12:22:02 Bailey : I feel like I am always the only one in here haha 12:25:14 Bailey : Just wanted to see if you had any notes on things to avoid for the paper. I seem to have a problem with including the way that the reader feels from reading the primary source 12:35:07 tichure : Hi Bailey. one of the great things about higher education is that it is your personal journey. You get out of it what you put into it. 12:35:23 tichure : you are going to get a lot out of your education 12:35:41 tichure : so let’s talk about separating yourself from work 12:36:43 tichure : the whole purpose of this kind of analysis is to demonstrate your ability to write objectively. This is going to be important in many fields, as one of the major aspects of research is establishing what has already been documented. If you go for a Masters degree or a doctorate, the first thing you’re going to have to do is to explain what everybody else has said on the subject 12:37:09 tichure : part of that has to do with establishing that you’re not going to claim something that has already been researched as your own 12:37:18 tichure : the second part is simply establishing that you are up on the latest research 12:37:43 tichure : reporting this information has to be done in a way that does not include your opinion because your opinion goes elsewhere in these types of analyses. 12:37:53 tichure : Another aspect of this class has to do with the general concept of critical theory. 12:38:13 tichure : Critical thinking has to do with the understanding that even in hard sciences, there is going to be disagreement on what the data means 12:38:54 tichure : in courses like this course, the student, who in many cases has spent most of their early education (K-12 primarily) generating documents for the purposes of demonstrating that they can generate documents. 12:39:27 tichure : In other words, the reason why a there is that clichéd “what I did last summer” is not because your teacher wants to hear about your exploits during the previous two months, but because your teacher needs a writing sample. They need to know that you can spell, write complete sentences, and create a cohesive thought 12:41:00 tichure : but as you move through your educational experience, more and more the students recognize that they have to be able to report what happened, what is, or what has been said in a way that is not colored by their own personal opinions, partially because they want to see your ability to find and report research, but also because they want you to recognize that there are different ways of looking at the same object, whether it is an historical event, a piece of art, or a controversial subject 12:41:58 tichure : analyzing something through various critical perspectives is a way to demonstrate that you can look at the same thing, whether it’s a story or a movie a poem or whatever, and translated in the various ways is likely to be translated. 12:42:48 tichure : Is the Mona Lisa A great work of art? is Star Wars better than Star Trek? Are Republicans better than Democrats? 12:42:54 tichure : There are no actual answers to these questions 12:43:00 tichure : there is no objective answer to these questions 12:43:19 tichure : when we get into more important issues, we’re going to find that there are people stating as FACT something that is clearly OPINION 12:44:01 tichure : your ability to understand that there will be disagreement and that there are differences of opinion and that, regardless as to your feelings about the issue itself, there is likely going to be someone who disagrees for what they feel is a very good and valid reason is an important aspect of critical thinking. 12:44:04 tichure : So 12:45:41 tichure : what I ask you to do than is to read something or watch something or listen to something and then tell me how someone else is going to translate it because if you can do that, when you get out in the real world, whether it’s in business, casual conversation, or the worst situation of all, dinner with the family, you may not agree with what somebody says but you’re far more likely to understand WHY you disagree with them because you’ll have a better understanding as to where they’re coming from and what logic/illogic they are using to formulate the opinion that makes them think that you don’t know what you’re talking about and of course makes you KNOW they don’t know what they are talking about 12:46:21 tichure : it actually helps you to negotiate conflict, especially in official situations because you’re less likely to take these conflicts that you’re likely to encounter as personal attacks, but rather it should understand where you’re coming from so that you can better find some common ground or at even find a better way to argue against their argument 12:46:53 tichure : one of the requirements for the paper by its final draft due at the end of the semester is for you to establish an argument that is clearly going against the point being made by the work itself. 12:47:09 tichure : That’s because most people are choosing the work that they like, it’s not absolutely love 12:47:30 tichure : the benefit of choosing something that they are really familiar with is that they know to work well enough to find detail when they need it as evidence. 12:47:40 tichure : The problem is that they are very reticent to criticize it, to find fault with it 12:48:02 tichure : courses like this are designed to get you to be up to do that. It doesn’t negate the value of that work. It might even create more complexity and meaning 12:48:34 tichure : moreover, when you are explaining the value of that particular movie or play or whatever, knowing its faults and weaknesses, especially in the eye of the resistant or skeptical observer, strengthens your argument. 12:49:07 tichure : When you are making an argument, one of the most powerful ways to establish her own credibility and to weaken any rebuttals to your point is to make their points first, and then offer rebuttals where possible. 12:49:46 tichure : you then end your side of the argument with your strong arguments as to your opinion, and the other person is left in a weakened position for “winning” that particular argument 12:50:04 tichure : what is the reason why you chose the work that you did for your paper? 