Fall, 1999 Joe
Parker
Freshman Seminar 3 Office:
Tu,
Th, 1:30-2:30
Office Phone:
74318
Home
Phone: (626) 798-3644
Introduction to Critical Thinking
Course Syllabus
Course Description:
This freshman seminar will
explore a range of critiques of major social, economic, and cultural
institutions in
Course Requirements:
You are responsible for how
much you will get out of this course. Grading
emphasizes class discussion attendance, preparation, and participation (20%),
based in part on your observations and questions about a reading by email
and/or web-crossing before the reading is discussed in class. Five short writing assignments (5 x 5% = 25%)
will allow you to strengthen your critical thinking and writing skills. You will receive credit (5%) also for
responding to written work by other students in the class, and additional
credit (2 x 5% = 10%) for two papers (nos. 1 & 4 on writing assignment
overview) that you rewrite based on responses from other students. You will also write a short research paper
(5-7 pages), revise it based on comments from another student, and then give a
short oral presentation (5-10 min.) on your findings and argument at the last
meeting of class. (20%) There will be a
take home final essay examination (20%) due on Wednesday, December 15, at
noon.
Course Textbooks and
Course
packet of xeroxed articles. (May be purchased at King's
Copies on
East of
Burton-Rose, Daniel, ed., The Celling of
Industry,
Common Courage Press, 1998.
Delgado,
Richard and Jean Stefancic, eds., Critical White Studies,
1997.
Eliasoph, Nina, Avoiding
Politics: How Americans Produce Apathy
in Everyday Life,
Cambridge
Univ. Pr., 1998.
Faludi, Susan, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women, Crown
Publishers, 1991.
Hacker, Diana, A Writer's
Reference, 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 1999.
Herman, Edward, Beyond
Hypocrisy: Decoding the News in an Age
of Propoganda,
including
the Doublespeak Dictionary, South End
Press, 1992.
Lester, Charles, Postmodernism
is Not What You Think, Blackwell Pubs., 1997.
Mander, Jerry and Edward
Goldsmith, eds., The Case Against The Global Economy and
For
a Turn Towards the Local, Sierra Club
Books,1996.
Segrest, Mab, Memoir of a
Race Traitor, South End Pr., 1994
Course Schedule:
(Asterisk indicates readings in course packet; all
other readings are textbooks.) (All
textbooks and packet articles are available at the reserve desk of Honnold
Library.)
Week 1 Introduction: What is
Critical Thinking?
Aug. 31 Readings: Blum,
"A Day in the Life of a Free Country."
Orwell, "The Prevention of Literature."
Males, "Why Demonize a Healthy Teen
Culture."
*Graff, "Teach the Conflicts."
Film: Manufacturing Consent.
Week 2 What are the Facts? Media
Literacy and Production of Truth.
Sept. 7 Readings: *Zinn and Dill, "Difference
and Domination."
Herman,
Preface, Ch. 1, 2, 5, Epilogue, and Doublespeak
Dictionary.
Peer Response for One-Page
Synthesis Papers.
Initial Drafts of One-Page Synthesis Papers Due.
(Short Assignment #1)
Week 3 Autobiography and Producing the Truth about the Self.
Sept. 14 Readings: Segrest,
p. 181-236 and Ch. 1, 3 & Epilogue.
Final Draft of Revised One-Page Synthesis Paper
Due. (Short Assignment #1)
Week 4 Class Issues in the U.S.
Sept. 21 Readings: Burton-Rose,
intro. & p. 40-44, 55-61, 78-87, 102-6, 114-
21, 156-63, 171-80, & 244-49.
Autobiographical Essay Due. (Short Assignment #2)
Week 5 Gender Globally and Locally.
Sept. 28 Readings: Faludi,
Intro. & Ch. 2, 3, 9 & Epilogue.
Week 6 Race and the Other.
Oct. 5 Readings: Delgado/Stefancic,
Ch. 2, 17, 19, 22, 26, 47, 51, & 55.
Week 7 Race, Class, and Gender:
Social Construction Theory.
Oct. 12 Readings: Delgado/Stafancic, Ch. 98, 100,
101 & 103.
*hooks, "Eating the Other."
Campus Organization/Letter to Editor
Oral Presentations.
Campus Organization/Letter to Editor
Assignment Due. (Short Assignment #3)
Week 8 Happy Fall Break
No Meeting
Week 9 Questioning Truth Systems:
Whose Science?
Oct. 26 Readings: *Alvarez, "Science,
Colonialism and Violence."
*Harding,
"Introduction" to The 'Racial' Economy of
Science.
Peer Review Discussions of
Race/Class/Gender Essays in Class.
Initial Draft Race/Class/Gender Essays Due. (Short
Assignment #4)
Week 10 Postmodernism as Social Critique.
Nov. 2 Readings: Lester,
Ch. 1,2 & 4.
Revised Race/Class/Gender Essays Due. (Short
Assignment #4)
Week 11 Postmodernism (cont.)
Nov. 9 Readings: Lester,
Ch. 5, 7, & 9.
Week 12 Globalization and Democracy.
Nov. 16 Readings: Mander/Goldsmith,
Intro. & Ch. 1, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22 & 43.
Critical Theorist Paper Due. (Short Assignment # 5)
Week 13 Globalization and Democracy (cont.)
Nov. 23 Readings: Mander/Goldsmith,
Finish readings above.
Happy Thanksgiving
Week 14 Apathy and the Death of Despair.
Nov. 30 Readings: Eliasoph,
Ch. 1, 6, 7 (Pt. 2 only), & 9.
Peer Response Discussions of
Initial Drafts of Research Papers.
Initial Draft of Research Paper Due.
Week 15 Student Research Presentations.
Dec. 7
Research Paper Oral Presentations.
Revised Research Paper Due.
Take Home Final Essay Examination Due:
Wed., Dec. 15, noon.