TERM ASSIGNMENTS

First individual assignment: critique a position on a classic philosophical issue(worth 10%)

Second individual assignment: critique a position on a current social issue (worth 10%)
Third individual assignment: critique a position on a current business issue (worth 10%)

Topic choice:

During the first class, the professor will assist studentsin selecting an appropriate topic and source material on which to base the assignment. You must get the professor’s approval before working on any assignment.

Due date:

The due dateisposted on the proposed weekly schedule, which can be foundwithin the ‘Course Information’ section on the Blackboard site for this course.

Group size:

Each group must have between five to six membersBUT there must be an even number of groups. The professor may make changes to any group (the professor’s decision is final).

Individual work in a group setting

On selected weeks, the professor will meet with thegroups to discuss each student’s progress. This approach allows you to gain a sense of how other students are preparing their individual assignments. Moreover, it gives you a sense of what to expect from other students when it comes to the group assignments.

Individual Report requirements:

· A title page(name and title of the assignment)

· 1 page of content only in Microsoft Word format with 1 inch margins and Arial font, size 10

· A page of references followed by a screen capture of each relevant paragraph (the professor will explain this in class).

· Submit the three reports by email to [email protected]
In the subject area, include your last name followed by the course title and section number
You must send all three assignments in a zipped format with your last name- first name

Grading
features:

On submission of your assignment, you start with a perfect A+ grade. If the professor doesn’t find any of the issues or problems discussed below, you keep the perfect grade. Note clearly that grading is tougher than what you experienced in the Business Fundamentals course. For the individual assignments in particular, it is not uncommon to receive a poor grade (depending on your ability to reason critically and write about it).

1. Errors in the overall line of reasoning (up to 2 points):
Essentially, this topic consists in identifying the arguments that support the main conclusion (if you haven’t taken the Critical Reasoning course or, else don’t remember much of it, that’s fine since you can develop the skills in this course too). You lose up to two points each time the professor identifies an error or fault in the line of reasoning. We’ll talk about this in class so pay attention so you know what type of errors to avoid.

2. Passages that act as filler (up to 2 points):
When you don’t spend enough time on an assignment, there is a tendency to write sentences for no other reason than to fill a paragraph or page. Once you have a rough draft of the entire document that you intend to submit, you can test for this error. Simply remove a sentence and see if it damages the line of reasoning in that paragraph. If you don’t notice anything bad when you remove a sentence, chances are that it doesn’t play an important role in the paragraph. When that happens, you have filler. You lose up to two points each time the professor finds a sentence that has little or no useful role in a given paragraph.

3. Transitions between paragraphs (up to 2 points):
In a well-written document, the transition between paragraphs is both smooth and warranted. Put another way, one paragraph logically lead into the next in such a way that the reader is ‘led’ through the overall line of reasoning. While this may seem difficult to understand, our in-class discussions will help you understand the topic. When the professor finds fault in a given transition between paragraphs, you lose up to two points.

4. Fallacies or mistakes in reasoning (up to 2 points):
When developing arguments to support the overall line of reasoning, you may be committing fallacies or mistakes in reasoning (this is close to number 1 but applies to specific passages). In this course, the professor will focus on four general fallacies (there are many more fallacies but these four cover a lot of ground).

o Inconsistency: passages cases where something inconsistent is being presented.

o Inappropriate presumption: cases where we have an assumption presupposing something that is not reasonable to accept in the relevant conversational context.

o Relevance: cases where irrelevant reasons are being invoked.

o Insufficiency: cases where the evidence supporting a conclusion is weak.

5. Vague terms or ambiguous passages (up to 2 points):
Some terms are vague in that it doesn’t provide much information about a topic. To say that your cat is ‘tall’ is rather vague since it is not a term that usually applies to cats. On the other hand, a sentence is ambiguous when it can have two or more different interpretations or meanings. When the professor finds such a problem, you lose up to two points.

