Critical Thinking

JP Spicer-Escalante, SPAN4910

(E. Glaser, An Experiment in the Development of Critical

Thinking, 1941)

• “Critical thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends. It also generally requires ability to recognize problems, to find workable means for meeting those problems, to gather and marshal pertinent information, to recognize unstated assumptions and values, to comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and discrimination, to interpret data, to appraise evidence and evaluate arguments, to recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical relationships between propositions, to draw warranted conclusions and generalizations, to put to test the conclusions and generalizations at which one arrives, to reconstruct one's patterns of beliefs on the basis of wider experience, and to render accurate judgments about specific things and qualities in everyday life.”

SPAN4910

• Hegemony/Counter-Discourse: Hispanic-American Cultural Production from the Nineteenth Century to the Globalized Era...

Why critical thinking?

• When asked to compare the major U.S. TV networks in terms of their ideological slant at the beginning of this Fall’s SPAN4910 course, one student said that MSNBC was ‘Leftist.’

• When asked to provide evidence to back up that declaration, he said “because I heard it on the radio here in Logan.”

• No critical approach or evaluation had been applied to this affirmation, nor to its original source.

• Whether this is true or not, this student simply assumed his statement to be a fact…

SPAN4910

• What are the sources and the impact of political, social, cultural, and economic hegemony on Hispanic-America nations in the ‘Globalized Era’?

• What sort of counter-hegemonic responses have these nations produced to resist the impact of hegemony?

SPAN4910

• Carry out close readings of many forms of cultural production, including literature, journalism, art, photography, cinema, Twitter posts, political speeches, etc.

• Identify and critically evaluate the presence and nature of hegemony and hegemonic discourses, as well as counter-hegemonic responses to hegemony

• Antonio Gramsci, Globalization Theory, related theoretical constructs

Critical thinking in practice…

• Political Speeches: From Dionisio Inca Yupanqui’s questioning of Spanish Crown policy towards Hispanic-America in 1810 through to Evo Morales’ Acceptance speech after being elected to the presidency of Bolivia in 2006—juxtaposed with texts/speeches from U.S. Presidents, Hispanic-American Dictators and other international entities, like the I.M.F. and the World Bank

• Pre-Class Discussion: Find, bring and discuss a current news item in an Hispanic-American newspaper related to the theme/topic discussed in the speech prepared for class.

Initial activity

• Task: Compare and contrast George Bush’s 2006 speech at the U.N. with Hugo Chávez’ U.N. speech the next day, highlighting the underlying ideologies of both speakers. Critically analyze and evaluate both speakers in terms of their link to the topic of hegemony and counter-hegemonic response/resistance.

• Focus questions: What is the historical, political, and cultural context of the speeches? What is the predominant content of the speeches? How do both speakers construct their respective discourses in terms of language and performative elements? How do the medium and the distribution of these speeches impact the consumption of these speeches?

Critical Thinking Objectives…

• Carry out an “intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action” taking into consideration the need for “clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.” (Scriven and Paul, 1987)

Extension Activity…

• Assume that you are either a supporter of Bush, Chávez or a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

• Prepare the text of a short speech that you would give on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly in response to either Bush or Chávez—or both.

• Include a reflection on the reasoning behind your ideas, the ideology that you espouse in your speech, and how you use language and performative aspects as textual/extratextual components to enhance the impact of your speech.

• At the end of the reflection, tell us how you would introduce the text of your speech on Twitter.

Ethics yes, indoctrination no…

• “[E]thics ought to be taught in school, but only in conjunction with critical thinking. Without critical thinking at the heart of ethical instruction, indoctrination rather than ethical insight results. Moral principles do not apply themselves, they require a thinking mind to assess facts and interpret situations.” (Paul, 1988)

Critical Thinking

JP Spicer-Escalante, SPAN4910