Journals 3-4 Prompt
Description: This is a Journal where students record, track, and process personal observations and reflections about critical thinking in the public domain. The student should be focused on broad, shared critical thinking infractions experienced in the mass media, the internet, etc., which are disseminated to the public in general. Consider marketing, political claims, internet sources, and the news-media especially. The focus, here, is on better understanding critical thinking infractions that are presented to us as members of mass-information-society, citizens, consumers, etc. The intention is for students to write about critical thinking infractions as they occur, which is unpredictable and not in conformity with any schedule.
Directions: 1. In at least one paragraph, describe the critical thinking infraction as it occurred.
Think of the following points in your description: a. What, exactly, happened? Tell the story, paying attention to the
who-what-when-where-how details. This context matters for critical thinking infractions, both in provoking them and understanding them.
b. What, specifically, was the infraction? Thinking of critical thinking as principles of good reasoning, which principles were absent or violated?
2. In at least one paragraph, interpret the situation and the infraction. Think of the following points in your interpretation:
a. Why did the infraction occur in this situation? Attempt to form an explanation of the situation such that it produced this infraction as a result.
b. Of all of the possible ways for the situation to proceed, why did it proceed this way–where a critical thinking rule was broken or absent–rather than the other ways? What was the cause, in other words?
c. In your interpretation, how severe or consequential was the infraction? Aside from leading to irrationality and false beliefs, what else could occur as a result if anything?
3. In at least one paragraph, consider how to resolve the critical thinking infraction as best as you can. Consider the following points in this resolution:
a. If the situation were repeated, what measures would have to be taken in order to prevent the infraction from occurring?
b. Given that the infraction actually occurred, what do you do about it now, after the fact?
Prof. Eckel, U. Toledo, SP18
c. What factors do you foresee getting in the way of, or at least making difficult, the prevention or resolution of this infraction?
Prof. Eckel, U. Toledo, SP18
