HUM 1020, Critical Thinking

Course Syllabus

Course Description
Introduction to collegiate-level thinking. It could best be described as "thinking about thinking." Topics covered include
creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, believing and knowing, and making and evaluating arguments. The course
includes discussions, reflective papers, and the use of films.

Course Textbook(s)
Chaffee, J. (2019). Thinking critically (12th ed.). Cengage Learning. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337672269

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Distinguish between critical thinking and creative thinking.
2. Examine one’s own voice of criticism.
3. Apply the five steps of problem-solving.
4. Demonstrate the connections between perceiving, believing, and knowing.
5. Interpret the meaning of the term concept.
6. Distinguish between reporting, inferring, and judging.
7. Develop sound arguments.

Academic Integrity
Honesty and integrity are taken very seriously at Waldorf University. All students should be familiar with the Waldorf
University Academic Integrity Policy (found in the current Student Handbook) and the consequences that will result from
breaches of this policy.

Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.

Course Structure
1. Study Guide: Course units contain a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson,
required reading assignments, and supplemental resources.
2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge
students should gain upon completion of the unit.
3. Unit Lesson: Unit Lessons, which are located in the Study Guide, discuss lesson material.
4. Reading Assignments: Units contain Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook and/or
outside resources.
5. Discussion Boards: Students are required to submit Discussion Board posts in Units I-VIII. Discussion Boards
provide students the opportunity for student-to-student and professor-to-student interaction based on relevant course
concepts and ideas. Specific information about accessing the Discussion Board rubric is provided below.
6. Unit Assessments: This course contains Unit Assessments, which test student knowledge on important aspects of
the course. These tests may come in many different forms, ranging from multiple choice to written response
questions.
7. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments. Specific information and
instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment.

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 Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.
8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides students with an opportunity to ask their professor general
questions or questions related to course content.
9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with other classmates.

Unit Assignments
Unit I Assignment
Think Piece 1: Mona Lisa Smile

Address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.

In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, Kathryn Watson came to Wellesley to make a difference—not to fit in. She wanted to use art
to bring students to think and see in new ways. What were some of the creative ways she did this? Critically analyze the
impact she had on her students.
Kathryn’s unorthodox teaching style brought a lot of criticism. Discuss the many ways that she was confronted by voices of
criticism and how she overcame them. Relate this to your life, and describe how you could apply these or other tactics to
overcome your own voice of criticism.
Consider your experience with education. How much of your education has consisted of teachers pouring things into your
mind that you had to pour back out on a test? How many teachers have tried to inspire your mind, open your mind, or
expand your mind to think in ways it never has before? Which method of education do you prefer, and why?
Your completed assignment must be at least one page in length. You must use at least one academic resource to support
your assignment, which may include your textbook. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this
assignment.

Unit II Assignment
Think Piece 2: Apollo 13

Address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.

Apollo 13 has many great examples of problem-solving. The key to bringing the astronauts home alive was breaking the
huge problem down into small, solvable problems. Choose one of the smaller problems that was solved, and explain why it
seemed like such a good example of problem-solving to you.
In your answer, discuss how the astronauts exemplified critical thinking and applied the five steps of problem-solving.
Explain which critical thinking qualities the astronauts demonstrated and what questions they asked that led to the solution.
Your completed assignment must be at least one page in length. You must use at least one academic resource to support
your assignment, which may include your textbook. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this
assignment.

Unit III Assignment

Think Piece 3: A Beautiful Mind

Address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.

This movie raises a big question—a question that is hard to answer—but a question we should all wrestle with. In A
Beautiful Mind, Dr. Rosen explains the horror of schizophrenia to Alicia, John Nash’s wife, by saying that the nightmare of
this disease is not knowing what is true and real; people, places, and memories are not gone but, rather, never existed.
In the film, John Nash learned some ways to distinguish between what he sees that is real and what he sees that is not real.
What about you? How do you know what is real and what is not? How do you know that you are awake and not dreaming?
Relate this to what you have learned in this unit.
Describe and apply the three parts of perceiving.
Explain the lenses through which you see the world.
Describe where you are in the three stages of knowing.
In your response, do not summarize the movie; this essay is about you and your thinking. Your completed assignment must
be at least one page in length. You must use at least one academic resource to support your assignment, which may
include your textbook. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment.

