EXP 101: Critical Thinking and Writing

Instructor: Thomas Finn

Office: Morison Hall, Rm. 104
Office Hours: W 1:303:30, or by appointment
Office Phone: ext. 2962
Business Phone: 617-997-8210
Email: tfinn@bentley.edu
Required Texts: The World is a Text (4/e), Silverman and Rader (Pearson/Prentice Hall)
Grammar Moves: Shaping Who You Are (1/e), Weinstein and Finn (Pearson/Longman)

Course Description
Writing is a process, a skill that must be learned and practiced. While there is no universal formula that
can be applied to each individual writing endeavor, there are principles and strategies that can make the
process both easier and more understandable. This class is designed to help improve your writing,
researching, and critical thinking skills.
In learning these skills, we will use contemporary social issues as a platform for inquiry and discussion,
and we will explore ways of approaching and writing about these issues. Through class discussions,
assigned essays, and independent research, you will strengthen your ability to think and write on a deeper,
more analytic level.

Course Requirements
Essays: You will write three essays that will be derived from class readings and independent research.
Since revision is essential to writing well, there will be two drafts written for each essay assignment.
While each draft is required on the due date, only your final draft will receive a letter grade. These essays
will weigh heavily in the final grade for the course, so I urge you to take care in writing them. Do not be
needlessly penalized for sloppy mistakes. Proofread. Check over your drafts for typos, spelling mistakes,
and grammatical errors.
A note: All late papersthat is, any draft not handed in by the start of class on the due datewill be
penalized by one letter grade and then an additional letter grade for each day thereafter.
Critical Thinking Journal: Through the duration of the semester, you will work independently on a
critical thinking journal. For this journal, it wont be enough to simply state your feelings on a particular
subject; youll have to critically analyze and explore your various subjects from a particular angle, using
sound organization and development. Think of them as mini-essays, in which you need an arguable claim,
topic sentences and paragraphs to structure your ideas, and an explanation of your rationale in support of
your claim. The subject of each entry can be anything from the social significance of a video game you
recently played, to gender representations in your favorite television show, to the implications of a recent
Supreme Court ruling. In essence, everything is up for analysis.
Each entry will be typed (12-point font) and double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and 350 to 700
words, which is roughly one to two pages in length. By semesters end, you should have at least 10 entries
in total, and your journal as a whole should be no less than 3,500 words, or 10 full pages in length. You
will be graded on the complexity of your analysis and the composition of your thoughtsthat is, the same
criteria by which your essays will be graded. Finally, while the journals wont be graded until the very
end of the term, they will be collected periodically throughout the semester.
Participation: Knowledge is acquired through sharing. With that in mind, you are expected to come to
class prepared with the reading assignments for that day. Know now that being prepared means having

just as many questions about the readings as you do comments. College reading means you must actively
engage each text you encounter, not merely accept whats being presented or the way that its being
presented. Having questions about aspects of a text you disagree with or are unclear about oftentimes
proves more productive than trying to present answers. This is all to say, its not enough to merely show
up; your ideas and the ways in which you explore and express them are important. This is especially true
when functioning within the forum of a workshop.
Workshop: After the first draft of each essay, you will workshop each others papers in small groups.
These workshops, and your active participation in them, are crucial to improving not only your own
writing but also that of your peers. The benefits of a workshop are many, but you must actively engage in
the process for it to work. That being said, the feedback you provide in both written and verbal form will
weigh into your overall grade. As well, all team members will grade each other at semesters end, which
will factor heavily into the overall workshop grade. Do NOT be absent on workshop days; there are only
three, so active and engaged participation is crucial for each.
Quizzes: To write critically one must continually be engaging with new ideas and perspectives. Reading
is crucial in this regard. In terms of your own writing, it will be just as important for you to not only see
what peoples opinions are but also how they are expressing them. In addition, keeping up with the
readings and absorbing new ideas and opinions is the foundation for class discussion, a vital source for
paper topics and content in its own right. Being unprepared diminishes not only your learning experience
but also that of your classmates. Consequently, there will be pop quizzes on the readings throughout the
semester which will, along with active participation, form the basis of 10 percent of your grade.
Oral Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will present on the subject of your final essay. The
purpose of the oral presentation is three-fold: first, it will provide you the opportunity to practice speaking
in front of an audience, a skill you will need in both your academic and business careers; second, the
presentation will provide you with the chance to utilize all of the rhetorical strategies covered in class
throughout the semester; and third, it will provide you the chance to bring to the fore a topic of personal
relevance to you, one that will further enrich the class as a whole.
Conferences: I will hold one-on-one conferences following the first draft of each essaythree times total
for the semester. You are expected to come to each conference prepared with questions about your essay
so that we can collaborate on strategies for revision. Although we do not meet in class during these days,
your attendance at your appointed time is mandatory. Failure to show up for a conference counts as a
class absence.
Attendance: Common sense dictates that if you are to gain knowledge from this class it would be in your
best interest to attend it. Not showing up for class, or arriving late, deprives yourself of a valuable
learning experience, but, worse yet, it also takes away from the experience of your peers. This is
especially true with classes surrounding workshop days missing these days affects not only your
attendance record, but also your workshop grade. I cannot stress my attendance policy enough: More than
three (3) absencesexcused or unexcusedwill result in an automatic failure for the course; every two
tardies will equate to one absence.
Disability Services: Bentley University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which stipulate no student shall be denied the benefits of an
education solely by reason of a disability. If you have a hidden or visible disability which may require
classroom accommodations, please make an appointment with the Assistant Director of Disability
Services, Stephanie S. Brodeur, within the first 4 weeks of the semester. The Office of Disability Services
is located in the Office of Counseling and Student Development (CSD), Callahan 2nd Floor,

