Critical Thinking in the Social Sciences

1.  Explicate (no copy and paste) the trait of Intellectual Humility and then give an example in your life of someone, preferably yourself, who has exhibited this quality, or the lack thereof, in a specific incidence. Questions?

2.  Explicate (no copy and paste) the trait of skepticism/Questioning and then give an example in your life of someone, preferably yourself, who has exhibited this quality, or the lack thereof, in a specific incidence. Questions?

3. Explicate (no copy and paste) the trait of awareness of bias and then give an example in your life of someone, preferably yourself, who has exhibited this quality, or the lack thereof, in a specific incidence in the following areas: Self Interest,  Cultural bias, Personal bias, and National bias. Questions? 

4. Explicate (no copy and paste) the trait of Intellectual Courage and then give an example in your life of someone, preferably yourself, who has exhibited this quality, or the lack thereof, in a specific incidence. Questions?

5. Explicate (no copy and paste) the trait of Metacognition and then give an example in your life of someone, preferably yourself, who has exhibited this quality, or the lack thereof, in a specific incidence. Questions?

 6. Explain this quote from the text: "A frequent assumption is to ascribe causation to correlation." Give an example if you can.

7. Explain this quote from the text: "A critical thinker is wary of simple explanations or assumptions." Can you give an example of this that you have made or heard?

Communicating about Sensitive Political Matters. 

1.  Explain the first rule of communicating about sensitive political matters, including the role that listening plays. Give a specific example of how you or perhaps someone else either followed or violated this first principle. Questions? Comments?

2.  What is a fact in the social sciences, according to the Byrnes text? Give an example not cited in the text of something that clearly is a fact and something that is not. Make sure your examples relate to a social or political issue.

3.  Why is it important to state opinions as opinions? Give an explicit example of you or someone else who has practiced or not practiced this. Questions? Comments?

4.  Explain the benefits of specificity in writing and discussions. Is it acceptable to generalize? Questions? Comments?

5.  Explain briefly the importance of not openly disagreeing with someone, but attempting to identify points that might not have been considered.  Questions? Comments?

6..  Why is name calling so destructive to good communication? Can you give an example of how this was done by you or someone else? Questions? Comments?

7.  What are the problems involved with saying �you are wrong� during a conversation?  Do you have any examples? Questions? Comments?

8. Discuss the problems of overgeneralization or oversimplification in communication. Do you have any examples of this? Questions? Comments?

Origins

Explain how U.S. citizens generally understand the word �freedom� in a political sense.  How do we relate freedom to government and the economy according to the Byrnes text? Mention briefly the groups who were denied these freedoms when our country began. Questions? Comments?

Using the Byrnes text, discuss the value of individualism that we have inherited from our ancestors in the United States. Questions? Comments?

Using the Byrnes text, explain the value of political equality that we have inherited from our ancestors in the United States.  Include in your explanation the philosophical basis for this value as well as how we tend to interpret it in a practical political sense. Questions? Comments?

Explain the concept of self-interest as a value handed down to us. Include in your explanation how it was applied generally in the Constitution and in our economic system. Questions? Comments?

Explain the value of Equality of Opportunity as discussed in the Byrnes text. How is this concept closely linked to democracy and how it is violated by different types of discrimination.  Questions? Comments?

Federalist #51 and Federalist Paper Explained

Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, �contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places."

Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, should be so constituted that the members of each (branch)should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others.� Why was this considered important?

Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, "It is equally evident, that the members of each department [branch] should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others, for the emoluments [salaries] annexed to their offices."

 Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, "But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others."

Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.�

 Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."

 Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, "where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights."

Explain the meanings of these words in the Federalist 51, In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.