Unit IV Assignment
Think Piece 4: Good Will Hunting

Address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.

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 There are many concepts to consider in Good Will Hunting. One concept is Dr. Sean Maguire’s (Robin William’s character)
concept of a soulmate. What is your concept of a soulmate? As you define that, think about the concept of triad used in this
unit. Then, look at Sean’s concept of a soulmate. How does it differ from your concept? Does Sean’s concept make you
redefine yours? In the end, what do you think of the concept of a soulmate?
Your completed assignment must be at least one page in length. You must use at least one academic resource to support
your assignment, which may include your textbook. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this
assignment.

Unit V Assignment
Think Piece 5: Concussion

After watching the movie Concussion, address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.
Discuss the ethical perspectives of both the National Football League (NFL) and Dr. Bennet Omalu concerning the issue of
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in professional football. Explain each side’s grasp of the facts and inferences as
well as what leads to judgments being made.
Your completed assignment must be at least one page in length. You must use at least one academic resource to support
your assignment, which must come from the Waldorf Online Library. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and
references for this assignment.

Unit VII Assignment

Think Piece 6: A Time to Kill

Address the prompts below in a thoughtfully composed essay.

In the movie for this unit, Carl Lee, the father, referred to Jake, his attorney, as his secret weapon. Carl advised Jake on his
defense, saying that Jakes sees him like the all-White jury sees him, and Carl asked what it would take to convince Jake to
acquit. Jake took that advice and ran with it; it worked.
Make an argument, based on the movie, as to whether or not you think Carl was right. Was Jake Carl’s enemy? What
fallacies (if any) were present in his thinking?
As evidence for your argument, you can only use things from the movie itself, but you should demonstrate knowledge
learned in this unit.
Your completed assignment must be at least one page in length. APA Style will not be required for this assignment.

Submitting Course Papers/Projects

Once you have completed your papers/projects, submit your completed papers/projects by uploading through the
Assignment tab in each unit. Do not e-mail your paper directly to your professor. By using the Assignment tab, your record
will automatically be updated to indicate you have submitted your papers/projects, and the assignment will be provided to
your professor for grading. Instructions for submitting your assignment can be found under the Assignment tab in each unit.

APA Guidelines
Waldorf University requires that students use the APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting,
quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Information about using APA style can be found in
APA Style Help in the Course Menu. This area provides links to Internet sites, tutorials, and guides that provide
comprehensive information on APA formatting, including examples and sample papers.

Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each
rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level
of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to
meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because
these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is
possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have
Assessments).
The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions.
The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit

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 Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.
Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics
are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the
Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be
submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting the “Grades” link.
Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your
Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums
These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students.
Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in
the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.
Ask the Professor
This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions.
Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration,
additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.
Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal
accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non-
public nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the
professor within 48 hours.
Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus,
assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.
Student Break Room
This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should
always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to
share assessment answers.

Schedule/Grading
The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you
will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

Unit I Thinking Critically and Living Creatively [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit I Study Guide
Chapter 1: Thinking
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit I Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit I Assignment 10%

Unit II Thinking Critically and Solving Problems [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit II Study Guide

Chapter 2: Thinking Critically
Chapter 3: Solving Problems
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit II Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit II Assignment 10%

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 Unit III Perceiving, Believing, and Knowing [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit III Study Guide
Chapter 4: Perceiving and Believing, pp. 139-159
Chapter 5: Constructing Knowledge
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit III Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit III Assignment 10%

Unit IV Forming and Applying Concepts [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide
Chapter 7: Forming and Applying Concepts
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit IV Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit IV Assignment 10%

Unit V Judgements and Making Moral Decisions [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit V Study Guide
Chapter 4: Perceiving and Believing, pp. 160-173
Chapter 9: Thinking Critically About Moral Issues
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit V Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit V Assignment 10%

Unit VI Constructing and Evaluating Arguments [ Weight: 11% ]

Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide
Chapter 10: Constructing Arguments

Discuss: Unit VI Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VI Assessment 9%

Unit VII Inductive Reasoning and Fallacies [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide

Chapter 11: Reasoning Critically
Unit Resource (1 film): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit VII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VII Assignment 10%

Unit VIII Putting It All Together [ Weight: 17% ]

Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide
Unit Resource (1 document): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit VIII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Final Assessment 15%

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