General Slides for
SOC120
Fall 2007
Week 2
(Study Guide edited 3/09/10)
Class Outline
Chapter Study Guide
CT & Credit Card
Debate Choices
On a web page
This link was flashing!
What does a critical thinker
think/do?
1. Most likely an attempt to sell me something
2. Low possibility of winning a useful prize
3. May be an attempt to plant a cookie, adware and/or find
info on my computer about me to sell to spammers
What does a critical thinker
think/do?
If something sounds to good
to be true, it probably is…
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Week 2
Turn in A01 and Groups review —pencil corrections OK
Review chapter 1 terms and quiz (Dice?)
Quiz C1:Def/Ex:Arguement (claim, premise, conclusion), CT vs Logic, Argument vs.
explanation, How to calculate Class Grade, did not discuss in class-> factual matter,
Opinions, subjectivism & relativism [Bear story and PP], topic, issue, Library
Research, Empirical research, Debate (slide 6)
[Any of these may be on next quiz]
Groups (a) should you get a credit card yes or no and reasons for each and if yes [Visa,
Mastercard, etc] decision criteria for choice (b) Same question for FICO score
Outline decision method for Multivariable decision making: Car Purchase
Issue example: NPR Castration (observation points PPW1)
Group Project Issues choices (last card in W2 presentation—any more suggestions—
vote on final 5 next class)
Chapter 2 Group study – outline
Give back Quiz C1
NEXT CLASS Overview A01 outline Web
Groups review A02/hand out A01 {sign out sheet}--Use computer to look up terms
idiographic and nomathetic
Dante’s Inferno – view of sins and your level in hell
Quiz C2
HOMEWORK Bring in next assignment A02, Study C3 Quiz last day W2
Is there a problem with this?
• American abuses of Iraqi prisoners at Abu
Ghraib were terrible, but they are not crimes
on par with beheadings and other acts
carried out by terrorists.
» Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield as reported in
SFC 10/11/04
More on this later when we discuss fallacies
Topics/Issues/Library
Research/Scientific Research
1.Topic/subject/interest/discuss
1. Castration
2. Library Research
2.
Topic/problem/paper [Things
recorded that experts think, know,
believe] about some aspect of your
topic-history, current studies…
3.Issue:”Whether/should…(2 sides)
3.
-Debate or library research paper
-Claims each side and credibility
4. Empirical Research Question: 4.
Science, a process for asking a
question [hypothesis?] and finding
data to answer the question.
Show after
castration tape!
Dentify an example
of each concept
from the tape
Topics/Issues/Library
Research/Scientific Research
1. Pedophiles, Laws,
Castration….
2. Library Research
2. What have studies found
Topic/problem/paper [Things
recorded that experts think, know, about the effects of
believe] about some aspect of your castration or what theories
topic-history, current studies…
enable us to predict the
effects of castration.
3.Issue:”Whether/should…(2
3. Whether we should vote yes
sides)
-Debate or library research paper
or no on a law allowing
-Claims each side and credibility
castration of pedophiles
4. Empirical Research Question: 4. Does castration decrease
Science, a process for asking a
sex drive of pedophiles
1.Topic/subject/interest/discuss
question [hypothesis?] and finding
data to answer the question.
Experiment two groups [1] castrate
[2] ~castrate –compare diff in sex drive
before and after.
Information Retrieval Structure
• Topic/subject/interest
• Purpose – (1) General information e.g. purchase, medical decision, (2)
Presentation written, verbal, media,e.g.review of available info for
Class paper, MM presentation (3) Emperical research
• Sources – (1) Pop media: news, web, etc. (2) Professional info
sources library, government offices, etc. (3) People: friends/relatives
etc.
• Method (1) web search, (2) Library db search, (3) Call, letter, visit
• Technique (1) Web search engines and techniques (2) Library db
search, appropriate DB and techniques
• Appropriateness/adequacy of information
• Credibility of information
Issues for Critical
Thought
(Fall 2001)
A news item in Parade, a Sunday news
magazine stated that “…a recent study had
found that women on birth control pills are
at a higher risk in fact it doubles the
possibility of having strokes?”
Enough info for a conclusion?
If no –what do we need to know?
CT
Thoughts
Who (JAMA, where (#hospital studies),
When(?), how(?), sample(?), significance
of data and collection(?)
