CRTW 201
Paper #1: FBI (Filters, Barriers, and Impediments) Paper
Due
As Nosich tells us (p. 29), "We think in terms of concepts, and these inevitably shape our life to a considerable degree. Very often the concepts we think in terms of are ones we accept uncritically." So this first paper is intended to make you look at a concept that is the subject of considerable public debate, and try to dissect how your thinking about that concept has been shaped by the various filters, barriers, and impediments (FBIs) that have shaped you as a thinker so far. I've deliberately picked a topic that's likely to be controversial because these often bring our FBIs to the surface in more obvious ways than other topics.
is to write a 5-8 pp. (typed, double-spaced, not counting Works Cited page) essay analyzing your own thinking on the question: How did you come to hold your opinion (whatever it is) on same-sex marriage?This paper is not going to be structured like the enculturated thesis-driven five-paragraph papers you've written in the past, and that's on purpose. I want you to become aware of how your education is one of the filters you use in presenting your thinking, so this paper is not going to have a traditional thesis & support structure! Instead, organize your paper as follows:
In the introduction, in NO MORE THAN A PARAGRAPH, state what your position is on same-sex marriage. I am not evaluating you based on what your position IS, only that you express it clearly. Everybody's position is "right" for this paper, and you should not argue in support of it. And I'm not expecting all of us to agree, so don't worry about whether your position is the same as your classmates' or my position on this issue. Students have reported that they often began writing this paper not really knowing what their position was--that's okay, too. All the introduction does is to launch you into the main part, the body of your paper. You don't have to convince me that you're right--that's not the point here. So this can be a fairly short introduction--maybe three or four sentences will be enough to set up the rest of the paper.
For the body of the essay, and the real topic, analyze why you hold this view on same-sex marriage by identifying the filters, barriers, and impediments that have shaped your critical thinking on it and showing how they have contributed to your thinking on this issue. (If you are ambivalent about the issue, you can analyze why that's the case). You will want to base your analysis on the categories and criteria listed as the "Impediments to Critical Thinking" from Nosich (18-28) that you think apply
and the "Counterproductive Habits of Mind" in Writing Analytically, ch. 2; these include (but are certainly not limited to)
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Using the Thinking Notebook, you may want to explore influencers such as your family background, your community, your experiences, your philosophical and religious viewpoint, the ideas accepted by your peers, viewpoints you have absorbed from the media, etc.--a different combination of these will be involved for each of you since each thinker is individual. The challenge here is for you to figure out HOW you came to think this way--that is, to ANALYZE (break down, dissect, scrutinize) your thinking. This means that your paper will not be argumentative or thesis-driven, but reflective and analytic. The most successful papers will be able to name specific FBIs that have shaped your positions on this issue.
The body of your paper should demonstrate the SEE-IT strategy--use your stories and narratives to SUPPORT your analysis. The "S" part of your exposition should be naming an FBI that has affected you; the E part should explain why it has been so important. And then, if you want to tell a story about something that happened to you, use that as EXEMPLIFICATION to support a STATEMENT about one of your FBIs. Don't just tell a story about something your preacher said and conclude, 'So you can see religion is an important FBI for me.' Instead, follow Lightman's and Wallace's advice--reflect on what that story tells you about your thinking. Make a connection. Be mindful.
Finally, as a conclusion, we need some metacognitive reflection about what this analysis in particular is showing you about your thinking in general. Step back and speculate on the implications of what your analysis of your FBIs in this case tell you about you about your critical thinking in general and what you might need to do to recognize FBIs that will have an effect on your critical thinking in other matters. Use Lightman and Wallace's suggestions to help you in this part of the essay; you may want to quote them or paraphrase them. This means broadening out from your thinking on the definition of marriage specifically to your thinking in general. For instance, if your analysis tells you that your views have been strongly shaped by adopting the thinking patterns of your parents, what does that mean for you as a thinker in other situations where "authorities" try to tell you what to think? If your analysis tells you that you don't like to be controversial or upset other people, how will that affect your thinking when you're trying to make a hard or unpopular decision in the future? Reflect forward in your conclusion.
You must use AT LEAST two direct quotations or paraphrases from Nosich, WA, Lightman, and/or Wallace, worked into your analysis and documented correctly in 2009 MLA style. Any idea or concept paraphrased or summarized from a source must also be properly documented. Since you will be quoting or paraphrasing, yes, you must have a Works Cited page. And the full paper with Works Cited must be uploaded into www.turnitin.com or it will not be graded.
Consider your audience for this paper to be your teacher and classmates. Remember that good writers don’t just string together a list of answers to questions, but shape and re-organize their ideas until they flow effectively and really appeal to their intended audience. Put some time into the shaping of this response for most effective results. And you may have to fight your enculturated habit of writing a thesis-driven 5-paragraph theme for this essay so be mindful of that as you develop the paper.
This paper is not just an exercise, but a very important tool for you to develop as a critical thinker. Before you write, I would suggest applying the elements of reasoning from Ch. 2 to this assignment—that circle in chapter 2 of Nosich is a very powerful tool to analyze any assignment you have!
I'm always happy to have you bring drafts and outlines to my office and discuss them with me!