Further Explanation

Pick one concept from throughout the semester that you feel can use further discussion..

As I was reflecting on a particular concept from this semester that I thought needed further discussion, I initially could not think of any certain topic. For the most part, all of the material that was covered could be found in our books. And since most of the material was covered in either Epstein's Critical Thinking or O'Hair & Wiemann's The Essential Guide to Group Communication, it was easy to reference ideas and concepts that I was unclear about.

However, if I had to pin-point one concept that I felt needed further discussion, I would choose Criteria Reasoning. I found this type of reasoning to be the most difficult to understand. The concept of criteria reasoning is not too difficult to grasp, but being able to apply it to an argument seemed kind of tough. But even though I was confused about this subject, I referenced and used the Critical Thinking book to help me out, and it was not too bad.

Favorite/Least Favorite

When asked to identify my favorite and least favorite parts of class, the first aspect I reflected on were my favorite parts of class. Without a doubt, the best part of class was that it was online. I really enjoyed having an online class because it allowed me to do my work at my own pace. The work was assigned a week before it was due, so it was nice to complete the assignments whenever I wanted within the weeks time frame. Also, I liked the group projects that we did. It forced me to come out of my "shell" and allowed me to work with a team, which I enjoyed.

However, there were also aspects of the class that I did not particularly like. I did not enjoy having to comment on my classmates work. Because some of the other students were not very reliable in regards to them blogging. But at the same time, there was a handful of students that I could rely on to do their blogging. So although this aspect of class was not very convenient, it still was not that bad.

Course Reflection

Over the course of this semester I have learned a lot being apart of our Comm41 Critical Decision Making class. I learned a lot as a scholar and I also learned a lot as a person. I was forced to learn to manage my time appropriately and handle specific tasks without the help of anyone else. Since each weeks class work was given at the beginning of the week and due by the end of the week, I had to rely on time-management skills to make sure I completed the work.
Furthermore, I learned ways of reasoning to help resolve good arguments from bad arguments. What helps me when diagnosing an argument, is identifying certian components of the argument. For example, I like to figure out the purpose of the argument to start off. Once I figure out that part, then I decide which of the two sides makes the most sense. In order for an argument to make sense, the reasoning has to be relevant to the argument at hand.
Lastly, I learned how to come together with a group of people that I never met before, and work as a group together. As a result, this also caused me to gain leadership skills that I never even knew I had in me.