1302 Course Introduction Eric Luttrell 2019-01-14 | This is the course introduction for English 1302 taught by Prof. Eric Luttrell at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. It contains an overview of the syllabus and instructions for using Blackboard.
Zombies, straw men, and other weak arguments Eric Luttrell 2024-02-08 | When we're in a hurry to justify our own foregone conclusions, especially when faced with a counter-argument, we tend to resort to a few strategies that might make us feel good about ourselves, but they don't actually get us any closer to the truth. 1. Zombie warrants: We often make explicit some of the familiar platitudes that sound inspiring when vaguely worded, but when we try to apply them to some (but not all) specific situations, we might find that they do more harm than good.2. Straw-man arguments: If the opposition's argument looks weak, that will make our argument look stronger, right? So why not make the opposition's argument look weaker than it really is? That will work as long as my only goal is appearing to be right, instead of actually being right, and if my audience doesn't know the difference. 3. Hollow-man arguments: If a weak opposition makes your argument look stronger, why not make up an opposing argument that doesn't actually exist? Then you can make it as ridiculous as possible and pretend that it is the only alternative to your own.If, on the other hand, our goal is to understand a complex reality, we will actually need to understand the blind spots in our own reasoning and the strengths of opposing arguments. This requires us to find the "steel man" argument for the opposition: the biggest challenge out there.The sources texts for this lecture are: Your Undivided Attention podcast (Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin). "How zombie values infect society." humanetech.com/podcast/how-zombie-values-infect-societyCaitlin Flanagan (Feb. 2, 2024) "Colleges Are Lying to Their Students" theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/thinking-yourself/677321 Shane Parrish & Rhiannon Beaubien (Farnam Street Blog). Bad arguments and how to avoid them. https://fs.blog/2020/05/bad-arguments/
Soldier Mindset v. Scout Mindset Eric Luttrell 2024-01-31 | Which is more important: the feeling of knowing or actual knowledge? Of course we'd like to say that we prioritize actual knowledge, but, when tested, we tend to shirk the cognitive effort that accuracy requires. And if anyone dares to challenge our unearned conclusions, we are more likely to attack them than to rationally consider the evidence. In the first chapter of her book, The Scout Mindset, Julia Galef uses the example of "The Dreyfus Affair" to exemplify the choice between motivated reasoning and critical reasoning.
Writing as metacognition vs. writing as content Eric Luttrell 2024-01-25 | Why should we write anything when AI can do it for us? If you replace the word "write" in that last sentence with "think," the answer should be obvious. But it's the same thing in both cases. When often kid ourselves into assuming that our own understanding of a situation is very thorough and accurate, even if we can't put that understanding into words. That's an example of what psychologists call the "illusion of explanatory depth." Writing is a way to see for ourselves exactly what we know well enough to explain. That can be a humbling experience, and that's a good thing. Of course, we can refine our writing strategies to engage and persuade readers later. But there's a reason to write that has nothing to do with persuading others. Writing is a way to get our own thoughts outside our own heads so that we can see just how incomplete our understanding is before we rush off to act on it.The post from the Farnham Street blog is available here: https://fs.blog/why-write/ Parrish and company have also expanded on the ideas in that post in a longer post here: https://fs.blog/writing-to-think/Along the same lines, I also recommend his post about critical thinking here: https://fs.blog/how-to-think/
The rhetorical situation Eric Luttrell 2024-01-23 | It's always hard to start a writing assignment if you're only writing it because it is an assignment. But writing assignments are just practice for real world writing (or speaking, or producing media, etc.), and real-world writing, when it occurs organically, is almost always provoked by something that happens. Some situation catches the writer's attention, and the writer feels the need to alert others to that situation. When you know WHY you are writing, and WHO you want to read it, it will be a lot easier to know WHAT to write.
1301 Essay 1 questions Eric Luttrell 2021-09-20 | In this class, I review some of the key elements of a rhetorical situation and introduce questions that you can apply to your research issue. The case study comes the recent conversation around Nicki Minaj's tweet about her own vaccine hesitancy. For more on this issue, this two video (youtu.be/sYD9LRa36hM) from The Daily Show introduce the tweets, their coverage, and the attempts to fact-check the story.
