Notes Clearance

Clearing all the things in my notebook for the modules that I took last year~~

For General Education 1: Critical Reasoning & Argumentation,

• Learning outcomes: Perspective, Expression and Engagement

• 3 Key Aims: To Evaluate the Basic Elements of an Argument and Build Strong Arguments (Skill Set), Think Critically (Mental Set)

• An Argument includes ISSUE^ (Questions), then CLAIM* (Yes or No), then REASON using Appeals, Evidence and Assumption.

^What's an Issue? 

- It is a Question that suggests 2 opposing response. Eg. Yes or No

- And is best stated with such words as 'should', 'will', 'does'

- Examples of Issues: 

  > Should Polytechnic start lessons at 10am?

*Making a Claim (Thesis Statement): To take a Stand or Position 

For General Education 2: Critical Reasoning & Persuasion,

• Topic > Claim > Evidences (Authority, Examples, Statistics) > Appeals (Emotional, Ethical, Logical Appeals) > Assumptions

• For EVIDENCES,
• Authority 
• Trust experts in a given field to be reliable and trustworthy
• Testimonies are taken to be impartial and objective. Eg. Use a doctor for Health issues
• (+) Provide Knowledge, Reliable
• (-) Experts make mistakes as well, Vested Interest, Deceit

• Examples
• A GOOD Example: Clarifies the reality behind the issue and is Persuasive
• A BAD Example: Too ideal and extreme, Do not represent the entirety of a idea or an argument, May be too emotionally charged

• Statistics
• Numerical Facts, Require Interpretation
• (+) Objective, Representative of Actual Situation & Provides a powerful analysis of understanding of an issue
• (-) Information may be manipulated to be misleading

      *For De-constructing an argument, we must question the source and/or evidence.

• For APPEALS, (Use words to invoke more emotions)
• Emotional Appeals - Pathos: Motivational Appeals, Use of emotions
• Ethical Appeals - Ethos: Source Credibility & Trustworthy, Use of Authority 
• Logical Appeals - Logos: The logic used to support a claim, Use of Facts and Statistics

• An Example of a topic would be "Should Children below the Age of 12 be banned from Social Media sites?" Then use emotional, Ethical and Logical Appeals.

• For ASSUMPTIONS,
• Beliefs that are taken for granted
• Operate at the subconscious or unconscious level of thought process
• (+) Useful if we are unable to obtain information and facts

• Avoid UNNECESSARY Assumptions:
• By asking questions when delivering the presentation
• Check knowledge, Inference, Hypotheses, Feelings, Culture and Background
• Trace the Origin and Sources

•  GE2 PRESENTATION FORMAT 
1. Topic
2. State Stand / Claim
3. Give Reason (1) and support with Evidence (Example, Authority, Statistics). If possible, Quote the source. Use Appeals (Logos, Pathos, Ethos)
4. Give Reason (2) and support with Evidence and Appeals as well.
5. End with summarising the points said.

For Communicating through Project Effectiveness (Report), 

• 4 AIMS
• Present Ideas in a Formal Presentation
• Give and Receive Feedback
• Write a Report for an intended audience
• Apply Conflict Management Strategies

• PAC: Purpose, Audience and Context. An example would be:
• P > To raise Funds for the financially and socially needs
• A > School Students, Needy Families in one room flat
• C > Sell Food during Flag Day Event or organise a Sport Carnival Event

•  For Reference and Citation, "YouTube: A Guide to Harvard Referencing" is a good video.
• 1.51s (You only put the surnames e.g. Cohen, 2011)
• If direct copy, Eg. Cohen, 2011, Page Number
• 4.00s (Referencing a Book)
• Author's Surname, Year, Title, Place and Author's Organisation
• E.g. Chan M., 2014. The Watch and The Dog, Singapore: Penguin
• 4.13s (Referencing an E-Book)
• 4.38s (Referencing an On-line Journal) > Must bracket (Article)
• (Referencing an On-line Video) > Must bracket (On-line Video)
• When Referencing a Website,
• **Author / Publishing Organisation, Year Published, Internet Site Title [Online], URL, [Accessed on what date]
• E.g. Palgrave Macmillian, 2011. Skills4Study [Online] Available from: http://www.skills4study.com (Accessed on 20 July 2013)

      ** The list of References must be listed alphabetically according to the Author's Surname. 

• 8 Common Fallacies
1. Slippery Slope
• Wrongly thought of unlikely consequences
2. Red Herring
• Distract someone from the argument
3. Non Sequitur
• An argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises
• We think A cause B. But, there is no cause between them. Wrongly Thought Causes.
• E.g. Elected as Chairman because she is Pretty (X wrong). Actually, it is because she has leadership skills. 
4. Post Hoc
• After the event has happen, then a cause / incident happens
5. Bandwagon
• Jump on the Bandwagon means If everyone does it, its acceptable.This is a wrong thinking.
• E.g. So if everyone smokes, its acceptable? No, as it harms our health and pollutes the enviroment
6. Ad Hominem
• Do not look at the arguments or points, Attack a person's character
7. False Authority
• Fake Experts
8. Hasty Generalisation
• Cannot Over-Generalise
• E.g. Cannot say ALL Singaporeans are like this. But should say Most, Some, Few

^ To prevent these fallacies from happening, we can DRAW Information from more than one data source for Credibility through news reports and the Use of Diversity E.g. Internet Forums such as STOMP which has strong arguments.

• TIPS ON EDITING & PROOF READING #1 (REPORT)
• C4: Clear, Concise, Complete, Correct
• Check the Languages Aspects in the report.
• CONTENT:
• Have you done eveything the assignment requires?
• Is the level of details and information sufficient?
• OVERALL STRUCTURE:
• Do the sections fit the requirement of the report?
• Are the section headings and subheadings suitably named?
• STRUCTURE WITHIN PARAGRAPH:
• Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence?
• Does each paragraph stick to one idea?
• CLARITY:
• Define any important terms that is unclear to the readers?