Spring 2008 Course Calendar CRTW 201/Neary
MW Classes
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ASSIGNMENTS ON A GIVEN DATE ARE DUE BY THE NEXT CLASS OR ON AN ASSIGNED DATE.
| M Jan 14 | Course introduction/Diagnostic writing exercise; Assignment: Review terms of the course; make certain e-mail can be accepted. |
| W Jan 16 | Discuss impediments to critical thinking and metacognition; Examine images and their impact on perception; Assignment: Read Nosich, Intro. ("To the Student") and Ch. 1, "What Is Critical Thinking," pp 1-38. |
| F Jan 18 | Last day to ADD or DROP classes via Wingspan or IN PERSON for the spring semester. Last day for students to elect to Audit courses |
| M Jan 21 | Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Offices closed; no classes. |
| W Jan 23 | Discuss readings and analytic thinking; Group work in exercise from Nosich Ch 1; Assignment: Read Ch. 1 in Writing Analytically, "Seeing Better," pp 1-41 and handout for paper #1, due 1/30. |
| M Jan 28 | Last day for
undergraduate students to select the
S/U
(satisfactory/unsatisfactory) option for a course or to change a course
from S/U to a letter grade.
Discuss readings; Assignment: Read Ch. 2 in Nosich, "The Elements of Reasoning," pp. 45-77 and complete exercise 2.6 on p. 79. |
| W Jan 30 | Paper # 1 due; Share results of Nosich assignment; Apply concepts introduced in readings to sample writing with biases; Assignment: Read Ch. 3 in Nosich, "What Is Critical Thinking Within a Field or Discipline?" pp 87-126. |
| M Feb 4 | Discuss assigned reading; Group exercise from Ch. 3 of Nosich; Assignment: Read "Five Analytical Moves" from Writing Analytically (pp 42 – 48) and apply them to a speech (ex. 2.2, pp 51-53); Handout for paper #2, due 2/13. |
| W Feb 6 | Short Test # 1 on elements; Discuss and work on the analytical moves and discoveries; Apply the moves to Ex. 2.4 (pp 58-60); Discuss importance of details; Assignment: Read Ch. 4 in Nosich, "Standards of Critical Thinking," pp. 135-164. |
| M Feb 11 | Paper # 2 due; Complete group exercise from Nosich Ch. 4; Discuss Nosich chapter, compare standards of critical thinking, and look at Rosenwasser and Stephens’ text on "Some Common Charges Against Analysis," pp 61-64, arguing for or against analysis; Assignment: Read Ch. 5 in Nosich, "Putting It All Together," pp 171-200. |
| W Feb 13 | Discuss Nosich reading and points of intersection with Writing Analytically; Do group exercise from Ch. 5 of Nosich; Assignment: Read section on Rhetorical Analysis in Writing Analytically, pp.69-74 and complete ex. 1 on p. 74. |
| M Feb 18 | Discuss student samples; Review guidelines for analysis in Writing Analytically, p. 75; Assignment: Read Ch. 3 in Writing Analytically, pp 77-107 and complete 3.6 on p.105. |
| W Feb 20 | Share responses to exercise; Assignment: Read Ch. 4 in Writing Analytically, "Reading," pp 109-136; Work on Ex. 2 on p. 135. |
| M Feb 25 | Compare results of exercise in groups; Assignment: Handout for paper #3; Read Ch. 5 in Writing Analytically, "Linking Evidence and Claims," pp 137-160. |
| W Feb 27 | Short Test #2; Discuss guidelines for analyzing evidence; Apply the guidelines to third paper in progress; Assignment: Read Ch. 6 in Writing Analytically, "Making a Thesis Evolve," pp184; Analyze thesis in evolving paper. |
| M Mar 3 | Discuss thesis/topic/implied thesis/stated thesis; Group work on papers in progress; Assignment: Read "The Evolving Thesis in a Final Draft," pp 184-189 in Writing Analytically, and complete Ex. 6.4 on pp-192. |
| W Mar 5 | Discuss discoveries with evolving thesis exercise; Paper # 3 due; Assignment: Read Ch. 7 in Writing Analytically, "Recognizing and Fixing Weak Thesis Statements," pp 197-208; Complete 7.3 on p. 213. |
| M Mar 10 | Locate errors of logic and review logical fallacies (pp212-216 in Writing Analytically); Assignment: Cliché analysis exercise on p. 216. |
| W Mar 12 | Last day to
withdraw from a spring semester course. (Automatic N grade is
issued.) Students may not withdraw from a course after this
date without documented extenuating circumstances. Last day to
rescind elected S/U option. A rescinded S/U will still
count toward the maximum of four allowed. Share analyses; Introduce Fast Food Nation; Assignment: Read "The American Way," pp 1-91. |
| M Mar 17 | Spring Break |
| W Mar 19 | Spring Break |
| M Mar 24 | Short Test#3; Group work for discussion of readings; Handout on final paper; Assignment: Read from "Meat and Potatoes," pp 111-149. |
| W Mar 26 | Advising for Fall 2008 begins Discuss readings; Analyze for thesis, biases, assumptions, and perceptions; Assignment: Read on from "Meat and Potatoes," pp 160-225 and Epilogue. |
| M Mar 31 | Conclude discussion of Fast Food Nation; Select topics for final research paper. |
| W April 2 | Apply the elements to Fast Food Nation; Assignment: Prepare for test on FFN. |
| M April 7 | Topics submitted for approval; Test (#4) on FFN; Assignment: Develop thesis for research paper and secure 6 sources. |
| W April 9 | Paper conferences |
| M April 14 | Registration for Fall 2008 begins; Paper conferences; Assignment: Read Ch. 8 in Writing Analytically, "Introduction and Conclusion," pp 220-235; Complete exercise on p. 238 (Revising the intro. and conclusion on a previous paper). |
| W April 16 | Drafts due of research paper; Group work on textbook revisions; Assignment: Read Ch. 13 in Writing Analytically, "Finding and Citing Sources," pp 321-343. |
| M April 21 | Drafts returned; Review citation techniques and evaluate samples; Discuss intentional and unintentional plagiarism; Assignment: Read Ch. 14 in Writing Analytically, "Nine Basic Writing Errors and How to Fix Them," pp 350-373. |
| W April 23 | Complete exercise on p. 373; Assignment: Complete research paper. |
| M April 28 | Last day of class: Conclusions and review for final exam. |
| T April 29 | Study Day |
| W April 30 | Final Exam a 3 PM |