during class. No texting or cell phone use is allowed in class unless we are having a specified “gadget day” to conduct in-class research.

Turnitin.com In order to be graded, papers must be submitted to Turnitin.com by midnight on the day the paper is due in class. “I couldn’t get Turnitin to work” does not constitute an excuse for late submission of a paper. Make sure you know how to use and submit papers on Turnitin before the first paper is due. Please do not inform me at the end of the semester that your Thinking Journal entries “didn’t go through” on Turnitin and ask to submit them late. If you do so, you will anger the Internet gods and risk assimilation by Daleks. Normal late paper penalties will apply to all Thinking Journal entries at all times. Student tutorials for using turnitin.com are available on the Dacus Library website.

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Turnitin Class I.D.: 15850654 Turnitin Class Password: RichardPaul

Students with Disabilities/Need of Accommodations for Access: Winthrop University is committed to providing access to education. If you have a condition which may adversely impact your ability to access academics and/or campus life, and you require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact the Office of Accessibility (OA) at 803-323-3290, or accessibility@winthrop.edu. Please inform me as early as possible, once you have your official notice of accommodations from the Office of Accessibility.

Writing Center The Writing Center, located in 242 Bancroft Hall, provides free consultation and tutoring. You are encouraged to seek assistance there when drafting or revising your essays. Please call the Winthrop Writing Center to schedule an appointment well in advance of your assignment due date at extension 2138 or schedule an appointment online.

Academic Success Center Winthrop’s Academic Success Center is a free resource for all undergraduate students seeking to perform their best academically. The ASC offers a variety of personalized and structured resources that help students achieve academic excellence, such as tutoring, academic skill development (test taking strategies, time management counseling, and study techniques), group and individual study spaces, and academic coaching. The ASC is located on the first floor of Dinkins, Suite 106. Please contact the ASC at 803-323-3929 or success@winthrop.edu. For more information on ASC services, please visit www.winthrop.edu/success.

Instructor Availability You can expect me to be available as a resource from which to draw and to obtain feedback. I am very responsive to email questions as long as I know who the email is from and have all information necessary to provide a complete answer. While I do check my email and voicemail regularly, I do not necessarily check them late in the evening. Therefore, if you procrastinate on an assignment, you may not have the information you need to complete the assignment appropriately. Please plan your time accordingly to maximize the probability that you will receive a response in time for it to be useful.

Expectations for Classroom Behavior/Safe Zones Statement The classroom environment should provide a safe environment for exploring ideas and challenging assumptions. Students are expected to listen respectfully to the voices of other individuals and to share their own opinions and ideas in a positive, respectful manner. Students and the instructor are expected to treat each member of the class with respect, civility, care, and kindness. Classroom behavior that a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct of the class will not be tolerated in this course. Students who engage in disruptive behavior will be subject to sanctions as specified in the Student Conduct Code.

Final Examinations Winthrop University policy requires that all classes meet during their scheduled final examination period. Winthrop university policy specifies that personal conflicts such as travel plans and work schedules do not warrant a change in examination time. The final exam will be held in our regular classroom at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 9th, 2017.

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CRTW 201H-004 (T/R 8:00 a.m.) Fall 2017 Class Schedule Note: All assignments are due in class on the days next to which they appear in the schedule. Thinking Journal Assignments must be completed and submitted to Turnitin by midnight on the assigned due date. Reading assignments should be completed prior to the start of class. Come to class with your annotated text and prepared to discuss the assigned reading.

Date In-Class Discussion Topics Assignments, Homework, Due Dates

T Aug. 22 Introduction to the Course and Course

Policies

Note: Read all assigned texts carefully, annotating

your texts. Complete all assigned exercises in your

Thinking Journal and submit entries on time to

Turnitin.com. Please note that there will be some

unannounced quizzes on the assigned readings.

R Aug. 24 What is Critical Thinking and do Employers

Need It? Critical Thinking in Today’s

Workplace

Read CT, Introduction, pp. xiii – xxvi, and Chapter 1,

“How the Mind Can Discover Itself,” pp. 1 – 9.

Homework: Do a quick Internet search to research

critical thinking in today’s workplace. For in-class

participation credit, write a one-page reflection or

summary of what you find.

T Aug. 29 Impediments to Critical Thinking

Read CT, Chapter 9, Part 1, pp. 213 – 240. Print,

read, and annotate “This is Water,” website and

listserv.

R Aug. 31 Some Critical Thinking Strategies: Critical

Reading, Critical Listening, and the SEE-I

Technique

Read CT, Appendix C, pp. 309 – 312. Print and read

“How to Read Critically,” “How to Listen Critically,”

and “The SEE-I Strategy,” website and listserv. Read

TJ 2 assignment and begin planning.

In-Class Activity and Discussion: Writing a SEE-I

T Sept. 5 The Elements of Reasoning Read CT, Chapter Two, pp. 11 – 42.

TJ 1 Due – Critical Reading

R Sept. 7 The Elements of Reasoning

Continue to discuss the Elements of Reasoning.

Read, annotate, and discuss “Addicted to Distraction,”

website and listserv. Bring CT textbook to class.

In-class analysis: The Logic of an Article.

T Sept. 12 The Elements of Reasoning Continue to Discuss the Elements of Reasoning. In-

Class PowerPoint Activity Analyzing Elements.

Bring CT textbook to class.

