The SEEI Journal
Original Due Date:
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Original Instructions
As we mentioned the first day of class, in order to discuss and improve our
critical thinking processes we must be equipped with the right "critical
thinking vocabulary." Therefore, to help you learn these concepts, your
group will be required to complete collaboratively S.E.E.I's for each of the following Critical
Thinking terms. Your group will be allowed to revise this journal throughout the
semester, but you should definitely begin working on these as you read
through the Nosich text. The sooner that you have these terms down, the
better your "practice" of critical thinking will be.
YOUR GROUP MUST COMPLETE THE TERMS IN THE ORDER LISTED BELOW AND NUMBER EACH TERM.
YOUR GROUP MUST COMPLETE EACH PART OF THE SEEI TO RECEIVE CREDIT.
To complete an S.E.E.I, you begin by defining a difficult idea. For example, I'll define "politics" in my own words.
(S): Politics are the games that people play in order to attain power.
Next, elaborate (E) on your assertion. This sentence should begin with the phrase, "in other words":
"In other words, politics involved a lot of different strategies. One needs to be excellent at reading body language, interpreting people's behaviors and statements, and absolutely proficient in 'spinning' something negative into something positive. Politics becomes a game because, basically, one basically scores more points based on his or her ability to do these three things."
Next, give an example (E) of what you mean. Begin this sentence with "for example":
"For example, regardless of this policies, Bill Clinton is a masterful politician. When he was confronted with the Monica Lewinsky scandal, he managed to transform the debate from why he lied to a grand jury to why is the opposing party so interested in the sexual behavior of consenting adults when there are real problems to be dealt with. He was able to spin the issue masterfully; when interviewed, he said that the American public is 'very smart' and they'll recognize what the real issues are. He knew how to read the entire country's emotional status; we were in a bull economic market, and we certainly didn't want to deal with some "affair" when most of us were making so much money, and there's a war going on in Bosnia. His political scorecard meant that he left office with one of the highest approval ratings of any outgoing president, regardless of the scandal."
Finally, creatively illustrate (I) the assertion by comparing it to something completely different. Begin this statement with "It's like"
"Politics is like charades; the one who best reads the actions of the clues is always the winner."
So, now the SEEI might look like a complete paragraph. Of course, yours will probably be better than the one above, but at least you now have a model.
"Politics are the games that people play in order to attain power. In other words, politics involved a lot of different strategies. One needs to be excellent at reading body language, interpreting people's behaviors and statements, and absolutely proficient in 'spinning' something negative into something positive. Politics becomes a game because, basically, one basically scores more points based on his or her ability to do these three things. For example, regardless of this policies, Bill Clinton is a masterful politician. When he was confronted with the Monica Lewinsky scandal, he managed to transform the debate from why he lied to a grand jury to why is the opposing party so interested in the sexual behavior of consenting adults when there are real problems to be dealt with. He was able to spin the issue masterfully; when interviewed, he said that the American public is 'very smart' and they'll recognize what the real issues are. He knew how to read the entire country's emotional status; we were in a bull economic market, and we certainly didn't want to deal with some "affair" when most of us were making so much money, and there's a war going on in Bosnia. His political scorecard meant that he left office with one of the highest approval ratings of any outgoing president, regardless of the scandal. Politics is like charades; the one who best reads the actions of the clues is always the winner."
Important Note: For this assignment, use the "s" to define the term. Don't just talk about it; define it. AND Define it in terms of critical thinking--not just in general. Getting familiar with each of these terms will allow you to improve your critical thinking process overall because you will be comfortable with the vocabulary we will be using.
GRADING. You will be allowed to revise these continually through the semester, and future grades will replace past grades. There are 25 terms in all; I will be grading each SEEI with a Super, Avg, or Needs Improvement. To receive an "B," you must receive a Check (basically complete the "S.E.E") correctly for at least 20 terms; "C", 15-19; "D", 12-15; "F" is any number fewer than 12.
You may get an "A" if you can complete the "S.E.E's" for 20 or more (B range) AND provide the correct "I" (illustrations) for 10 of the terms.
Here are the terms of critical thinking that require separate S.E.E.I's:
I. Critical Thinking Impediments (found in Chapter 1)
The News
Media (TV, Advertising, Movies)
All-or-nothing thinking or black-and-white thinking
Us-vs-them Thinking
Stereotyping
Fears
egocentrism
Previous commitments / personal experience
II. The Elements of Reasoning (found in chapter 2)
Purpose
Question at Issue
Assumptions
Implications and Consequences
Information
Concepts
Conclusions
Pt. of View
Alternatives
Context
III. Standards of Critical Thinking (found in chapter 4)
Clearness
Accuracy
Importance / Relevance
Sufficiency
Depth
Breadth
Precision