Article Writing Question

AMERICAN IDENTITIES PROJECT: CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITY Due Date 10 March 2024 DIRECTIONS: Read this assignment description thoroughly and carefully. Contact two of your classmates to collaborate with you on this activity. Everyone’s email address is on the classlist. You should also have a class Group Me. If someone you contact is already collaborating with two others, keep moving down the classlist until you locate two available classmates. You will need to name your two collaborators at the end of this paper. • • • Number your answers to coincide with the question numbers on this form and type your answers onto an MS Word document. Ensure your document includes a proper heading. Submit the MS Word document to the D2L Assignment folder. Contact Prof. B. if you have any questions: [email protected] PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to the concept of “critical thinking” and to give you some practice applying your critical thinking skills to topics relevant to this course. Being able to think critically, and to develop an argument supported by that critical thinking, will help you write great papers whenever one is assigned. Being a critical thinker will also be useful as you move through your academic career and enter the workforce, where research shows that employers are looking for applicants with excellent critical thinking skills. THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL HELP YOU GAIN KNOWLEDGE: AFTER THIS ACTIVITY – • • You will be able to define critical thinking. You will be able to name some logical fallacies. BUILD SKILLS: PRACTICE CRITICAL THINKING • • You will evaluate content including texts, films, social media posts, memes, etc. You will develop and support a sound argument. TASK: Complete the following tasks in order. You will learn about critical thinking and logical fallacies. You will gain new knowledge which will be evaluated and assessed by the final exam. GAIN KNOWLEDGE 1. WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING? • Watch this Ted-ED Video “5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking” Questions ▪ 1. Out of the five steps in the critical thinking process, which do you feel the most confident in your ability to do well? ▪ 2. Out of the five steps in the critical thinking process, which do you think you need to practice more and why? 2. LOGICAL FALLACIES • Carefully read the Purdue OWL article on Logical Fallacies Questions ▪ 3. What is one logical fallacy you are guilty of using? ▪ • 4. What is one logical fallacy someone has used in a conversation with you? Read “8 Critical Thinking Fallacies Applied to Social Media” Questions ▪ 5. Applying the critical thinking model you just learned about, were the examples used in the article fair or unfair? ▪ 6. Why? (use specific details from the article in your response) ▪ 7. How are thinking critically about social media posts and thinking critically about source material for an academic paper different, or are they the same? BUILD SKILLS 3. APPLY THE CRITICAL THINKING FRAMEWORK Follow these steps to apply the framework from the video and your new knowledge of logical fallacies to evaluate a source you might encounter in your everyday life. • • 8. Choose a macro identity, or an intersectional macro identity, or an identity influenced by region, religion, or place. FROM THE LIST OF MACRO-LEVEL IDENTITIES PROVIDED, CHOOSE ONE, OR UP TO A COMBINATION OF THREE, TO FOCUS ON FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT *Note – Be sure to choose an identity, or identities, different from your own, and ensure that your research is confined to the years 1941 through 2024 – the time frame addressed in this course. Keep in mind that the items below that influence an identity are not identities on their own. They must be paired with an actual macro identity. (e.g. regional influence, religious influence, and/or the influence of place, need to be connected to an actual macro identity.) Immigration Status – recently documented immigrant, undocumented immigrant Socioeconomic class – working poor, working class, middle class, upper class, or “the 1%” Generation – Greatest, Silent, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millennials), or Gen Z Region + a Macro Identity– the influence of the area one is born into, even though location can be altered in adulthood. (e.g. the Deep South, the Midwest, the West Coast, New England, the Pacific Northwest, the East Coast, the Northern Plains, the Southern Plains, the Continental Divide, the Heartland, Alaska, Hawaii, or any of the US Territories) “Race” – the socially and politically constructed division of humanity, created to establish a human hierarchy, to benefit the dominant group, historically and colloquially referred to by the colors black, brown, red, yellow, and white Military Draftees – In WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, people were drafted into the military against their will. In more modern times, the US has maintained a “volunteer only” military, which is a choice, and not a macro identity. To qualify as a macro identity, an individual must have been drafted into military service. Sexual Orientation – homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, asexual, fluid, lesbian, pansexual, gay, queer, questioning, etc. Abilities – physical and/or mental conditions, challenges, or disabilities. Gender – woman, man, transgender man or woman, agender, gender fluid, non-binary, etc. Ethnicity – not the same as “race.” Latino/a/x, Kurdish, Caribbean, etc. Religion + a Macro Identity – the influence of a religion one is born into, even though one can alter this part of one’s identity in adulthood. Place + a Macro Identity – Urban, suburban, exurban, rural, or isolated. The influence of a location, circumstance, and/or meaning attached to a place, into which one is born, and/or grows up in, even though it can be altered in adulthood. • 9. Conduct an internet search on your topic to find an article about your topic from a non-academic source, such as: o Cable News (e.g. CNN, Fox News) o Traditional Newspaper (e.g. AJC, New York Times) o Other forms of Journalism (e.g. Politico, Vice, Breitbart) • 10. Read the article [List the article you chose (include author, title, date posted/published, and url)] List it in proper MLA citation format • Answer the following questions about the article you have chosen based on the framework presented in the Ted-ED video you watched. 11. What is the key argument this article makes about your topic? 12. What is your initial impression of the article? 13. Apply the information you already know to ask critical questions about the topic: 13a. Are the concepts presented accurately? 13b. What assumptions are being made by the author? 13c. Based on what you have learned about logical fallacies, do the author or the subjects of the article use any logical fallacies? 14. Explore other points of view. With what aspects of this article do you agree, and disagree? 15. What might people who challenge this article think about this topic? 16. DEVELOP AN ARGUMENT Now that you have thought about the information presented in your chosen article from a variety of perspectives applying the critical thinking model, you have a tool you can use to evaluate the arguments and the interpretation of the evidence presented in whatever it is you are reading, listening to, or watching. Questions 16. In what ways did this critical thinking exercise influence your understanding or assessment of the information presented in your article? 16a. Why is it important to be a critical thinker? 16b. How might the critical thinking process aid you in your life outside of school? 17. Names of the two classmates you contacted to collaborate with in completing this assignment: 17a. _____________________________________________ 17b. _____________________________________________ CRITERIA FOR GRADING: As I am grading this assignment, I will be looking for the following: 1. Did you submit this assignment on-time? 2. Is the assignment in the format requested? a. MS Word document with a proper heading. b. Proper enumeration and MLA citation style utilized. 3. Did you take the assignment seriously? 4. Have you thoroughly completed each section of the activity? a. Complete sentences? b. Relevant sources? c. Details from the sources? d. Specific ideas from you? 5. Is there evidence that you have completed the related activities? a. Referenced information from the video? b. Referenced information from the article? c. Examined the information from multiple perspectives, even perspectives with which you disagree? 6. Are the answers you have provided thoughtful, relevant, and appropriate? 7. Did you collaborate with two of your classmates?

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