Goals

Introduction

Welcome to your Critical Thinking Class!

The tabs located to the left will help you get started and keep you on track.

Here is a short explanation of how each works:

Modules: An abbreviated description of what's due each week. You never turn in any assignments under the Modules tab.

Assignments: Now this is the place you will turn in assignments! These assignments go directly to me and are not shared publicly.

Discussion: You will also post discussion forum responses here which are graded. You will always be required to respond to at least two of your classmates' postings. The more you respond with quality insights into your classmates' postings, the higher your grade will be for these assignments.

I fully expect you to contact me immediately as soon as a problem comes up or any confusion sets in: email me: mteutsch@hartnell.edu. I have posted office hours but check my email Monday through Thursday from 9-4pm.  The best way to succeed in your online class is to make a schedule and stick to it.  You should plan to spend at least two hours a night on class requirements home work.  You need to purchase the books prior to our first class meeting.

Th required textbook is Everything's an Argument, 9th ED.  and can be found at our campus bookseller: www.hartnell.edu/bookstore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. located on the Hartnell campus, 411  Central Ave,  in the Student Center. There is also a copy of the book on reserve in the Hartnell College Library.

Maria Garcia Teutsch

Critical thinking includes a complex combination of skills.  Among the main characteristics are the following:

Rationality

We are thinking critically when we

• rely on reason rather than emotion,

• require evidence, ignore no known evidence, and follow evidence where it leads, and

• are concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right analyzing apparent confusion and asking questions.

Self-awareness

We are thinking critically when we

• weigh the influences of motives and bias, and

• recognize our own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view.

Honesty

We are thinking critically when we recognize emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other modes of self-deception.

Open-mindedness

We are thinking critically when we

• evaluate all reasonable inferences

• consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives,

• remain open to alternative interpretations

• accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data

• accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and

• do not reject unpopular views out of hand.

Discipline

We are thinking critically when we

• are precise, meticulous, comprehensive, and exhaustive

• resist manipulation and irrational appeals, and

• avoid snap judgments.

Judgment

We are thinking critically when we

• recognize the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives

• recognize the extent and weight of evidence

In sum,

• Critical thinkers are by nature skeptical. They approach texts with the same skepticism and suspicion as they approach spoken remarks.

• Critical thinkers are active, not passive.  They ask  questions and analyze. They consciously apply tactics and strategies to uncover meaning or assure their understanding. 

• Critical thinkers do not take an egotistical view of the world. They are open to new ideas and perspectives.  They are willing to challenge their beliefs and investigate competing evidence.

Critical thinking enables us to recognize a wide range of subjective analyses of otherwise objective data, and to evaluate how well each analysis might meet our needs. Facts may be facts, but how we interpret them may vary.

By contrast, passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world.