12:51:55 Bailey : because I was familiar with reading it prior and I have always liked Poe's works 12:52:07 tichure : Those are good reasons 12:53:15 Bailey : yes, which means it will be difficult for me to do a counter argument. those have always been kind of difficult for me 12:54:46 tichure : when you recognize some of the weaknesses of the argument being made by the author, you actually have a greater understanding not only of this particular work, but also other works by the same author, and of course works by other authors that you may like and that you may dislike. Moreover, when you do the research on what a feminist criticism is (in other words, you understand the feminist view the world) or what a particular religion/political group/culture believes, it not only reflects the complexity of the work you’re reading, but also gives you a better understanding of the people you’re going to encounter in the world in your life in other places, such as at a job or in personal relationships or other social circles 12:54:57 tichure : which makes it easier to negotiate these when you come across conflict. 12:55:30 tichure : Who do you think would find either this work specifically or the work of Poe generally or works of horror generally 12:55:32 tichure : offensive 12:55:36 tichure : lacking merit 12:55:43 tichure : unsuitable for children 12:55:59 tichure : or not for right minded people (of course that phrase is relative to whatever group you’re talking about) 12:56:55 tichure : in other words, who is going to disagree with you that this is good literature 12:57:00 tichure : that this is good reading 13:00:36 Bailey : hmm 13:01:13 Bailey : I suppose a conservative person, one that generally doesn't like the macabre and or any type of dark humor 13:01:24 Bailey : an overly religious person 13:01:31 tichure : perfect 13:01:43 tichure : do they have valid arguments for their perspective 13:02:13 tichure : to them 13:03:34 Bailey : I would say the religious person does, since Poe does talk about wanting to bring honor back to his family by killing Fortunato but in doing so, defiles the very tomb that his ancestors rest in 13:04:18 tichure : does that change your opinion of the work? 13:04:23 tichure : Does it make it any less valuable to you 13:04:56 Bailey : Nope 13:05:04 tichure : yet you are validating their argument 13:05:08 Bailey : I suppose I'll just have to play devil 13:05:12 tichure : that is critical thinking 13:05:13 Bailey : devil's advocate 13:05:15 tichure : hahahah 13:05:18 tichure : indeed 13:05:44 tichure : especially in today’s world (and this has happened before and it will happen again) there is a tendency in public opinion to establish some kind of viewpoint and offer no concessions to the other side 13:05:59 Bailey : so what you're saying is, this is really a class to prep me for being a lawyer :D 13:06:15 Bailey : right, like the news 13:06:16 tichure : they believe that understanding someone else’s perspective weakens their own. That type of simplistic thinking simply creates more conflict and pretty much ensures that there will be no compromise, no agreement, and the result is a stalemate 13:06:19 tichure : anger 13:06:25 tichure : well lawyer is a good example 13:06:35 tichure : if you get a lawyer to defend you against what you’re accused of 13:06:40 tichure : that lawyer’s job is not to establish the truth 13:06:47 tichure : that lawyers job is to do their best to defend you regardless as to the truth 13:07:04 tichure : otherwise, any defendant who admits to their lawyer that they committed the crime would simply be turned over to the authorities 13:07:08 tichure : that’s not their job 13:07:27 tichure : the defense lawyer’s job is actually to try to get the guilty and the innocent out of jail 13:07:35 tichure : within the confines of the law 13:07:54 Bailey : right 13:07:57 tichure : you do not want an ideologue, someone who thinks there’s an absolute right and an absolute wrong and there is no gray area 13:08:11 tichure : trying to fight for you if you are living in the gray area 13:08:20 tichure : if your choices have areas of gray 13:08:34 tichure : and frankly, most of the issues in today’s world are far too complicated to simply be a YES or NO equation 13:08:55 tichure : simplistic thinking leads to knee-jerk reactions and, in the long run, creates problems 13:09:13 tichure : every day, we balance legality versus morality versus expediency 13:09:22 tichure : sure, stealing is going to hurt someone 13:09:40 tichure : that guy who owns the store is trying to make a profit and if you steal from him or her, you are injuring them 13:09:47 tichure : even if it’s only a dollars worth of candy 13:10:00 tichure : but if you’re stealing bread to feed your children 13:10:09 tichure : we now have areas of gray as to what is the greater need 13:10:17 Bailey : yeah that makes sene 13:10:19 Bailey : sense 13:10:23 tichure : it is important to understand that a person’s side 13:10:40 Bailey : Okay I will keep that in mind as I write a larger draft for this weeks submission 13:10:41 tichure : but very often there is not only more than one side, there are more than two sides to any situation 13:10:51 tichure : if you know yourself 13:10:56 tichure : and you understand why you like something 13:11:08 tichure : you’re far more likely to understand why someone is going to disagree with you 13:11:32 tichure : part of critical thinking is not just understanding how others in the world are going to perceive a particular situation 13:11:39 Bailey : but yeah I agree, that is a great reminder for a counter argument 13:11:40 tichure : it’s understanding why you think the way you do 13:11:50 tichure : look at your work and separate yourself from it 13:11:53 tichure : as much as you can 13:11:59 tichure : and when I grade your paper, I will help you you along those lines 13:12:11 tichure : and if you have any questions, I’ll be around on Wednesday 13:12:14 tichure : and you can always send me an email 13:12:19 Bailey : okay, yes those paper notes always help me a lot 13:13:01 Bailey : and okay yes I will definitely email you if I have a question, my hardest part is always making sure not to get too into my head when im trying to lay out my ideas fluidly 13:13:08 tichure : exactly 13:13:12 tichure : and it’s a skill 13:13:22 tichure : and you will get it from practice 13:13:46 Bailey : I hope so! Thank you so much for your time Professor! Hope you have a great Monday (: 13:13:54 tichure : you too. Take care 13:13:57 tichure : poof