Critical Thinking & Logic

A

B

C

formulating a claim or hypothesis

supporting a claim with evidence

rebutting counterarguments

avoiding logical fallacies

cohesion between logical subpoints or premises

description skills

definition skills

comparing and contrasting ideas/concepts/arguments

identifying implicit assumptions

making connections between ideas across writers & texts

analyzing: breaking down a topic

placing ideas in broader (e.g., social, historical, economic) contexts

drawing generalizations from particulars

balancing generalization and specific application/example

applying a theory or generalization to a specific circumstance

identifying cause and effect

other:

Working with Sources

Identifying main thesis of a text

Identifying secondary claims and supporting premises

Active reading: taking notes, responding to text, marking text

quoting and paraphrasing

summarizing

synthesizing multiple sources

reading sympathetically & reading skeptically

identifying assumptions

locating the scholarly context of a resource

other:

Writing

A

B

C

understanding the needs and knowledge of an audience

having a clear sense of the writer’s role/standpoint

knowing genre, discipline, format, occasion contexts and conventions

finding an appropriate voice and tone

crafting a clear, specific, significant, contestable thesis

coordinating thesis and structure

creating a coherent, logically connected structure

using effective logical and syntactical transitions

integrating supporting material into prose

using supporting material to buttress claims

writing effective introductions and conclusions

presenting a consistent, lucid style appropriate to writing context

avoiding grammar, punctuation, and mechanics errors

mastering invention, global-revision, and local-revision strategies

other:

Research and Scholarly Skills

knowing how to use indexes, databases, bibliographies

preparing a bibliography

annotating a bibliography

evaluating the relevance of sources

identifying and evaluating the reliability/credentials of sources

knowing primary vs. secondary sources

mastering a documentation style (MLA, APA, CMS, etc.)

knowing and avoiding plagiarism

controlling quotation, paraphrase, and summary in the paper

appropriate collaboration with others during the writing process

appropriate discussion/communication styles

respecting diversity of opinion

avoiding relativism (all opinions are equally valid); demanding evidence

analyzing pedagogy

other: