Critical

Thinking
JP Spicer-Escalante, SPAN4910

 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.

(E. Glaser, An Experiment in the

Development of Critical
Thinking, 1941)

SPAN4910

Hegemony/Co
unterDiscourse:
HispanicAmerican
Cultural
Production
from
the
Nineteenth
Century to the
Globalized
Era...

 When asked to compare the major U.S. TV networks

in terms of their ideological slant at the beginning
of this Falls 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

Why critical
thinking?

 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

SPAN4910

 Political Speeches: From Dionisio Inca Yupanquis

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 2006juxtaposed with
texts/speeches from U.S. Presidents, HispanicAmerican 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.

Critical thinking in practice

 Task: Compare and contrast George Bushs 2006

speech at the U.N. with Hugo Chvez 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?

Initial activity

 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)

Critical Thinking Objectives

 Assume that you are either a supporter of Bush,

Chvez 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 Chvezor 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.

Extension Activity

 [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)

Ethics yes,
indoctrination no

Critical
Thinking
JP Spicer-Escalante, SPAN4910