1. Write a 750 word (approximately 3 to 5 paragraph) critical essay, in APA format. 2. Choose ONE of the following prompts to critically engage with and debate. a. Does technology help or hinder human communication? b. Is homeschooling or regular schooling more effective? c. Do elected officials fairly represent their constituents or are they out of touch with voters? d. Should patients always have full say on the kind of medical care they receive or are there instances where doctors should override a patient’s autonomy? e. Are people too reliant on technology or is their relationship to it relatively balanced? f. OR a topic of your choice subject to professor approval. 3. Your critical essay must be typed and double-spaced. 4. The font must be 12-point Arial or another readable choice.
CRIT 1700 Culminating Assignment, Instructions and Rubric, Page | 1 of 5 CRIT 1700 Assignment Critical Thinking Paper Weight: 20% Due: Friday July 31st by 11:59 p.m. Assignment Rationale: This assignment provides you with an opportunity to apply your critical thinking skills to a practical writing assignment. As the scholars Jean Saindon and Peter John Krek note: “Often we want or need to put our verbal argumentation into a written format. Although we can, and sometimes do, work systematically through an argument verbally, verbal argumentation is often much more dynamic and free-flowing. When we present our arguments in written form we have to be more systematic and linear in our presentation” (Critical Thinking: Argument and Argumentation, 2014, p. 293). This assignment, therefore, gives you an opportunity to plan and construct an argument by way of a short essay. Composing this essay will present you with opportunities to develop an idea, shape a coherent and logical argument, evaluate evidence, and work through the writing process which includes outlining, drafting, and editing before submitting a more polished final version. CRIT 1700 Course Learning Outcomes Evaluated in this Assignment: • CLO 1: Assess the strength and validity of an argument through the application of theoretical and conceptual criterions and models. • CLO 2: Formulate an argument that accounts for the complexity of an issue or problem as well as contextual influences. • CLO 3: Identify fallacious reasoning and imprecise language to improve expression. CRIT 1700 Culminating Assignment, Instructions and Rubric, Page | 2 of 5 • CLO 4: Interpret evidence, premises, beliefs, and viewpoints using a clearly articulated set of standards. • CLO 5: Evaluate one’s own values, assumptions, and biases using self-reflective tools and strategies to sharpen decision- making, reasoning, and rationalizing abilities. Instructions: 1. Write a 750 word (approximately 3 to 5 paragraph) critical essay, in APA format. 2. Choose ONE of the following prompts to critically engage with and debate. a. Does technology help or hinder human communication? b. Is homeschooling or regular schooling more effective? c. Do elected officials fairly represent their constituents or are they out of touch with voters? d. Should patients always have full say on the kind of medical care they receive or are there instances where doctors should override a patient’s autonomy? e. Are people too reliant on technology or is their relationship to it relatively balanced? f. OR a topic of your choice subject to professor approval. 3. Your critical essay must be typed and double-spaced. 4. The font must be 12-point Arial or another readable choice. 5. The paper is worth 20% and it will be graded using the rubric below. CRIT 1700 Culminating Assignment, Instructions and Rubric, Page | 3 of 5 Important points: • The concept of a critical thinking essay is that you start without an end in mind. You don’t necessarily know how you feel about a subject or what you want to say about the subject. Instead, you allow the research and your own thinking to determine the outcome. This is writing to learn rather than writing to prove what you know. • While the questions are framed as either/or you may find that your ideas fall somewhere in between and this is okay. In fact, perhaps it is helpful to think of this essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If you and I were discussing whether or not technology helps or hinders human communication, there would be a beginning, middle and end to our conversation. As with a conversation, your essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to your intent or argument. However — again, thinking of this as a conversation — your essay shouldn’t be formal. Remember, you’re talking about your ideas and thought processes. You may, therefore, use the first-person voice (I, me, my). • In terms of how your ideas are conveyed, the goal in this essay is to express yourself in plain English. Critical essays are typically shorter pieces of writing. Therefore, this essay, by its nature, ought to be concise and this requires you to be clear and to the point. Brevity is the key to successfully accomplishing this goal. Brevity is a noun that denotes the concise and exact use of words in writing or speech. Your writing, therefore, will ideally be direct (short, declarative, active sentences), and also detail-oriented. Avoid abstract writing and generalizations. • Your essay should be supported with THREE different credible/scholarly sources; the sources should be cited in APA format. In order to present your point-of-view in the clearest and most concise way possible, you will need to think through your own feelings about the topic and comb through some additional findings to draw some logical conclusions. CRIT 1700 Culminating Assignment, Instructions and Rubric, Page | 4 of 5 Grading Criteria/Rubric: Your final writing evaluation will be graded out of 30 using the following rubric. Criteria Meets All Expectations 5 pts. Meets Most of the Expectations 4 pts. Meets Some of the Expectations 3 pts. Does Not Meet Expectations 1-2 pts. Total pts. Critical Standards The work demonstrates the ability of the student to apply, in genuine and appreciable ways, the standards of an effective critical thinker to a particular line of reasoning. Exhibits a high level of insight, analysis, and evaluation. The work demonstrates the willingness of the student to apply the standards of an effective critical thinker to a particular line of reasoning, but the insights, analytical points, or evaluations could be more thorough. The work demonstrates some willingness on the part of the student to apply the standards of an effective critical thinker to a particular line of reasoning, but the overall effort falls a bit short of expectations. There is room to elaborate and some insights, analytical points, or evaluations are unfulfilled. The work demonstrates little to no willingness on the part of the student to apply the standards of an effective critical thinker to a particular line of reasoning; the effort falls short of expectations. There is room to elaborate; insights, analytical points, or evaluations are unfulfilled Content The work reveals an extensive understanding and outstanding ability to analyse, synthesize, reason, argue, and evaluate their chosen topic. The discussion is well- contextualized. The viewpoints are well thought through. The work reveals a fair to good understanding and reasonable ability to analyse, synthesize, reason, argue, and evaluate their chosen topic. The discussion is reasonably contextualized. The viewpoints are reasonably thought through. The work reveals a satisfactory understanding and an adequate ability to analyse, synthesize, reason, argue, and evaluate their chosen topic. Some context is given to the broader discussion. The work requires some elaboration. The work reveals a poor to adequate understanding; a less than satisfactory effort to analyse, synthesize, reason, argue, and evaluate their chosen topic. Little to no context is provided. The work is overall poorly executed. Specificity Supports observations with well-detailed, specific, and relevant examples. Demonstrates ability to put insights in dialogue with other viewpoints. Avoids generalities altogether. Supports observations with relevant examples. Demonstrates some ability to put insights in dialogue with other viewpoints. Some examples may be general rather than specific. Observations are only satisfactorily supported with examples, some of which may not be wholly relevant. A satisfactory effort is made to put insights in dialogue with other viewpoints. The examples are overall general. Observations are not supported with relevant examples. Demonstrates little to no ability to put insights in dialogue with other viewpoints. A lack of specificity overall; too general. CRIT 1700 Culminating Assignment, Instructions and Rubric, Page |