I get most of my news from the morning TV news. I tend to analyze what I hear and view
by comparing what one station says to another. Additionally, I will have conversations with
friends and family about what we all learned to see how we each interpreted it.As a citizen,
I get involved in the governmental process most directly by casting my vote every election.
Prior to elections, I apply critical thinking during the process of learning about the
candidates. I find it imperative to learn as much as I can about their viewpoints, analyze
their track records, and compare their ideas to my own ways of thinking prior to casting my
vote.Popular appeal is a fallacy I often see in advertising that I tend to spot rather quickly
and dismiss. Commercials for cars are particularly guilty of this in that they make it seem
as though everyone is giving the gift of a car for Christmas or your life will be more like
people you admire if you get a new car. I plan to be a more mindful consumer by truly
listening to what is being pitched to me before making purchasing decisions, as well as
doing comparison shopping.My favorite part of this class was learning the different
communication styles, finding my own, and finding those of family members. I think this
will help us with our internal communications. The most difficult part for me was the
segment on arguments, because I tend to be heavily influenced by my own personal biases.
I typically get my information from major news outlets such as MSNBC. I prefer sources
that use factual evidence to lead their reporting. I feel by watching news channels, reading
articles and doing overall research to become informed on government proceedings is the
best way to be involved. However, not all sources are reliable so, I use my critical thinking
to cypher through, to the best of my ability, and determine what is actually true. I try to find
sources that will keep personal bias out and show both sides of the argument. This
reasoning has lead me to outlets such as MSNBC; the program includes shows that are lead
from both political parties, and will quickly correct themselves if there is ever a misleading
report. When consuming political news I avoid propaganda, which are typically fallacies in
my opinion. For example, there has been candidates who use propaganda such as, all
immigrants are criminals, which is a blatant lie but unfortunately some view this as true due
to stereotypes. I loved being able to use the lessons in this class to self evaluate. I have
learned new skills to sharpen my critical thinking.
Business Profession
Business professionals need to solve problems, analyze data and information, draw
conclusions, and make decisions, all of which are elements in critical thinking. Using
critical thinking skills to tap into one’s creativity to solve problems is paramount for
successful management and entrepreneurs.
Education Profession
Educators are responsible for teaching the necessary skills to be successful in life, and
critical thinking skills are at the top of the list. Educators also need to think through the best
ways to teach the curriculum so that their students are more successful in their learning
processes.
Humanities Profession
Whether you are seeking your degree in English, Human Services, Social Science, or
another humanities-based profession, you are going to need to apply critical thinking skills
to be successful. To help others, you need to be able to think through the possible options
and decide upon the best course of action.
Information Technology (Computer) Profession
The IT industry changes rapidly, and those working in that field need to be able to keep up.
It is not enough to learn how something is done today – you need to be able to think
critically about where the industry is heading.
Medical Profession
As with science-based professions, the medical community uses the Scientific Method to
determine the best treatments for patients’ ailments. The Scientific Method is a structured
way to apply critical thinking skills. Scientists do not come up with a theory and then try to
fit the facts into that theory. Instead, they follow where the facts lead them and form
theories that explain the fact.
Psychology or Counseling Profession
To help people with their personal and/or professional problems, one needs to be able to
think through the possible options and decide upon the best course of action.
