ENGL 17889GD - Week 1: Introduction to Rhetoric & Critical Thinking

Flashcards reviewing the core concepts of rhetoric, critical thinking, waves of change, communication processes, the DIKW pyramid, and rhetorical analysis.

What quote regarding free thinking is attributed to Aristotle in the lecture?

"Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in."

According to Alvin Toffler's model, what characterized the Agricultural Wave?

Spanning $10,000$ years, it was characterized by land ownership as the symbol of wealth, clear division between land owners and land workers, mass oppression, and wars fought over territory.

What were the key characteristics of the Industrial Wave according to Alvin Toffler?

Spanning $250$ years, it brought standardization, specialization, synchronization, mass production/consumption, the rise of the middle class, and environmental destruction.

How is the Information Wave defined in Alvin Toffler's three waves of change?

It is an age of computer technology enabling immediate sharing of data, information, and knowledge where knowledge is power, but the risk of misinformation, fake news, and media control is overwhelming.

What components make up the communication process model shown in the lecture?

The process flows from the Sender through Encoding to the Message, and through Decoding to the Receiver, with Noise affecting the message and Feedback returning to the Sender.

What statement regarding facts and truth by Friedrich Nietzsche is highlighted in the lecture?

"There are no facts, only interpretations."

What five key activities of critical thinking are outlined in the AAC&U rubric?

1. Clearly state and comprehensively describe the issue or problem. 2. Independently interpret and evaluate sources. 3. Thoroughly analyze assumptions and context. 4. Argue a complex position taking counter-arguments into account. 5. Arrive at logical and well-informed conclusions.

What six core skills comprise critical thinking according to the lecture diagram?

Analyze, Infer, Evaluate, Interpret, Generate, and Reason.

What are the four levels of the DIKW Pyramid from bottom to top, and how do they progress?

From bottom to top: Data, Information (by adding meaning), Knowledge (by understanding application), and Wisdom (as knowledge in action).

In rhetorical context, how is Audience defined?

The individual or group whom the writer intends to address, determined by factors such as demographics, prior knowledge, education, and expectations.

In rhetorical writing, what is Tone?

The attitude the writer conveys about the subject through their voice, which can range from high academic to low conversational, sarcastic, genuine, passionate, motivated, ironic, or silly.

In rhetoric, what is Purpose?

The reason the writer composes a message or image, generally to inform, analyze, or persuade (such as changing values, selling, promoting action, or conveying a point of view).

What three core elements surround Content in the Rhetorical Triangle diagram?

Audience, Tone, and Purpose.

How does the lecture differentiate between Summary, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation in academic writing?

Summary gathers data and demonstrates understanding in your own words; Analysis interprets and explains meaning and relationships; Synthesis collects, interprets, and proposes new ideas; Evaluation explores overall effectiveness.

According to the 2019 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study cited in the notes, what exercise habits can reduce the risk of major depression?

Running for $15$ minutes a day or walking for $1$ hour may reduce the risk of major depression by $26\text{ percent}$.

What definition of education did Albert Einstein provide as cited in the notes?

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think."

How did Richard Crossman define the true art of propaganda?

Crossman stated that the art of propaganda is not telling lies, but selecting the required truth and mixing it with truths the audience wants to hear so the recipient does not realize they are receiving propaganda.