TJ 2 Due – Reflecting on Rationality

R Sept. 14 The Standards of Critical Thinking Read CT, Chapter Three, pp. 43 – 61.

T Sept. 19 The Standards of Critical Thinking; Logical

Fallacies

Gadget Day! Bring with you to class a laptop

computer, tablet, smart phone, etc.! Read CT, Chapter Three, pp. 62 – 71.

In-Class Group Activity: Analysis of Logical

Fallacies.

Essay One Due: Self-Analysis Incorporating

Filters/Barriers/Impediments

R Sept. 21 Critical Thinking Within a Field or

Discipline; Fundamental and Powerful

Concepts

Read CT, Chapter Six, pp. 103 – 131. Admission

ticket to class: Three “authentic” questions you have

after reading the chapter.

T Sept. 26 Critical Thinking Within a Field or

Discipline; Rethinking the Purpose of

Grades

Read CT, Chapter Four, pp. 73 – 82.

In-Class Groupwork and Presentations on Critical

Thinking Within a Discipline.

R Sept. 28 The Character Traits of the Critical

Thinker

Read CT, Chapter Eight, pp. 189 – 212

Exploring Concepts: Strong and Weak Sense Critical

Thinkers – Sophistic Verses Socratic Thinking; “But

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They Did Not Give Up”

T Oct. 3 Introduction to Mistakes Were Made Read Tavris, MWM, “Introduction.” Read M. L.

King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” website and

listserv. Continue to discuss Intellectual Character

Traits.

TJ 3 Due: Self-Analysis of Learning Strategies

In-Class Informal Presentations of TJ 3.

R Oct. 5 Mistakes Were Made Read Tavris, Chapter One, “Cognitive Dissonance:

The Engine of Self-Justification.”

Homework: Look for copies of cognitive dissonance

in a current news stories. Bring one example in to

share and discuss (electronic copy okay).

Review for In-Class Midterm Essay.

R Oct. 5 Interim Grades Due.

T Oct. 10 Mistakes Were Made Read Tavris, Chapter Two, “Pride and Prejudice . . .

and Other Blind Spots.”

Receive Essay Three Paper Topic.

R Oct. 12 Midterm Essay Exam In-Class Analytical Essay Using Elements (Essay

Two)

T Oct. 17 Fall Break No Class.

R Oct. 19 Mistakes Were Made

Read Tavris, Chapter Three, “Memory, the Self-

justifying Historian.”

TJ 4 Due: Assumptions

In-Class Discussion of TJ 4

F Oct. 20 Course Withdrawal Deadline.

T Oct. 24 Researched Writing In-Class Discussion of Research Paper Topic.

Receive Research Paper Topic, Research Paper

Schedule, and Annotated Bibliography Guidelines.

R Oct. 26 Mistakes Were Made Read Tavris, Chapter Five, “Law and Disorder.”

Chapter Five Group Presentation and Discussion

T Oct. 31 Mistakes Were Made Read Tavris, Chapter Six, “Love’s Assassin: Self-

justification in Marriage.”

Chapter Six Group Presentation and Discussion

Essay Three Due in Class: Analysis and

Assessment Using the Standards.

R Nov. 2 Mistakes Were Made

Read Tavris, Chapter Seven, “Wounds, Rifts, and

Wars.”

TJ 5 Due: Analyzing a Position With Which You

Disagree

Chapter Seven Group Presentation and Discussion

T Nov. 7 Mistakes Were Made

Read Tavris, Chapter Eight, “Letting Go and Owning

Up,” and “Afterword.” Bring TGAR with you to

class.

Chapter Eight Group Presentation and Discussion

Due in Class: Tentative Narrowed Topic for

Research Paper.

R Nov. 9 Generating Critical Thinking Questions;

Multiple-System Questions

Read CT, Chapter Five, pp. 83 – 103.

Remember that the Annotated Bibliography is due

in one week.

T Nov. 14 MLA Documentation and Toolbox Activity

In-Class Discussion of MLA Documentation Format.

Print, read, and annotate “The Correct Use of

Borrowed Information,” website.

Discussion of Dacus Database Sources.

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Toolbox Activity in Class.

R Nov. 16 Constructing a Classical Argument

Read CT, Chapter Seven, pp. 133 – 188.

In-Class Instruction on Constructing and Writing a

Classical Argument and “They Say, I Say”

Techniques for Articulation of Complex Arguments.

Due in Class: Annotated Bibliography

T Nov. 21 The Stages of Critical Thinking

Development

Read CT, Chapter Ten, pp. 257 – 275.

Admission Ticket to Class: Written response to

Exercise 10.3 on page 262.

R Nov. 23 Thanksgiving No Class. Homework: Eat pumpkin or pecan pie

– your choice!

T Nov. 28 In-Class Peer Review of Research Paper Admission Ticket to Class: Two or three hard

copies of your research paper rough draft.

R Nov. 30 Last Day of Class. Course Evaluations, a.k.a. Gadget Day! Bring with

you a laptop, smart phone, I-Pad, tablet, etc. to

complete online course evaluations.

Review for Final Essay Exam. Information

presented on final examination.

TJ 6 Due: Intellectual Courage

T Dec. 5 Study Day Essay Five Due: Research Paper and Self-

Analysis. No late papers will be accepted. Submit

papers in a folder to Bancroft 241 by 6:00 p.m.

S Dec. 9 8:00 a.m. Final Exam (In-Class Essay – Self Analysis/Stages)

Optional Revision Due