Science-based Profession
The Scientific Method is a structured way to apply critical thinking skills. Scientists do not
come up with a theory and then try to fit the facts into that theory. Instead, they follow
where the facts lead them and form theories that explain the fact. For the most part I get my
news from mostly local news stations in my area that cover topics that could possibly effect
me the most. I analyze what I hear from local and national news outlets very carefully to
ensure that I am not being mislead to believe a certain agenda or narrative. I usually
research multiple sources of news for the same story to make sure I get all the details. As a
citizen, the best way to get involved in your government local or national is to vote. Voting
is not only your civic duty but voting allows the citizen to exercise their right to keep
politicians accountable. When voting in an election you using critical thinking because you
have to make a decision on policies and the person in that office.Rhetoric is used especially
during an election season by the candidates running for office. An example of the rhetoric
is a campaign commercial. You will frequently hear advertisements that favor a candidate
over the other candidate that is running against the other person. I have enjoyed the entire
class epically learning about fallacies, critical thinking and arguments. I have enjoyed this
class and would highly recommend it to people starting at the University of Phoenix. I get
most of my info from Facebook because everyone talks about everything. The way I
analyze it and justify if things being said are real is by looking it up on google to see what's
true or false. I like to visit multiple sites to make sure my information is accurate.On a
personal level I do not get into the governmental process. One reason is because I am in the
military and it does not look professional if I get into it. And I do not get into it because I
really do not know a whole lot about it. My news comes from the radio and internet sites
like MSN. As a critical thinker, I do analyze what a hear and read, knowing that a lot of
information provided is bias based on the viewpoints of the commentator or author. As a
citizen, I have written e mails to my senator and representative of my district to get my
opinion heard. My critical thinking skills have helped me get my point across, being well-
informed and rational in my writing makes it easier for them to understand.The most
common fallacy see is the inappropriate appeal to authority in advertisements. The
advertisers use a pro-athlete or celebrity who is popular at the time to get you to purchase
their product. As a critical thinker, I would not buy a Lincoln car, just because Mathew
McConaughey is the spokesperson for the brand. I would research if the brand is reliable
and affordable to make a sound decision.My favorite activity was learning about fallacies,
being able to identify the fallacy I heard or seen was educational. The most challenging
activity was finding the correct article in week four’s homework assignment. You must
clarify your search to get the correct articles, that are most helpful. I get most of my news
on the internet. I never like to go to a specific source, they tend to tell the side of the story
they want. In my opinion most are very biased. For example I'll go to CNN and Fox news
for updates on politics. I'll look up the same subject, I'll then analyze the differences and go
to the comment sections to see how people are reacting and feeling about the matter. By
doing that it allows me to form my opinion while also hearing different view points.As a
citizen you can take different steps to get involved in the governmental process. You can
contact government officials. You can also participate in the voting elections. This year it
was made easier as we were given different options to cast our votes. When involved in
these activities it's important to analyze, stick to the facts and remove the emotion part of it,
and really looking at the macro level. As well as the desired best outcome for all parties
involved.In every successful business it's important to use the art of rhetoric in order to
appeal to their targeted audience and convince them to make the purchase. The most
common one I see is beauty products. They will use celebrities to advertise their products
and convince the consumer that they as well can look like them. It's important to apply
critical thinking and read what ingredients are in the products, read reviews and make a
decision to buy based on that. My favourite class activity was really the interaction on our
posts and seeing how everyone processed the same information we were given. I also
enjoyed the quick videos as they were informative and straight to the point. Most
challenging I would say for me was the first week just getting into the flow of the
classroom. I'm not big on social media so I don't get much of my news from there, but
many of my friends *are* big on social media where news travels like wildfire. Most of the
time the way that I learn about current events is one of my friends mentions it, I google it,
and I read the first few articles.
For starters, I vote. Voting is a massive exercise in critical thinking - any and all parties you
could be voting for are trying to persuade you to vote for them. If you don't think critically
and ignore/avoid the persuasions of the candidates, you may end up supporting someone
that doesn't yield the best outcome.
I've seen the Ad Hominem fallacy used countless times in advertising. People think insults
are funny, so using an insult against your competitor as a reason to buy your product makes
people laugh and like your product.
I'd say my favorite was the breakdown of types of arguments and the visual outlines of
them. It made a lot of sense, was engaging, and made me come out of it feeling like I had
really learned something. The most challenging concept for me was the concept of empathy
being a core component of critical thinking. I understand it now, but it still doesn't make a
lot of rational sense to me. I get my news from several sources. I watch network news from
our Portland affiliates and then the National news from either ABC or CBS. I also watch
the Public Broadcasting News Hour to get a broader look at the news. Something with a
little more depth in their coverage. I think that since I started taking this class, my mind has
started to question everything I hear. I question whether the facts are valid and if they are
laying some fallacy. Most of what I hear lately is a relevant story, but with what is going on
in our Nation's Capital these last few days, the list of fallacy’s coming out of President’s
mouth causes me great concern.