Conclusion Birth-control pills increase
chance of stroke for only 1 in 24,000—so
no big effect!
Parade Magazine Sept 16, 2001 page 13
Later issue for Critical Thought?
Hormone therapy for Menopausal women
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/01/MN138426.DTL
Crime and CSUB
(Fall 2005)
The release of crime data for CSUB in 2004 showed
that:
(1) Vehicle theft increased 400% between 2003 and
2004
(2) Burglary increased almost 15%
(3) The overall crime rate increased almost 1/3
Enough info for a conclusion?
If no –what do we need to know?
CT Thoughts
One way to “lie with statistics”
Crime On CSUB Campus (Other than Residence Halls)
2002 2003 2004
Murder .............................................................. 0 0 0
Sex Offenses/Forcible ...................................... 0 0 0
Sex Offenses/Non-Forcible .............................. 0 0 0
Robbery ........................................................... 0 0 0
Agg. Assault ..................................................... 1 2 1
Burglary .......................................................... 10 12 14
Vehicle Theft .................................................... 3
0 4
Manslaughter ................................................... 0 0 0
Arson ................................................................ 0 0 0
Hate Crimes ..................................................... 0
0 0
Race .............................................................. 0
0 0
Ethnicity ........................................................ 0
0 0
Gender .......................................................... 0
0 0
Religion ......................................................... 0
0 0
Disabilities ..................................................... 0
0 0
Sexual Orientation ........................................ 0
0 0
Total ...............................................................14 14 19
You need
to know
the
numbers
and %s!
Statistics
don’t lie,
speak, or
write!
But
people
do!
http://www.csub
.edu/BAS/public
safety/forms/CS
UB_Crime_Disc
losure_2005.pdf
Chapter 2 8thed.“Clear Thinking Critical Thinking and Clear Writing” Study Guide F 08
A Intro: Examples/Need for Clear writing (p39)
Review from C1F07
(1)
ID Premise&Conc
Causes of lack of clearity (p40M)
E Defining terms
(2)
Grade
Need for definitions [p55b]
Words strung together [p39b-40]Ex
(3)
Argue vs Exp
Purpose of definition (2) [p56t](4)
Sent strung together [pp40m]Ex
Subjectivism
Types of definitions (3)
(5)
Relativism
Say what you mean [pp40b]Ex
(6)
Real world definitions 9p56b) Matter of fact
3 sources of confusion/obscurity (p40b)
Rhetorical definitions DEF/EX[p57] For C2 Quiz
Argumentative Essays DEF/EX; purpose, 4 parts
Emotive meaning/Rhetorical force
B Vagueness,excessive vagueness [p43b]DEF/EX
DEF/EX [p57m]
6 points about vagueness (p42-43)
F. Writing Argumentative essay
Components (4) [p58t
C Vague & misleading comparisons (p45)
Principles of Organization and Focus [p58m]
4 considerations for comparisons (p45-48)
Recommendations (4) [p58b-59t]
absolute and relative risk reduction [box p46t]
Good Writing Practices-4 principles [p59b]
percentage change [box p46b]
+Keep Word choices simple (class sched)
graphics [box p47]
Redundancy DEF/EX
D Ambiguous Claims DEF/EX
Complexity (pedantic)
3 aspect of ambiguous claims 9p48b-p50)
DEF/EX
Prolixity (verbose)
Semantic Ambiguity [p50] DEF/EX
DEF/EX
Syntactic Ambiguity [p51] DEF/EX
Essay Types To Avoid (5) p60, 61)
How to eliminate [p52m]
Persuasive writing (5) p61
Pronouns & modifying phrases [p52m]
Writing in a Diverse Society- (p 61)
Grouping ambiguity DEF/EX
Fallacy p53m (look up in glossary)DEF/EX
Composition DEF/EX
Division DEF/EX
3 aspects of recognition & deciphering ambiguity
(p54)
Responsible for all Boxes Slide 1
Implications/seriousness of ambiguities Ex [p56m]
Ambiguity: What two things are ambiguous in this cartoon?
Relativism
Culture and Diversity
A 1960s Space Story
The first astronauts returned from
the moon and exited the spacecraft.
They were very excited and stated
they had seen God. Tell us about it
the media people shouted.
She is black said the astronauts!