Actual facts and where to find them Eric Luttrell 2021-09-16 | This lecture follows one on bullshit (as defined by philosopher Harry Frankfurt) by contrasting it with methods of falsification that constitute the scientific method, fact-checking, and rigorous journalism. The case study comes from a scientific article published by Molly Crockett, which she discusses in her TED talk here: ▶️ Molly Crockett. Beware Neuro-bunk. ted.com/talks/molly_crockett_beware_neuro_bunkThe media bias chart is available here: 📰 adfontesmedia.com Other helpful resources: 📰 Kiely and Robertson. How to spot fake news. factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news📰TAMUCC library political science research guide: https://guides.library.tamucc.edu/ddd
1301 Discourse communities and argument as conversation Eric Luttrell 2021-09-07 | In this video, I describe the difference between epistemic communities and discourse communities. The reading for this class was "Argument as Conversation" by Stuart Greene.
1301 epistemic communities Eric Luttrell 2021-08-30 | This video discusses conformity, the social nature of information diffusion, and the power of ethos (from Aristotle's "rhetorical triangle"). Before this class, students read the introductory chapter of The Misinformation Age by O'Connor and Weatherall. The video begins just after the class watched students participating in a version of Solomon Asch's conformity study (available here: youtu.be/J7QDTPlC-XE).
1301 Need for Closure, Soldier v Scout mindset Eric Luttrell 2021-08-29 | This is a recording of ENGL 1301 (Composition) class on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. We discuss the "need for closure" and the first chapter of Julia Galef's book, The Scout Mindset (key concepts: soldier mindset, scout mindset, Dreyfus Affair).
English 1301 Introduction to Summer session Eric Luttrell 2021-06-01 | This is the introduction to English 1301: Composition for the 5-week summer semester.
Morien, The Black Knight (part 1) Historical Context (then and now) Eric Luttrell 2020-11-04 | This is the first of two lectures to accompany a reading of the narrative of Sir Morien from the 1320 Dutch Lancelot Compilation. Contents:0:00 Introduction3:33 "race lifts" & "politically correct history"8:58 Who counts as "typical"?13:51 Why representation matters (WYSIATI v. defamiliarization)20:27 Black Europeans in medieval art, literature, & archaeology26:55 representing North Africans v. Sub-Saharan Africans31:07 desire for representation 32:20 Welsh origins & politics of Arthurian lit 35:34 French Bretons take over, make it more French 37:51 Cistercian monks insert new religiosity 41:02 Winchester Round Table 43:36 Arthurian literature has always been "politically correct history"45:26 historical context of Morien 46:49 traveling the medieval world 49:58 Sub-Saharan cultures & empires 55:55 intercultural exchanges between Europe & Africa1:00:26 a Muslim knight of the Round Table1:01:50 Wolfram von Eschenbach's multicultural Parzival 1:08:59 Belcane, "Black" queen of Zazamanc 1:12:19 Sir Feirefiz, the first "Black" knight 1:16:34 commonalities between Feirefiz & Parzival 1:21:24 wealthy strangers 1:23:56 Feirefiz's quest for his father1:25:19 from Feirefiz to Morien1:29:22 omitted from the canonA prose translation of the Morien section by early 20th Century Arthurian scholar Jesse Weston is available in the public domain at the two sites below:https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/weston-morienarchive.org/details/morienmetricalro00westrichA new translation is currently underway by David F. Johnson and Geert Claassens, but it will probably not be available until late in 2021.The other lectures I refer to are here: King Arthur (Part 1 of 3) Cultural Context youtu.be/c5WHPYnxqwk King Arthur (Part 2 of 3): Literary Origins youtu.be/OvjbqWaym1AKing Arthur (Part 3 of 3): The History behind the Legend (?) youtu.be/vHGF6uUoItU
English 2332: Literature of the Western World from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance Eric Luttrell 2020-05-16 | This is a brief preview of English 2332, a literature survey that begins with the earliest literature ever written and ends with Shakespeare. The reading list currently includes:-Atrahasis (The Flood)-The Epic of Gilgamesh-Genesis-Hesiod's Theogony & Works and Days- Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound- Homer's Iliad- Homer's Odyssey- Virgil's Aeneid- Beowulf- Saxo Grammaticus' Amleth- The Saga of Hrolf Kraki- The Song of the Cid- Marie de France's Lanval- Morien (The Black Knight) - Chaucer's Canterbury Tales- Shakespeare's Hamlet- Shakespeare's OthelloThis list will continue to expand each semester. As an online class with online lectures and quizzes, students can make choices between readings rather than complete every one. Each semester, the reading list will expand to include new reading options. Upcoming texts include The Dausi (Africa), Popol Vuh (Central America), Gawain and the Green Knight (Britain), Bricriu's Feast (Ireland).
