Critical Thinking and Composition

ENGL M01C: Official Course Description and Objectives

Every course at Moorpark College follows an official Course Outline of Record (COR). Here are the course description from the Catalog and the learning objectives from the COR; they give you a good idea of what kind of work to anticipate and what you can expect to learn in this class. Description: Develops advanced skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing. Focuses primarily on the analysis and evaluation of non-fiction works to develop logical reasoning as well as analytical and argumentative writing skills. Objectives: Upon successful completion of the course, a student will be able to:

  1. Methods of evaluation will be consistent with, but not limited by, the following types or examples.
  2. distinguish among fact, opinion, belief, and prejudice and adequately evaluate the standards used when making these determinations.
  3. identify common formal and informal fallacies of language and thought and distinguish between denotative and connotative language as well as deductive and inductive reasoning.
  4. analyze assignments for underlying assumptions, valid arguments, logical structure, clear reasoning patterns, sound evidence, and rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and pathos), the aim being not only to identify these points in general occurrence but also to practice them effectively in his/her own work.
  5. practice research skills by finding outside sources, separating facts from opinion, drawing inferences, validating reliability.
  6. use outside sources to support the development of his/her own ideas and logical reasoning.
  7. compose essays, totaling 8,000 words, that effectively employ writing strategies appropriate to the course.
  8. demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills, assess the critical thinking skills in use, and interact and respond appropriately.
  9. produce a research paper, demonstrating familiarity with research techniques, note-taking, organization, and documentation using current MLA guidelines.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLO'S)

Every course also has specified outcomes to be assessed regularly, to ensure that students are actually learning what instructors intend them to learn. Here are the CLO’s for this cours

  1. identify and discuss the thesis and main supporting points of a published essay and discuss the validity of its argument.
  2. write an essay that (a) is thesis-driven, (b) is clearly organized, (c) is supported by specific evidence, and (d) follows the conventions of Standard Written English.
  3. write a research paper that (a) effectively incorporates relevant research and (b) follows MLA format for citations and Works Cited page.
  4. (a) analyze readings for underlying assumptions, valid arguments, logical structure, sound evidence, and rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and pathos), and (b) practice them consciously and effectively in their own writing.

Return to Syllabus