Grand Canyon – PHI 105 All Week Assignments

PHI 105 Grand Canyon All Week Assignments

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 1 Assignment 2

Persuasive Essay: Topic and Audience Worksheet

Details:

If you did not take UNV 104 or if you would like to review the writing concepts introduced in UNV 104, it is suggested that you view a media piece entitled, “The Writing Process,” which is available to support the development of your writing skills.

For this Module, focus on the “Who is the Audience?” section of the media piece.

Part 1: Select a Topic
Choose a topic for your Persuasive Essay from the list below. If you would like to write about a topic that is not on the list, contact your instructor via email to request approval.

• Gun control
• Legalization of marijuana
• Abortion
• Euthanasia
• Bullying in school
• Drug abuse among teenagers
• Online education
• Banning books(censorship)
• Mandatory military service
• Separation of church and state
• English only in the K-12 classroom
• Charter schools
• Regulation of business (choose a specific focus)
• Same-sex marriage
• Flag burning (does someone have the right to burn the flag of the country who gives them that right?)
• Government-mandated healthcare (citizens are required to purchase private insurance)
• Healthcare paid for by the government
• Death penalty
• War
• Prostitution

1) What is the topic for your persuasive essay? Record your topic here.
2) Begin thinking about the different issues included in the topic you have selected, narrow your focus, and take a pro or con position for the subject of your essay. Present a simple statement of your position.

Section II: Identify your Audience
Answer the following questions regarding the audience for your essay.

1) Who do you intend to read your essay?
2) Are there clues in this particular assignment about who your audience is?
3) Do you have more than one audience? If so, how many do you have? List them.
4) What is the appropriate way to address this audience (professional, familial, friendly)?Why?
5) Regarding your topic, what is important to your audience? What is not important to your audience?

Grading Criteria:
The assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:

1) Provides topic.
2) Provides statement of position on topic.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 1 Assignment 2 – What Is Critical Thinking

Details:

1- Find three sources that discuss critical thinking. Two of these sources may be from the assigned and/or optional readings, but the third must be found through your own research. After you have read the three sources, consider how they define critical thinking.
2- Write your own definition of what you think critical thinking is (250 words).
3- You must include one direct quote, selected from one of your resources. (Note: the quoted material may only make up to 20% of your entire paper, which in this case is 50 words. The remaining 80% of the paper must be your own creative work.)
4- A Reference list that documents the three sources you found (and any other resources you used) is required.
5- Keep the following guidelines in mind:

The articles you found in your research may inform your definition, but your own ideas should be evident. In other words, your process should be:

1- Read some definitions and descriptions of critical thinking.
2- Comprehend or digest the information.
3- Write your own definition of critical thinking. (Note: Do not simply reword the definitions you read. Consider a new way to explain what you understand critical thinking to be.)

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a grading rubric that can be viewed at the assignment’s drop box. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore,
students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 2 Assignment 1 – Perception Power Point

Details:
Imagine you are an expert on critical thinking. A local high school wants you to present your knowledge to its seniors and asks that you create a PowerPoint presentation to specifically explain perception and critical thinking.

1- Create a PowerPoint presentation that explains the concepts of perception and critical thinking to high school seniors. In your explanation, address the  following:
How all five senses impact perception?
The role of perception in critical thinking.
For directions on how to create a PowerPoint presentation, refer to the “How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation Resource.”

Your PowerPoint presentation should include the following:

1. 8 slides (1 title slide, 6 content slides, and 1 reference slide).
2. Put key points in bullets. The bullets are what the audience would see during a presentation. Remember not to overcrowd each slide.
3. Elaborate on the bullet points in the slide notes for all 6 content slides. The slide notes section is where the speaker documents what he/she would say during the presentation.

While GCU style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-text citations and references should be presented using GCU documentation guidelines, which can be found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a grading rubric that can be viewed at the assignment’s drop box.
Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 2 Assignment 2 – Persuasive Essay: Brainstorm Worksheet

Details:

“Review “How Should I Brainstorm?” in the media piece “The Writing Process.” The media piece can be found in resources, course materials. Click on the add-ons tab and look under “Electronic Resources”. The media piece “The Writing Process” explores six ways to brainstorm: “

1) Free Writing
2) Breaking down a Topic
3) Listing
4) Mapping/Webbing
5) Three Perspectives
6) JournalisticQuestions

Assignment Directions:

1. Choose three ways to brainstorm from the list above.
2. Brainstorm about the topic of your Persuasive Essay using each of your chosen 3 methods.
3. Document your brainstorms using this resource.
4. If youchoose to brainstorm by mapping/webbing, you will document your brainstorm within the media piece and save it as a PDF file (directions are included in the media piece), which you will then submit to the drop box along with this completed resource (an assignment drop box can accept more than one assignment).

Documentation of Brainstorm:

Record your brainstorms below using as much space as needed for each entry.

Brainstorm One:
Brainstorm Two:
Brainstorm Three:

Grading Criteria:

The assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1) Brainstorm includes three different ways to brainstorm.
2) Brainstorm includes multiple and varied ideas.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 3 Assignment 1 – Persuasive Essay: Thesis Statement Worksheet

Details:
Review “How Do I Develop a Thesis?” in the media piece “The Writing Process.”

Assignment Directions:

Write your thesis statement in the box below:

Grading Criteria:
Consider the following questions when developing the thesis statement for your essay. These criteria will be applied when this assignment is graded. The answer to each of the 5 questions below should be yes if you have drafted a quality thesis statement.

1) Does the thesis statement respond to the writing prompt?
2) Did you take a position that others may oppose?
3) Is the thesis statement specific?
4) Does the thesis pass the “So what?” test?
5) Does the thesis statement not leave the reader with questions?

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 3 Assignment 2 – Five Thinking Errors Worksheet

Details:
1) Read Thinking Activity 2.5 on page 41 of the text.
2) Complete the table using the information from the text. An example has been provided for you in red.
3) You must use a total of four thinking errors (not including the example given).
4) GCU style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
5) This assignment uses a grading rubric that can be viewed at the assignment’s drop box. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore,
students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 4 Assignment 1 – Fallacies in Everyday Life Worksheet

Details:
Before beginning this worksheet, read the “Fallacies Defined” resource.
Purpose of Assignment
In Module 4, you learn about fallacies. Fallacies are defects in an argument that cause an argument to be invalid, unsound, or weak. Fallacies are illogical by
definition. When fallacies are used as an argument, it is called fallacious reasoning. You encounter fallacious reasoning every day.

As critical thinkers, one of our goals is to avoid fallacious reasoning and rely instead on logic. The purpose of this assignment is to identify fallacious reasoning in
everyday life. There are various types of fallacies. This assignment will focus on the 15 types of fallacies listed below. The more familiar you are with the various types of fallacies, the easier it is to be critical thinkers.

This assignment has two parts.
Assignment Instructions Part 1:

Read the following quotations and choose which type of fallacy it represents by highlighting the appropriate fallacy. Then, in three to five sentences, explain why you chose the fallacy you did for each quotation.

Here is an example:

Quotation: “With the U.S. unemployment rate at 9.1%, every state, county, and city has unemployment problems (Johnson, 2011).”

a. Slippery Slope
b. ExtravagantHypothesis
c. False Analogy
d. Hasty Generalization

Explanation: This quote is an example of hasty generalization because it assumes that the employment rate for the whole country will affect each state, county and city equally. In fact, the 9.1% is just an average. There are some places much worse than this and there are some places much better. For example, the unemployment rate in California is 11.7% , but in Lincoln, Nebraska it is only 3.8%.

1. Quotation:” I don’t wear my seat belt while driving anymore because I have three friends that all got in accidents while they were wearing their seatbelts.” Which of the following types of fallacies is this statement?

• Slippery Slope
• ExtravagantHypothesis
• False Analogy
• Post Hoc Ergo
• Propter Hoc

Explanation:

2. Quotation: “We have enough oil in the world to last a couple hundred years, so everyone should just drive SUV’s as long as they can afford the gas.”
Which of the following types of fallacies is this statement?

