Critical Thinking is not a new concept; it has Greek roots (‘critical’, ‘logic’) and Latin roots (‘think’, ‘reason’). What is perplexing is society’s lack of understanding of the concept. This exercise is designed to help you understand, internalize, and utilize critical thinking. Complete this assignment according to the instructions in Appendix 1. Basically, 1) all we know are ideas. Think about it, can you know anything without ideas? Would you have experience without ideas? 2) Ideas work in systems. That is because ideas don’t work alone. Think of any idea without having to think of other ideas. Ideas are dependent on other ideas. What is the meaning of being a student if one doesn’t understand the idea of a teacher, a college, an assignment? etc. 3) Ideas have logical interactions. For example, one cannot be a parent without having a child. 4) Ideas require some level of intellectual discipline, and 5) presuppose intellectual criteria and standards. Therefore, an idea must be a part of a system of meaning. There is logic to it. The idea of being a student is only logical when the ideas of teachers, academic institutions, curricula, etc. are taken into consideration. To think about the logic of something is to think critically. This assignment will help you see “the logic of things”. Consider; “You miss the logic of being a musician if all you think you need to do is to strum your fingers on a guitar.” You miss the logic of dancing if all you think you need to do is to put your feet on the numbered squares.” “You miss the logic of being a student if all you think you need to do is do homework and take tests.” (Can you think of other examples?) The idea is that one may miss the logic of things; there is such a thing as “to get the logic of it”, and there is such a thing as “to miss the logic of it”. Therefore, what we attempt to know and understand in fact has a logic to it. We must identify it! We must not miss the logic of it! This will be discussed thoroughly in class to help you with this assignment. This assignment requires deep thinking about the content of the article you selected. Therefore, select a good article for you, and take the time to study it. You MUST follow the TEMPLATE provided in Appendix 1. Do not stray from the template and write a summary of the article. Writing a summary may be a good exercise for you to help you understand the article but do NOT submit it. A summary will earn a zero grade! Answer each point 1 – 8 separately and individually. For example, do not merge points 4 and 5, address each separately. Follow this template: I. Name of Student, Course, Date (Top Right) II. Complete information about the article (it must be an *Academic Journal/Refereed article)Author(s):Title:Journal:Volume number, and issue:Year: III.Follow Template for Analyzing the Logic of an Article (See below) IV.Upload your analysis of the logic of your article on Canvas Handouts by the due date.V. Remember to use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a model to practice critical thinking. VI. Do not turn this into an essay, or provide a summary of the paper. Address each point (1-8) separately. Post any questions on Canvas or email me.Template for Analyzing the Logic of an Article (Use a separate page and provide significant and meaningful responses.) 1. The main purpose of this article is ______________________________________________________.(State as accurately as possible the author’s purpose for writing the article.) 2. The key question the author [addresses] is _______________________________________________.(Figure out the key question in the mind of the author when s/he wrote the article.) 3. The most important information in this article is __________________________________________.(Figure out the facts, experiences, data the author [uses] to support her/his conclusions.) 4. The main inferences/conclusions in this article are _________________________________________.(Identify the key conclusions the author comes to and presents in the article.) 5. The key concept(s) we need to understand in this article is (are) _____________________________.By these concepts the author means _______________________.(Figure out the most important ideas you would have to understand in order to understand the author’s line of reasoning.) 6. The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is (are) _____________________________.(Figure out what the author takes for granted [that might be questioned].) 7a). If we take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are ______________________________.(What consequences are likely to follow if people take the author’s reasoning seriously?)1b). If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are __________________________.(What consequences are likely to follow if people ignore the author’s reasoning?) 8. The main point(s) of view presented in this article (are) _____________________________________.(What is the author looking at< and how is s/he seeing it?) Source: Foundation for Critical Thinking ARTICLE!!! Cullen, John1, john. g.cullen@nuim. i. “Educating Business Students About Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review of Current Trends and Research Needs.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 145, no. 2, Oct. 2017, pp. 429–439. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2838-3.