6. Improper or missing references (up to 2 points):
As shown in the accompanying documents on report writing, you must provide relevant and acceptable references for claims that you make in an academic report. This is one of the main features that distinguishes an academic report from a blog or newspaper article (neither of these types of writing provide references for claims that are made). When you make a claim that should have a reference, but it isn’t there, you lose up two points.

7. Failing to highlight the relevant passage from a reference (up to 2 points, and possibly an additional 10 points):
Providing a reference is not enough, you must also highlight the precise passage that you are using from a reference. This requirement shows that a reference actually plays a role in providing evidence for your overall line of reasoning. You lose up to two points if you fail to do this, or if the highlighted passage is not relevant. In addition, if you cannot produce a copy of a full article when requested by the professor, you lose 10 points (in other words, make sure you have a copy of each article or document that you use).

8. Failing to provide the required information in the subject area of the email and/or failure to properly name the zip file (up to 2 points).

9. Late reports and/or plagiarism:
The School of Business has policies for grading late reports as well as reports that are plagiarized. We’ll review these policies and it is your responsibility to avoid the problems that go along with these two issues. Grading (or loss of grades) will be as per School of Business policy. For example, late reports are not accepted for grading and this means that you get zero as a grade for the assignment. The professor can meet with you to review your work but no grade above zero will be given (unless you have a well-documented emergency and you have notified the professor as soon as possible). Likewise, the penalty for plagiarism is a grade of zero on the assignment through to expulsion from the course or program of study.

Group Reports–Pre & Post Critique

Pre-critique report: (worth 20%)

Post-critique report: (worth 20%)

Overview:

If you don’t understand these two assignments, don’t worry – the professor will explain it in class. Just make sure you are in class to learn about it!

The pre-critique paper represents your group’s position on a given topic
(one group is for a given position and the other group is against a given position).

The post-critique paper aims to defend against the line of reasoning presented by the other group (the principle of charity applies). So while the pre-critique and post-critique reports are on the same topic, the post-critique report focuses on overcoming the concerns and objections raised by the professor and theother group.

Note clearly that only the professor grades the pre-critique and post-critique reports.

Topic choice:

The professor will assist groups in selecting an appropriate topic and student will flip a coin to see which group is for and which group is against . Note that groups cannot choose a topic that is the same as an individual assignment from either group.

Due dates:

The leader of each group will ensure that the other group gets the pre-critique paper on the day that it is submitted to the professor (see the weekly schedule for the due date). Moreover, groups will have time to meet in class to ask questions, and so on.

Group size:

You will use the same group that was formed at the beginning of the course, unless the professor makes changes (the professor’s decision is final).

Group dynamics:

You will find a group contract, individual log and group log under the ‘Course Documents’ section of the Blackboard site for this course.

Each group must have a group contract and a copy of that contract must be submitted to the professor by email no later than the start date for the group assignment (see the proposed weekly schedule).

Note clearly that the team contract allows groups to determine what penalty may be imposed on members who do not participate fully and equally.

Pre-critique & Post-critique Report requirements:

· Title page with each member’s name and the topic (any title you want to use)

· The second page should state which student (if any) is to receive a penalty based on the group contract (you must provide clear details on this page).

· 6 to 8pages of content only in Microsoft Word format with 1 inch margins and Arial font, size 10 (the post-critique paper may be shorter).

· A page of references followed by a screen capture of each relevant paragraph (the professor will provide an example in class).

· Submit each report by email to [email protected]
In the subject area, include the group leader’s last name followed by the course number and section.
Similarly, the Microsoft Word document must have the last name, first name of the group leader.

Grading
features:

On submission of your assignment, you start with a perfect A+ grade.
If the professor doesn’t find any of the issues or problems discussed below, you keep the perfect grade.
Note clearly that grading is typically tougher than what you experienced in the Term Assignments section above.