• Appeal to Authority
• Appeal to Tradition
• The Is/Ought Fallacy
• Bandwagon Appeal

Explanation:
3. Quotation:“If you believe in global warming you just believe everything you are told and don’t think for yourself.”
Which of the following types of fallacies is this statement?

• Fallacy of Division
• Circular Reasoning
• Either/or Fallacy
• Hasty Generalization

Explanation:
4. Quotation:“The defendant is obviously guilty because the polygraph administrator testified that he was lying.”
Which of the following types of fallacies is this statement?

• The Fallacy of Composition
• Appeal to Ignorance
• The Genetic Fallacy
• Appeal to Authority

Explanation:
5. Quotation:“Barefoot running is superior to wearing running shoes because humans ran for thousands of years before shoes were invented.”
Which of the following types of fallacies is this statement?

a. Extravagant Hypothesis
b. Appeal to Tradition
c. Fallacy of Division
d. False Analogy

Explanation:
Assignment Instructions Part 2:
Identify and label each fallacious statement from the list below.

• Fallacy of Division
• Circular Reasoning
• Either or Fallacy
• Hasty Generalization
• The Fallacy of Composition
• Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
• Extravagant Hypothesis
• False Analogy
• Slippery Slope
• The Genetic Fallacy
• Appeal to Authority
• Appeal to Tradition
• The Is-Ought Fallacy
• Bandwagon Appeal
• Appeal to Ignorance

1. Fallacious Statement:” I can’t help but think that you are the cause of this problem; we never had any problem within this department until you started working here.” What type of fallacy is it? Select a type of fallacy from the list above. ________________________________________________________

2. Fallacious Statement: “There is no compelling evidence that UFOs do not exist. Therefore, UFOs exist.” What type of fallacy is it? Select a type of fallacy from the list above. ________________________________________________________

3. Fallacious Statement: “You should not eat at fast food restaurants because if you do then soon that is all you will be eating.” What type of fallacy is it? Select a type of fallacy from the list above. ________________________________________________________
4. Fallacious Statement: “Stanley Clarke is the best bassist ever because he is better at playing the bass than anyone that has ever lived.” What type of fallacy is it? Select a type of fallacy from the list above. ________________________________________________________
5. Fallacious Statement: “The ancient pyramids in Egypt were so symmetrical and well-built that they must have been constructed by aliens from another planet.” What type of fallacy is it? Select a type of fallacy from the list above.

PHI 105 Grand Canyon Week 4 Assignment 2 – Persuasive Essay: Outline Worksheet

Details:
Review “How Do I Organize My Brainstorm into an Outline?” of “The Writing Process” Media piece.

Assignment Directions:
Outline your persuasive essay below by completing the following:

1) Use the feedback you received from your instructor to revise your thesis statement.Write your thesis as a complete sentence as you would in your essay. Record
your thesis statement in the “Thesis Sentence” entry under the Introductory Paragraph heading below.
2) Create a topic sentence for each of the three paragraphs that comprise the body of your essay. Record the topic sentences in each of the “Topic Sentence” entries under the “Support for Thesis” headings. Your topic sentence should support your
thesis and provide a transition between the paragraphs.
3) Record at least three details for each topic sentence. These details should provide support for the topic sentence. (Review the example outline below)
4) Record a concluding sentence under the “Conclusion” heading. This should be your thesis restated in different words.

Example
Introductory Paragraph
Thesis Sentence:
Earning a degree online is great for working adults because it is convenient, economical, and allows them to learn with other working adults around the world.

Support for Thesis 1
Topic Sentence: Online learning is convenient.

A: You can study and learn from home.
B: It is easier to balance work-life obligations.
C: You can attend class any time you would like.

Persuasive Essay Outline
Introductory Paragraph
Thesis Sentence: Support for Thesis 1 Topic Sentence: Detail A,  Detail B, Detail C