Homework for Tuesday 11/6

Work with your partner over email to finish up your argument map on whether or not we should force feed anorexic patients.

By Tuesday morning, email me with both of your names, and the link to your completed argument map.

Your argument map should have at least:

• a conclusion, 
• your main premises (reasons to believe that your conclusion is true), 
• supporting premises for each of your main premises (reasons to believe that each main premise is true),
• opposing premises (the main reasons against your conclusion), 
• responses to each opposing premise (reasons why each opposing premise is wrong, or less important than your supporting premises)

Case Study for Tuesday 10/30

Here's a link to the case study for Tuesday (it's actually a discussion of several related cases). Let me know if you have any trouble opening the link.

Argument Maps

We'll be using Cartargrapher, a web-based argument mapping program, to do part 2 of our term papers. You'll need a google account to sign in; if you don't have a google account, scroll down for a video about how to get one.

Here's a link to the mapping program.

Watch the videos below for a short introduction about how to use the program. It's quite easy and straightforward. Let me know if you have questions as you're working on your maps.

Here are some samples to practice with. You'll have to first identify whether the paragraph contains an argument or not, then identify the structure of the argument and map it.

Homework Reading for Thursday 10/25

Here's a link to the slide show on Google Docs - you should be able to watch it there.

Don't forget that we're meeting in the Skills Center Lab on Thursday! See you then.

Research Report 3 (Topic Homework Assignment)

By Crystal_128_forward.png: Dake derivative work: Gregor Shapiro (Crystal_128_forward.png) [LGPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Now that we've reviewed the topics and thought about more focused questions for you to answer in your papers, it's time to have another progress report.

We developed several questions or lines of inquiry for each of you to follow as you continue to work on your paper. Work on those for the next several days, and then post a progress report in the comments below.

Identify one or two questions or lines of inquiry that we talked about for your topic in class on Thursday. Say what that question or inquiry was, and then follow with a brief summary of what you learned over the weekend.

Give enough detail that we can see what the evidence or argument is for each claim. Everything should be in your own words.

To comment, click on the "# comments" link below this post. Copy and paste your report into the comment box. Click on the dropdown menu below the comment box and choose "anonymous." Then click on "publish."

If you're having trouble posting, send me an email.

Have a great weekend - I hope you have fun exploring your topic more!

Homework: Thinking About Interpretations

Make a list of the questions of interpretation that have come up as you’ve read about your topic. That is, where are you finding arguments or questions about how to understand or interpret what we know about the issue? Where are there important considerations on more than one side of the issue? Where do you need to do work to figure out how to make sense of what you know (rather than just having a plain fact in front of you).

You can write it as just a simple numbered list. 

You may post your answers in comments below, OR, if you're having trouble posting, you may type your answers and bring them to class on Thursday.

To post your answer in comments, click on the "# comments" button below this post. Paste your answer into the comment box that appears. Click on the drop down menu and choose "anonymous," then click "publish."

Research Report 2 (Topic Homework Assignment)

Confucious the Scholar viahttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Confucius_the_scholar.jpg#file

Using the questions your group came up with in class on Tuesday and Thursday, do another round of research. Spend some considerable time on it! The more you learn, the more you'll feel confident about your subject, and interested in moving forward.

In the comments below, tell us 3 interesting things you learned in your new research, and where you learned each thing. Include the name of the author (if there is a named author) and the name of the source. Go into a bit of detail, so that we can see the evidence supporting each claim (most of you did a great job with this last time).

Include your first name and last initial in your comment.

Noooo not hoooomewoooork!

Yes, I'm afraid it's homework. Be strong!

Read the articles linked below and take notes for class on Thursday.Write down any helpful information you find while you're reading: anything you think will help make an informed decision about the ballot measure. Organize your notes by article as a good practice for your paper.

Happy reading!

Measure N

Why a Smart Tax on Soda Would Work

An Historical Overview of Sumptuary Taxes (that's what they used to call "sin" taxes)

Excise Taxes (more general information about the use of taxes for social goals)

"Raising Taxes Reduces Smoking" (quotes from internal tobacco company memos, published by an advocacy group against smoking)

State Cigarette Excise Taxes

The Effects of Price on Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Related Problems

Reading for Tuesday October 9

Here's your reading for this coming Tuesday. You may also look at the slideshow here if you're having trouble viewing it below.

Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great weekend.

Research Report 1 (Topic Homework Assignment)

Detail from The School of Athens
via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cyberpunk

Using the questions your group came up with in class on Tuesday and Thursday, do another round of research. Spend some considerable time on it! The more you learn, the more you'll feel confident about your subject, and interested in moving forward.