1. Errors in the overall line of reasoning (up to 3 points):
Essentially, this topic consists in identifying the arguments that support the main conclusion (if you haven’t taken the Critical Reasoning course or, else don’t remember much of it, that’s fine since you can develop the skills in this course too). You lose up to three points each time the professor identifies an error or fault in the line of reasoning. We’ll talk about this in class so pay attention so you know what type of errors to avoid.

2. Passages that act as filler (up to 3 points):
When you don’t spend enough time on an assignment, there is a tendency to write sentences for no other reason than to fill a paragraph or page. Once you have a rough draft of the entire document that you intend to submit, you can test for this error. Simply remove a sentence and see if it damages the line of reasoning in that paragraph. If you don’t notice anything bad when you remove a sentence, chances are that it doesn’t play an important role in the paragraph. When that happens, you have filler. You lose up to three points each time the professor finds a sentence that has little or no useful role in a given paragraph.

3. Transitions between paragraphs (up to 3 points):
In a well-written document, the transition between paragraphs is both smooth and warranted. Put another way, one paragraph logically lead into the next in such a way that the reader is ‘led’ through the overall line of reasoning. While this may seem difficult to understand, our in-class discussions will help you understand the topic. When the professor finds fault in a given transition between paragraphs, you lose up to three points.

4. Fallacies or mistakes in reasoning (up to 3 points):
When developing arguments to support the overall line of reasoning, you may be committing fallacies or mistakes in reasoning (this is close to number 1 but applies to specific passages). In this course, the professor will focus on four general fallacies (there are many more fallacies but these four cover a lot of ground).

o Inconsistency: passages cases where something inconsistent is being presented.

o Inappropriate presumption: cases where we have an assumption presupposing something that is not reasonable to accept in the relevant conversational context.

o Relevance: cases where irrelevant reasons are being invoked.

o Insufficiency: cases where the evidence supporting a conclusion is weak.

When the professor finds a fallacy, you lose up to three points.

5. Vague terms or ambiguous passages (up to 3 points):
Some terms are vague in that it doesn’t provide much information about a topic. To say that your cat is ‘tall’ is rather vague since it is not a term that usually applies to cats. On the other hand, a sentence is ambiguous when it can have two or more different interpretations or meanings. When the professor finds such a problem, you lose up to three points.

6. Improper or missing references (up to 3 points):
As shown in the accompanying documents on report writing, you must provide relevant and acceptable references for claims that you make in an academic report. This is one of the main features that distinguishes an academic report from a blog or newspaper article (neither of these types of writing provide references for claims that are made). When you make a claim that should have a reference, but it isn’t there, you lose up three points.

7. Failing to highlight the relevant passage from a reference (up to 3 points, and possibly an additional 10 points):
Providing a reference is not enough, you must also highlight the precise passage that you are using from a reference. This requirement shows that a reference actually plays a role in providing evidence for your overall line of reasoning. You lose up to two points if you fail to do this, or if the highlighted passage is not relevant. In addition, if you cannot produce a copy of a full article when requested by the professor, you lose 10 points (in other words, make sure you have a copy of each article or document that you use).

8. Failing to provide the required information in the subject area of the email and/or failure to properly name the Microsoft Word document (up to 2 points).

9. Any student in a group who fails to sign the group contract by the due date shown in the weekly schedule will receive a zero grade for the assignment (unless the professor decides otherwise based on group dynamics).

10. Late reports and/or plagiarism:
The School of Business has policies for grading late reports as well as reports that are plagiarized. We’ll review these policies and it is your responsibility to avoid the problems that go along with these two issues. Grading (or loss of grades) will be as per School of Business policy. For example, late reports are not accepted for grading and this means that you get zero as a grade for the assignment. The professor can meet with you to review your work but no grade above zero will be given (unless you have a well-documented emergency and you have notified the professor as soon as possible). Likewise, the penalty for plagiarism is a grade of zero on the assignment through to expulsion from the course or program of study.

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