Week One: Course Introduction (August 24th-August 30th
Course Introduction;
The Three Modes of Thought
Introduce Blog Assignment
Week Two: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (August 31st-September 6th)
Topic(s): Two Systems; How the Media Works, pt. 1
Introduce Project #1: Annotated Infographic
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part One: Two Systems (p. 3-109)
QUIZ #1
Week Three: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 7th-September 13th)
Topic(s): Heuristics and Biases; How the Media Works, pt. 2
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part Two: Heuristics and Biases (p. 109-199)
QUIZ #2
Week Four: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 14th-September 20th)
Topic(s): Overconfidence; Choices;
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part Three: Overconfidence (p. 199-269); Part Four: Choices (p. 269-377)
QUIZ #3
Week Five: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 21st-September 27th)
Topic: "Defining the Argument Means Winning It"; “The Internet is built to distend our sense of identity”
Read: Peter Pomerantsev, This is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, Chapter 3 & 4;
Jia Tolentino, "The I in Internet," Trick Mirror
Due: Blog #1 to iCollege by Friday, September 25th at 11:59pm
QUIZ #4
Week Six: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (September 28th-October 4th)
Topic(s): “My experience is what I agree to attend to”; Peer Review Project #1
Read: Jenny Odell, "The Case for Nothing," How to Do Nothing (iCollege)
Due: Rough Draft of Annotated Infographic by Friday, October 2nd at 11:59pm
Quiz #5
Week Seven: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (October 5th-October 11th)
Topic(s): Basics of Rhetoric: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, pt. 1 & 2
Introduce Project #2: Deep Context Essay
Due: Project #1: Annotated Infographic to iCollege by Friday, October 9th at 11:59pm
Read: Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 1-13
Quiz #6
Week Eight: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (October 12th-October 18th)
Topic(s): Evaluating Words; Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Read: Daniel J. Levitin, Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era, Part Two: Evaluating Words (iCollege); Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 14-18
Due: Blog #2 to iCollege by Friday, October 16th at 11:59pm
Quiz #7
Week Nine: The Empirical Mind (October 19th-October 25th):
Topic(s): Evaluating the World; Peer Review Project #2
Read: Daniel J. Levitin, Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era, Part Three: Evaluating the World (iCollege); Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 19-25
Due: Rough Draft of Deep Context Essay by Friday, October 23rd at 11:59pm
Quiz #8
Week Ten: Interlude on Dialectical Reasoning (October 26th-November 1st)
Introduction to Dialectical Reasoning
No Readings this week
Week Eleven: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 2nd-November 8th)
Topic(s): “Choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them”;
Introduce Project #3: Exploratory Essay
Read: Robert Wright, Why Buddhism is True, Ch. 3: When Are Feelings Illusions (p. 27-43); Ch. 7: The Mental Modules that Run Your Life (p. 91-104); Ch. 8: How Thoughts Think Themselves (p. 105-120)
Due: Project #2: Deep Context Essay to iCollege by Friday, November 6th at 11:59pm
Quiz #9
Week Twelve: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 9th-November 15th)
Topic: “The conscious self doesn’t create thoughts; it receives them”
Read: Robert Wright, Why Buddhism is True, Ch. 9: "Self" Control (p. 121-141); Ch. 11: The Upside of Emptiness (p. 153-171); Ch. 15: Is Enlightenment Enlightening? (Ch. 225-246)
Quiz #10
Week Thirteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 16th-November 22nd)
Topic(s): “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom”; “Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like”
Read: Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (Sections 1-40); Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (Sections 41-end)
Due: Blog #3 to iCollege by Friday, November 20th at 11:59pm
Week Fourteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 30-December 6th)
Topic(s): “A path is made by walking on it”; Course Wrap Up
Read: The Book of Chuang Tzu, "Working Everything Out Evenly" (iCollege)
Week Fifteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (December 7th)
Topic(s): Peer Review Project #3
Due: Rough Draft of Exploratory Essay by Monday, December 7th at 11:59pm
