|
Assignments for this course take the form of written summaries, research, and analysis. They are designed to help us work through the course
objectives, while keeping a focus on our spiritual growth through conceptual learning.For each assignment, please develop a document and submit it to me in either Microsoft Word or HTML format (your word processing
software should permit you to do a "save as" and choose either of those formats).
Each assignment can be completed by consulting Web-based materials listed on the course Resource page.
Assignment 1: The Pursuit of Truth
1. Identify three areas that impact your life in
which the concept of “truth” has been or is being
revised. Remember, “truth” can also be defined as
“right” for this purpose.
For each area, please provide:
An “old” definition of truth or “right.”
A “new” definition or truth or “right.”
The social or historical circumstances that have led
to the redefinition.
2. Identify three areas that impact your life in
which the concept of “truth” (or “right”) has not
been revised.
For each, please provide:
The source of the original definition of truth
(i.e., a bible verse, faith tradition, or proverb)
Evidence that the original definition still stands
(i.e., policy, literature, media, or other source)
3. Please develop a short (250 word) essay entitled
“This I Believe: What the Truth Means to Me.” In it,
outline the points of truth you hold most dear and
why.
Assignment 2: Principles of Logic
Logical Fallacies
Identify and document examples of each logical fallacy
listed in the e-booklet “The Great Ideas.”
In your documentation be sure to provide:
1. The setting: Time, medium or place, person, and topic
of conversation.
2. The fallacy.
3. The proof: Identify how the argument you observed
constitutes a fallacy.
Assignment 3: The Scientific
Method
1. Type the phrase “junk science” into an Internet
search engine and comment on the results.
Specifically, what claims are made, pro and con,
about junk science? Which branches of science are
most often linked to junk science?
2. Find and document the instance of junk science
you find most offensive. Identify the situation, the
people involved, and the factors that made the
incident an example of junk science.
3. Review the discussion of the Scientific Method
presented in “The Great Ideas” e-booklet and comment
on its validity as a method of understanding the
truth. What are its strengths? Weaknesses? What
viable options exists to using the Scientific
Method?
Assignment 4: Historical Accuracy
1. Identify and document a case of historical
misinterpretation that has influenced an important
public perception, policy, or process. In your
documentation, be sure to include a description of
the event, its subsequent misinterpretation, its
revision, and the subsequent impact.
2. Please discuss “revisionist history.” What is it?
How does it influence contemporary society? Is it a
new phenomenon? Cite at least two examples.
Assignment 5: Principles of Design
1. Apply the principles of design to items you
encounter every day:
A visual item, artistic or functional
A verbal or musical item
An intangible item
2. Find processes that violate each of the
Principles of Design and document them. In your
documentation, be sure to include the Principle, the
occurrence of violation, and the reason the
occurrence qualifies as a violation.
|