Why do humans reason? Hugo Mercier & Dan Sperbers theory of the evolution of rhetoric Eric Luttrell 2020-03-25 | This lecture video is a brief introduction to evolutionary psychology as it is relevant to the interactionist theory of argument advanced by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber. It accompanies the assigned reading of an Edge.org interview with Mercier available here: edge.org/conversation/hugo_mercier-the-argumentative-theory.
Setting up your course Blackboard for easy navigation Eric Luttrell 2020-03-20 | This video is a look at two different ways to arrange class content in a Blackboard course module. It was produced for the Best Practices in Online Instruction course run by the Office of Distance Education and Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.Below are links to the course introduction videos in which I describe the Blackboard content for students:- English 1302 Course Introduction: youtu.be/XMYIvizsFDo?t=622- English 2332 Course Introduction: youtu.be/sJkNTiPI8_A?t=1205
Writing an essay about literature Eric Luttrell 2020-03-18 | This video covers some of the basic dos and don'ts for writing an essay about literature.For more help, see:Harvard Writing Center's Brief Guide to Writing an English Paper: http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/files/hwp/files/bg_writing_english.pdfUniversity of Toronto Writing Advice: http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/literatureUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Writing Center: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-fiction/
irene lara silva: Authors Day 2020 (TAMU-CC English Dept.) Eric Luttrell 2020-02-10 | Texas author ire'ne lara silva reads from her books for Authors Day 2020 hosted by the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi English Department.
A Rogerian argument for vaccination: a rhetorical proposal Eric Luttrell 2019-04-24 | This video is an example of a rhetorical proposal, a strategy for producing rhetoric for a particular argument. It continues a case study addressed previously in the class: the public discourse surrounding the MMR vaccine. It maps out how to apply the "Rogerian" style of argumentation to the data and warrants that lead to the conclusion that MMR is an essential protection against preventable disease.For more on the Rogerian strategy of argument, see: youtu.be/Nao320DM_MMFor the first part of the case study on MMR vaccination rhetoric, see: youtu.be/TM4fw_oz19I
The Rogerian Argument: How to argue like a friend Eric Luttrell 2019-04-20 | This video lecture reviews the problems posed by motivated reasoning to the correction of misinformation and discusses the Rogerian form of argument as a strategy to overcome disconfirmation bias.