Due: Project #3: Exploratory Essay to iCollege by Monday, December 14th at 10:00a
Course Introduction;
The Three Modes of Thought
Introduce Blog Assignment
Week Two: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (August 31st-September 6th)
Topic(s): Two Systems; How the Media Works, pt. 1
Introduce Project #1: Annotated Infographic
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part One: Two Systems (p. 3-109)
QUIZ #1
Week Three: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 7th-September 13th)
Topic(s): Heuristics and Biases; How the Media Works, pt. 2
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part Two: Heuristics and Biases (p. 109-199)
QUIZ #2
Week Four: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 14th-September 20th)
Topic(s): Overconfidence; Choices;
Read: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Part Three: Overconfidence (p. 199-269); Part Four: Choices (p. 269-377)
QUIZ #3
Week Five: Unit #1: The Reactive Mind (September 21st-September 27th)
Topic: "Defining the Argument Means Winning It"; “The Internet is built to distend our sense of identity”
Read: Peter Pomerantsev, This is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, Chapter 3 & 4;
Jia Tolentino, "The I in Internet," Trick Mirror
Due: Blog #1 to iCollege by Friday, September 25th at 11:59pm
QUIZ #4
Week Six: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (September 28th-October 4th)
Topic(s): “My experience is what I agree to attend to”; Peer Review Project #1
Read: Jenny Odell, "The Case for Nothing," How to Do Nothing (iCollege)
Due: Rough Draft of Annotated Infographic by Friday, October 2nd at 11:59pm
Quiz #5
Week Seven: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (October 5th-October 11th)
Topic(s): Basics of Rhetoric: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, pt. 1 & 2
Introduce Project #2: Deep Context Essay
Due: Project #1: Annotated Infographic to iCollege by Friday, October 9th at 11:59pm
Read: Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 1-13
Quiz #6
Week Eight: Unit #2: The Empirical Mind (October 12th-October 18th)
Topic(s): Evaluating Words; Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Read: Daniel J. Levitin, Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era, Part Two: Evaluating Words (iCollege); Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 14-18
Due: Blog #2 to iCollege by Friday, October 16th at 11:59pm
Quiz #7
Week Nine: The Empirical Mind (October 19th-October 25th):
Topic(s): Evaluating the World; Peer Review Project #2
Read: Daniel J. Levitin, Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era, Part Three: Evaluating the World (iCollege); Jay Heinrichs, Thank You for Arguing, Ch. 19-25
Due: Rough Draft of Deep Context Essay by Friday, October 23rd at 11:59pm
Quiz #8
Week Ten: Interlude on Dialectical Reasoning (October 26th-November 1st)
Introduction to Dialectical Reasoning
No Readings this week
Week Eleven: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 2nd-November 8th)
Topic(s): “Choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them”;
Introduce Project #3: Exploratory Essay
Read: Robert Wright, Why Buddhism is True, Ch. 3: When Are Feelings Illusions (p. 27-43); Ch. 7: The Mental Modules that Run Your Life (p. 91-104); Ch. 8: How Thoughts Think Themselves (p. 105-120)
Due: Project #2: Deep Context Essay to iCollege by Friday, November 6th at 11:59pm
Quiz #9
Week Twelve: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 9th-November 15th)
Topic: “The conscious self doesn’t create thoughts; it receives them”
Read: Robert Wright, Why Buddhism is True, Ch. 9: "Self" Control (p. 121-141); Ch. 11: The Upside of Emptiness (p. 153-171); Ch. 15: Is Enlightenment Enlightening? (Ch. 225-246)
Quiz #10
Week Thirteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 16th-November 22nd)
Topic(s): “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom”; “Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like”
Read: Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (Sections 1-40); Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (Sections 41-end)
Due: Blog #3 to iCollege by Friday, November 20th at 11:59pm
Week Fourteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (November 30-December 6th)
Topic(s): “A path is made by walking on it”; Course Wrap Up
Read: The Book of Chuang Tzu, "Working Everything Out Evenly" (iCollege)
Week Fifteen: Unit #4: The Enlightened Mind (December 7th)
Topic(s): Peer Review Project #3
Due: Rough Draft of Exploratory Essay by Monday, December 7th at 11:59pm
Due: Project #3: Exploratory Essay to iCollege by Monday, December 14th at 10:00a