In the comments below, tell us 3 interesting things you learned in your new research, and where you learned each thing. Include the name of the author (if there is a named author) and the name of the source.

Include your first name and last initial in your comment.

Farming Practices

Here's your thread to continue your discussion about how you want to narrow your topic, and what 3 or 4 questions you want to start with, to guide your research. Discuss in the comments section.

Outdoor Recreation Centers

Here's your thread to continue your discussion what 3 or 4 questions you want to start with, to guide your research. Discuss in the comments section.

Environmental Impact of the Navy on the East Bay

Here's your thread to continue your discussion about how you want to narrow your topic, and what 3 or 4 questions you want to start with, to guide your research. Discuss in the comments section.

Media and Teens 2 (group formerly in the middle right of the class)

Here's your thread to continue your discussion about how you want to narrow your topic, and what 3 or 4 questions you want to start with, to guide your research. Discuss in the comments section.

Media and Teens 1 (group formerly in the front right of the class)

Okay y'all, here's a thread for you to continue your discussion about how you want to narrow your topic, and what 3 or 4 main questions you want to help guide your research.

Homework for Thursday 9/27

Here's a link to the Library Assignment for Thursday. Let me know if you have any trouble opening the link, or if you have questions about the assignment.

Homework for 9/25

Here's the link for the Case Study for next Tuesday, September 25:

Case Study 2

Let me know if you have any trouble opening the link. The PDF will also be available through the InSite page, so if you're having trouble with this link, you can go to our course site and look under "Shared Documents."

Have a great weekend!

Contemporary Issues

By Matthew Bowden www.digitallyrefreshing.com (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/145972) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Think of an issue that effects you and your community. Talk about that issue below in the comments section.

Post your discussion NO LATER THAN Monday morning at 8 a.m.

By class on Tuesday, be sure you've read all of the posts. In class, we'll decide which issues to use as our topics for the long term projects.

To comment, click on the little "comments" link at the bottom of this post.

Be sure to include your first name and last initial, so I can give you credit for doing the assignment!

Don't forget, we meet in the LISC on Thursday.

Investigation Part 1

Here's the slide show for next Thursday. You may want to get started early. There's a long tutorial in the middle that may take a while to complete.

Here's a link to the slideshow. Please let me know if you're having any trouble getting the link to work.

Premises Part 2

Here's the slide show for Tuesday. Let me know if you have any questions as you go through it. It's a complicated one! Be sure to give yourself a lot of time.

Also, if you haven't yet finished reading the Case Study, complete that for class on Tuesday. The link is below, in the Premises Part 1 section.

At the end of the presentation, there's a link to an article to read. It's very helpful in terms of thinking about the differences between normative and empirical claims. You do NOT have to turn in the exercises at the end of the article, although it would be helpful to do a few for practice.

See you Tuesday!



Here's a link to the presentation.

Premises Part 1

Here's the slideshow to watch for Thursday. Please email me if you have questions! It's very helpful for me to have the slide number if you find something confusing, so that I can go back in and work on putting things more clearly.

Here's a link to the Case Study for class on Thursday.

Written Homework for Tuesday 9/4

Help Make Our Discussions Lively!

If you're doing the written homework for next Tuesday, here's the link for the assignment.

My apologies for the complicated quotation from the class exercise - I'll rewrite anything we use in class from now on, so that it's easier to process quickly.

Cognitive Biases

Here are the notes from class today so you can review. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll put up the slide show for Tuesday as soon as I get home - continued problems with the school computer are making it impossible to upload the thing from school.

Cognitive Biases

Homework

Read the two articles linked below. You may want to print them out for reference.

The Believing Brain

Why Smart People are Stupid

Let me know if you have any questions. Don't forget to get a good night's sleep!

See you on Thursday.

Your Goals

Watch the presentation above first, and then complete the assignment below. Bring your assignment to class on Tuesday. Let me know if you have any questions.

Here's a link to the slide show in case the one above doesn't work on your browser.

Semester Goals

How We Learn

Here's a link to the presentation in case you can't view it above.

Welcome!

Welcome to Philosophy 130: Intro to Critical Thinking. This is one of my favorite courses - there are lots of interesting things to learn and think about! I hope it'll be a great semester.

Here are links to your syllabus and schedule for the course.

The school is trying to go paperless, so if you'd like a hard copy of the syllabus and schedule, please print them out from the PDF at the link. I'll have a limited number available on the first day for anyone without a printer or an internet connection.

You'll have noticed that there are no books for the course. We'll have readings for almost every class: the course readings will be posted to this blog and to the course page at contracosta.edu. I'll provide some copies for those who don't have access to a printer or the internet.

I'm looking forward to meeting you next week!