781.891.2274. The Assistant Director of Disability Services is responsible for coordinating

accommodations and services for students with disabilities.
Grading: The final grade will be broken down as follows:
Essay #1: 20%
Essay #2: 20%
Essay #3: 20%
Workshop: 10%
Critical Thinking Journal: 10%
Quizzes: 10%
Oral Presentation: 10%

Course Calendar:
PART I Writing Focus: Concept Development; Types of Evidence; and
Summarizing, Attributing, and Framing ideas
Week 1
W 1-22
Week 2
M 1-27

W 1-29

Week 3
M 2-3
W 2-5
Week 4
M 2-10
W 2-12

Discussion: Course Goals, expectations, and requirements

Reading Due: World is a Text (WIT), Introduction, pp. 327; Intro to public/private space, pp.
187191; Halsband Campuses in Place 247254; Hamilton How Suburban Design is
Failing Teenagers Handout.
Grammar Moves (GM), Introduction, pp. 1-4; Being Honorable, pp. 115120
Reading Due: (WIT) Part II: Finding an Approach for Your Essays pp. 2731; Tatum,
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? 279281; Staples, Just
Walk on By Handout.
(GM) Being Real, pp. 5663; Being Open-Minded, pp. 9197
Reading Due: (WIT) Lutz, Weasel Words, pp. 587597; Drafting; Editing/Revising; Final
Product pp. 42-43. (GM) Being Modest, pp. 121126
Discussion: Workshop Guidelines and Etiquette
Writing Due: First Draft of Essay #1
Workshop
Conferences

PART II Writing Focus: Structural Elements: Thesis, Topic Sentences,

Paragraphs, and Transitions
Week 5
M 2-17

W 2-19

Reading Due: (WIT) Intro to Writing about Movies, pp. 319325; The Avatar Suite, pp. 343
355; Churchill Lets Spread the Fun Around, Handout. (GM) Dealing with Complexity, pp.
103109
Library Workshop
Reading Due: (WIT) Intro to Media p. 555561; Lim The Bachelor/Bachelorettes White
Elephant pp. 180181. (GM) Being Adaptable, pp. 98102

Week 6
M 2-24
W 2-26

Week 7
M 3-3
W 3-5
Week 8
M 3-10
W 3-12

Writing Due: Final Draft Package of Essay #1

Reading Due: (WIT) Intro to Writing about Television, pp. 127132; Franke-Ruta Beyond
Fear: Heroes vs. 24, p. 156159. (GM) MLA Citation Style, pp. 140149

Reading Due: (WIT) Fuentes Out of Style Thinking p. 395397. (GM) Being Proactive
pp. 12-17, Being Real pp. 56-61
Discussion: Unpacking and integrating quotes
Writing Due: First Draft Essay #2
No Class: Spring Break
No Class: Spring Break

PART III Writing Focus: Historical Context; Opposing and Qualifying Ideas;
Stylized Introductions and Conclusions
Week 9
M 3-17
W 3-19
Week 10
M 3-24
W 3-26
Week 11
M 3-31
W 4-2
Week 12
M 4-7
W 4-9

Workshop
Conferences
Library Workshop
Reading Due: (WIT) Part IV A Guide for Building Good Arguments pp. 4456.
(GM) Being Assertive pp. 711.
Discussion: Models of argumentation
Writing Due: Final Draft Package of Essay #2
Reading Due: (WIT) Tannen, Marked Women, Unmarked Men, pp. 391395.
(GM) Being Diplomatic, pp. 6468
Discussion: Introductory Strategies
Reading Due: Love Before Jon Stewart, p. 563569. (GM) Being Organized, pp. 2833
Discussion: Concluding Strategies
Reading Due: (WIT) Google Suite, pp. 601611; (GM) Being Generous, pp. 6974
Discussion: Public Speaking Strategies; grammar and style
Writing Due: First Draft of Essay #3

Week 13
M 4-14
W 4-16

Workshop
Conferences

Week 14
M 4-21
W 4-23

No Class: Patriots Day

Oral Presentations

Week 15
M 4-28

Oral Presentations
Writing Due: Final Draft Package of Essay #3 and Critical Thinking Journal

*Changes in syllabus may be necessary during the semester and will be announced in advance.