Our
c2 culture and related beliefs color our perceptions
“Critical Writing” examples from class: What is the problem? How would you improve?
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Scientific articles are about real issues or important topics; they contain true, strong facts.
You have an 80 average for quizzes, 70 average for midterm, a final grade of 75 and you
missed 4 classes and did not complete one assignment. What is your class grade.
The Soviets tried bombs, smoke-outs and even weapons designed to crumble cities with little
success.
Whether or not voluntary castration mentally affects pedophiles .
Whether castration will reduce recidivism for male sex offenders or not.
Critical thinking is a process to accurately deduce a logical answer to a posed issue by means
of analysis and dissection.
Does voluntary castration of child sex offenders have an effect on the decrease of it.
Castration should be voluntary, if you want to change you should sacrifice something in order
to accomplish what you want.
Whether or not castration is right for sex offenders who are in jail.
The article was short on reasoning as to how the ferry may have sunk.
Within these to articles one can see how the mass media was immediately sought after to get
there heart felt emotions on how someone could kill innocent people for what they believe in
and try to make seem as though it was done to fight a never ending battle between terrorist
fight for what they believe in.
There isn’t an argument per say, though a scientific study could certainly, if not, definitely
use an argument or two.
The issues of scientific reality are expressed without bias but given with consequences if
solutions are not found or followed.
It uses graphs and percentages to back up the information. They also have experts talk in
their article.
What writing errors from Chapter 2 are seen
in the following sentence? How would one
fix these errors? Give a new and correct
version of the sentence.
“When you look at cell phones, it is
important too call the company before
you buy it to see whether or not you want
it.”
More “Critical Writing” examples from class After A02
• “I was never lightheaded about the paper because it
didn’t jump around or have unnecessary sentences in
there.” Don’t forget examples on web schedule page links!
• “The second paragraph was quite vague as to what
qualified for the categorization as social science.”
• “The definitions that you used seemed to be in
appropriate and accurately used.”
• “Both articles followed the idiographic and nomathetic
requirements of the assignment.
• What is wrong with this topic? “Mass media affects the
daily thoughts and actions of the American people.”
• “The Soviets tried bombs , smoke-outs and even
weapons designed to crumble cities with little success.”
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Topics for Winter 08 Section 1 MWF
Think of interesting
current topics
23.
Interracial
adoptions’
Topics in red were chosen
for this quarter
Legalization of MJ
24.
2nd amendment
God in classroom (Pledge…)
25.
Felons and voting, war, education
Should elderly be allowed to go to 26.
Public vs private schools
state school
27.
Rule of law
Pick your top 3
28.
Influence
of
music,
TV,…
NCLB
choices
29.
Presidential primaries
3 strikes
Choice:
30.
Electoral college
Women president
A____
31.
Health care
B____
32.
Gas prices
Global warming
33.
School integration
C____
Tuition
34.
Title 9
Place the
Alternative energy
35.
Bilingual education
NUMBER of
Illegal immigration
36.
Drug testing
your first choice
37.
Mandatory preschool
Death penalty
by the A,
38.
No smoking
Gay topics marriage, don’t ask.. 39.
The NUMBER
Alternative fuel
Freedom of religion
for second by B
40.
Metal detectors in schools
41.
Immigration laws
Drinking age
The NUMBER
42.
Air pollution controls
for third by C
Draft
43.
Media and fighting words
Cheerleading
44.
Music copyright
Obesity
45.
Age treated as adult in legal system
46.
Year round school
War
47.
Social security
Abortion
48.
Steroids
Celebrity politicians
49.
Requirements for personal info
50.
National ID
Voting age
Abuse and sports Examples: http://www.justicetalking.org/programarchive.asp
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Topics for Winter 08 Section 2
Think of interesting current topics
Presidential primaries
Electoral college
War
Global warming
Gun control
Gas prices
Death penalty
Capital punishment method
Don’t ask don’t tell
School integration
Title 9
Bilingual education
Drug testing
Mandatoy preschool
No smoking
Alternative fuel
2nd language
Metal detectors in schools
Immagration laws
Air pollution controls
Media and fighting words
Gay marriage
Examples: http://www.justicetalking.org/programarchive.asp
Music copyright
Brainteaser
A farmer had 17 sheep. All but 9 died.
How many did he have left?