Teaching Social Inequality through Analysis of Hidden Assumptions in Non-Academic Publications
Document Type
Contribution to Book
Publication Date
2018
Publication Title
Teaching Economic Inequality and Capitalism in Contemporary America
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-71141-6_14
ISBN
978-3-319-71141-6
Abstract
As much as instructors wish it were different, college students receive far more information from non-academic than academic sources. As a result, they are inundated by over-information mixed with distortions and contradictions that are confusing. This paper discusses strategies to help students distinguish between information and misinformation regarding economic and social inequality in non-academic publications. The goal is to develop critical thinking skills that detect flawed popular arguments. The first strategy addresses evidence-based arguments. It helps students identify how the hidden assumptions about an argument and its supporting evidence mislead the reader. The second strategy deals with reason-based arguments. These tools help students develop questions to uncover an argument’s flawed implications and emphasize the importance of analyzing hidden messages in debunking popular misinformation.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Pidi.
2018.
"Teaching Social Inequality through Analysis of Hidden Assumptions in Non-Academic Publications."
Teaching Economic Inequality and Capitalism in Contemporary America: 157-167 Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-71141-6_14 source: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-71141-6_14 isbn: 978-3-319-71141-6
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/soc-anth-facpubs/157
Copyright
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