The biggest thing that I can do is to vote. That is the biggest thing that anybody can do. I
also spent 8 years working in Radio. I was a Newscaster at one of our local radio stations. I
reported on local area news, City Council meetings, and all of the workings of city and
county governments. One of the rewards of working there was I worked for a sitting
Congressman and had all the state and National Senators and Congressmen come through
and I would get to interview them. It was a great honor to have met each of them during
my time as a newscaster. Back then, my critical thinking skills were all right but not as
good as they are now. There were a few of the people that I interviewed that what I would
call “Quoting the Party line” and did not express how they felt about an issue, but they
were all well informed and were a credit to the office that they served.
I will focus my attention on the commercials that use Rhetorical Devices. These
commercials use different use of language that is hard to understand if you are not careful.
Language such as euphemisms. Sarcasm to get their point across to the consumer. These
types of ads are for making a quick buck only and do not care how they get their point
across. What we must do as consumers are to what out for these types of ads and so send
them to the curb. Realize them for what they are and to ignore them.
I would have to say that learning about all of the diverse ways that the Mass Media uses to
trick all of us to buy what we do not need. I have always had a good head on my shoulders.
And I was taught to think for myself, but since I have taken this class, I certainly have a lot
more to think about. The most challenging thing is that. “what I know is not nearly enough
of what I should know.” If that makes sense. There is so much that I now must learn just to
get caught up. This is something that I will keep learning from now on. Regarding my news
and information, I seek an unbiased news source that presents the story factually, without
any spin toward political stance or benefit from the broadcasting company. When obtaining
information from any source, I apply the mnemonic device CCRCS as a criteria checklist. I
analyze the clarity, credibility (one of the most significant component to news and
information, I believe), conciseness, relevance, completeness, and soundness.
We live in a vociferous world, where there is an infinite amount of information assessable.
There is a large amount of misinformation being published and feed to our society.
According to Boss (2016), information can be distorted by cognitive and social errors such
as confirmation bias, probability error, and the "one of us/one of them" error. Now, more
than--- ever, it is essential for us to be critical thinkers and apply our critical thinking skills
to ensure we receive accurate and creditable information to be well-informed individuals
and not just opinionated. As citizens and community members of a great society, we can get
involved in the governmental process by volunteering in local political campaigns, voting
and elections, lobbying legislators, joining advocacy groups, serving on juries, and
engaging in civil disobedience to protest unjust laws. Although much of advertising,
commercials, etc., can be informative, they are fallacy or rhetoric. Many ads rely on
fallacies and psychological persuasion rather than credible information and rational
argumentation. For example, Scare tactics are used to create anxiety or play on our fears,
insecurities, or sense of shame. We are told that we are not good-looking or thin enough,
have bad breath, body odor, or dandruff, have an unattractive personality or the wrong
clothes, or are poor parents. The ad then promises a solution to the problem—which in
some cases, we didn't realize we had in the first place. Although some ads that use scare
tactics promote products that may deliver on their promises, others go on to commit the
fallacy of questionable cause by creating a false expectation that something wonderful, such
as becoming more beautiful, thinner, more popular, or happier, will result if we use the
product.Our society is being study and targeted for financial gain. Advertisers exploit our
vulnerabilities; we buy impulsively, and they capitalize on it. Because many marketers do
not have an ethical or moral obligation, they do not consider the broader social and
environmental implications of their product has on our society. And this is why it is---
crucial to be a critical thinker, so we can be aware, b analyze, and informed of how products
will affect us, good or bad. I do not have one favorite activity or concept from this class. I
believe all the activities and concepts were significant and beneficial to my learning and
growth as a college student. Though I considered myself a "good" critical thinker before
this class, I feel this course challenged me to become an excellent critical thinker and
provided me with excellent information and resources. Learning the mnemonic device
CCRCS was the best tip I gained. The CCRCS enables me to have a structured outline for
analyzing and processing data and developing and forming opinions and decisions.
