Mt. San Antonio College

Location:  26D-3280

Professor:  McFaul

Office:  26D-1240E

Box:  26D-1471M

Office Hours:   see website

Phone:  (909) 274-4716

E-mail: jdmcfaul@mtsac.edu

Books and Supplies

Koonman, J.  Learning To Think.  5th Edition.  Day & Nite, 2019.  ISBN:  978-1-884155-80-2.

Money Words:  296 Words Designed to Help Catapult You to Success.  Princeton Disk, 2004.

Six "large" bluebooks.

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English 1C--Critical Thinking and Writing     4 units

Degree Appropriate, CSU, UC

Prerequisite:  English 1A or English 1AH

English 1C develops critical thinking, reading, and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 1A.  It increases the student's capacity for logical analysis and argumentative writing.

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 "The function of a great university is to

ask right questions, not to give right answers.”

                                                                    --Cynthia Ozick

English 1C is a university level course in critical thinking and writing.  Above all, in the sections that I teach, it is a course about the relationship between thinking and writing.  I say that I teach this course, but that is not how I would most carefully define my role.  I am here to help you construct a serious course of study that will enable you to become a more careful user of language, a better thinker, and a better writer.

Critical thinking, as I like to understand the phrase, is not so much a subject as it is a verb.  That is, in this course you will not so much learn about critical thinking as learn to apply critical thinking in several environments:  in class discussion, in your written responses, and in “the real world.”  My main role in class will be to prod, to provoke, and to keep your learning as active as possible.

Critical thinking consists in thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.

“You cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education. You will do much better to think of yourselves as being here to claim  one.”

 --Adrienne Rich

One of the best ways of “claiming an education,” I would argue, is through writing.  Writing gives you an opportunity to present your critical thinking abilities in a tangible form.  This semester I will ask you to engage in four different “ways” of writing:  formal take-home essays, formal in-class essays, issue/problem papers, and observational writing.

Student Learning Objectives:

English 1C/1CH 
SLO 1: In conversation with multiple texts, whether assigned by the instructors or chosen by the student, students will write a formal argument.
SLO 2: Students will evaluate the soundness of arguments.

Hybrid English 1C:

Students in Hybrid English 1C enjoy 50% less classroom time than students enrolled in a traditional English 1A. The extra time outside of the classroom is intended to stimulate and liberate the self-motivated, driven, purposeful student. Students of Hybrid English 1A are not expected to view this extra time as "free" time but, rather, time that is simply reallocated to specific, course-related, online activities/exercises/assignments/discussions/online-chats that will take place each week. Expect that the time you save by spending 50% less time in the classroom will be wholly reassigned to our weekly online activities/exercises/assignments/discussions.  Your time will also go toward library research groups, study sessions, review sessions, Writing Center workshops, and office hours. Additionally, please plan to allocate much time to this website, for it is where you will find the prompts for each of our essays, and it is also where you will examine the expectations for each essay. There are also screenplays and articles that are posted on this website, and you'll be expected to read them. Make sure to stay focused on our class by visiting the Announcements page each day. Also, set aside an additional 3-5 hours per week to read the essays and stories in our textbook and to complete the Exercises and the 5x8 card assignments. You'll likely require another 2-4 hours per week to learn the words for your vocabulary quizzes. Finally, because this is a composition course, plan on commiting an additional 3-5 hours per week to producing essay drafts, sharing them with me online, and revising them accordingly. Of course, in a Hybrid course, students will often rely on email to ensure regular and effective contact. Know that when you send me emails, I'll reply within 24 hours. 

1.       Formal Take-home Essays (400 points)

These essays will house a minimum of 1,000 typed words presented in the standard format for formal academic writing.  Pages should all be numbered in the upper-right corner, quoted material should be parenthetically referenced, and all papers should be carefully edited and proofread.  A word count should be found at the bottom of the last page.  All essays should be double-spaced.

Essays will be graded based on the following criteria:  clarity (choice of words, logical syntax, sequentially linked paragraphs), comprehension (demonstration of a full understanding of the ideas presented), connections (use of supplemental text from readings or class discussion), care (appropriate format, evidence of proofreading and editing), full development (ideas fully supported with evidence or reasonable argumentation).

2.       Formal In-class Essays (410 points)

These essays, similar to the take-home essays, will be graded on the following criteria:  clarity, comprehension, connections, care, and full development.  Potential prompts will be provided to students one week ahead of time, and students will have the opportunity to commit ten quotations (no longer than three “text lines” each) to a sheet of paper.  These quotations can be referenced during the exam; specifically, they should be used to bolster a student’s credibility as a writer, help advance her claim, and help substantiate anything which would have otherwise gone unsubstantiated.

3.       Issue/Problem Paper (100 points)

Using a critical thinking habit of mind, we try to assess a situation and describe what issues or problems are present.  Vincent Ruggiero, author of Beyond Feelings, defines problems as situations we find intolerable and therefore must be changed; issues are matters about which intelligent, informed individuals might disagree.  Solving problems, then, means deciding what action to take; resolving issues means deciding what viewpoint is most reasonable.

Problems are best expressed in the “How can . . . ?” or “What . . . ?” form.  For example:

Problem:  What legal sanctions would decrease gun ownership?

The question form most useful for expressing issues is the “Is . . . ?” or “Should . . . ?” form. 

For example:

Issue:  Should people have the right to own guns?

In your issue/problem papers, I would ask you to identify and present either an issue or a problem in the appropriate question format.  I will expect you to then discuss the issue or problem in terms of your response to it.  Your response might be a solution to the problem or a reasonable viewpoint on the issue.  The issue or problem should be stated in a single interrogative sentence.  The response should be at least one fully developed paragraph in length.  All papers should be typed and double-spaced.

4.     Quizzes (120 points)

It seems that some college graduates are without the broad written and spoken vocabulary that should be representative of a college education.  To actively combat this ugly trend, students in this class will be expected to complete the Money Words vocabulary program.  In doing so, students will be expected to take five quizzes (24 points each).  As an incentive to learning additional words, however, students will have the opportunity to earn up to 36 points for each quiz.  These "extra points" will represent "extra credit."  

5.  Homework (24 points) 

Homework will consist of 5x8 card assignments.  Each will be worth 3 points. Students must earn, at minimum, 80% (19 points) in order to be eligible to pass the class. Each 5x8 card assignment asks you to examine a text, typically one that represents the central focus of the paper/essay we are preparing to write. Each 5x8 card assignment requires students to identify the following components:  Claim and Type of Claim, Two Assumptions (likely, the writer is making certain assumptions, and some may be shared while other may not be), Two Fallacies (identify the type of fallacy and explain why it is a fallacy), Two Significant Quotations (and why each is significant), One Example of Precise Language (and why it is precise), and an Evaluation (at minimum this should include one Point, one Example, and two Commentary). Extra credit will be awarded to students who do more than is expected.

Grade Determination:   If you are grade conscious, you will keep an on-going account of your point standing.  Figure out your percentage by taking your point total and dividing it by the total points possible. 

90%=A      80%=B     70%=C     60%=D

Policies