Correcting Misinformation Eric Luttrell 2019-04-09 | This video discusses psychological research into the the reasons people hold onto inaccurate beliefs even in the face of strong counterevidence. In it, I summarize findings from Lewandowsky, Ecker, Seifert, Swartz, & Cook (2012) "Misinformation and Its Correction"Cook & Lewandowsky (2012) The Debunking HandbookNyhan, Reifler, Richey, & Freed (2013) "Effective Messages in Vaccine Promotion"Johnson & Seifert (1994) "Sources of the Continued Influence Effect"Lakoff (2004) Don't Think of an Elephant
The Toulmin model of essay & argument Eric Luttrell 2019-03-19 | This lecture explains Stephen Toulmin's model of argument structure. It's a great tool to use when writing your own essays or analyzing the rhetoric of other writers.The articles used as examples can be found in the links below:Jonah Lehrer. Under Pressure: The Search for a Stress Vaccine. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/07/ff_stress_cure/all/1 Stanley Coren. The data says 'Don't hug the dog.' psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201604/the-data-says-dont-hug-the-dogRachel Feltman. No 'science' didn't 'prove' that dogs hate hugs. washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/04/27/no-science-didnt-prove-that-dogs-hate-hugs
Sociology at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (short version) Eric Luttrell 2019-01-06 | Four professors of Sociology at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, discuss the study of sociology, from its methods to its application in the professional world. This is the short version. The long version (28min) can be found at youtu.be/7NQvH5TiYpg
Sociology at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (long version) Eric Luttrell 2018-09-13 | Four professors of Sociology at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, discuss the study of sociology, from its methods to its application in the professional world. A shorter version (8 min) of this video can be found at: youtu.be/mmQUkpn7CE0
English 2332 Course Introduction Eric Luttrell 2018-08-27 | This is the introductory lecture for English 2332 online at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. It introduces the readings, goals, and logistics for the class.
2332 Intro (Summer session) Eric Luttrell 2018-05-29 | This is the introductory lecture for the summer session of English 2332: Literature of the Western World from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. The course structure described only applies to 5-week summer sessions. If you are enrolled in the 15-week Fall or Spring semester, watch the course introduction here: youtu.be/sJkNTiPI8_A. The dates refer to the Summer 2018 session, but the content of summer session applies to the current summer session unless noted otherwise. See the syllabus and announcements on Blackboard for clarification.
Art Dept Video SAMC 2018 Eric Luttrell 2018-04-27 | This is a behind the scenes look at art production in TAMU-CC's Department of Art and Design.
King Arthur (Part 3 of 3): The History behind the Legend (?) Eric Luttrell 2018-04-17 | This lecture describes the earliest written evidence for King Arthur. This evidence is limited to a few brief references to a battle between Britons and Saxons and someone named Arthur who was a battlefield commander but not a king. This doesn't leave us with much evidence for the Arthur we know from literature, but that's how narrative works.
King Arthur (Part 2 of 3): Literary Origins Eric Luttrell 2018-04-16 | This lecture traces the most familiar themes and story elements of the legend of King Arthur--including chivalry, courtly love, the Round Table, the Holy Grail, Excalibur, Merlin, Lancelot, and Gawain--from their first appearance in the literature to Sir Thomas Malory's 1485 edition of Le Morte D'Arthur.
King Arthur (Part 1 of 3) Cultural Context Eric Luttrell 2018-04-16 | This video introduces the foundational texts that introduced the narratives of King Arthur and his knights. It also briefly describes the cultures and languages that shaped these narratives.
English 2332: Course Introduction for Spring 2018 Eric Luttrell 2018-01-16 | This video introduces the readings and goals of English 2332. It also gives a brief overview of the Blackboard interface, syllabus, and assignments.
Shakespeares Hamlet (part 2 of 2): Reading thought in action Eric Luttrell 2017-12-01 | This lecture analyzes the use of theory-of-mind in Shakespeare's Hamlet and attempts to reassess the conventional view of the main character as weak-willed or indecisive. Four focus points:1. the difficulty of interpreting the text from dialogue2. the characters' difficulty interpreting each other from dialogue and action3. the decisions that Hamlet makes and the often-overlooked factors that constrained those decisions4. Hamlet's ultimate success or failure and the criteria for distinguishing the two.The lecture presumes familiarity with the play, so read/watch it first. For more on Amleth, the proto-Hamlet, see youtube.com/watch?v=nCx1_4xUfe4
Shakespeares Hamlet (part 1 of 2): History and Context Eric Luttrell 2017-11-29 | This lecture traces the history of the Hamlet story from Saxo Grammaticus to Shakespeare and examines the textual sources (Quartos 1&2, and Folio 1) for the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Core lit courses offered in Spring of 2018 Eric Luttrell 2017-10-30 | These are some of the Core Lit courses offered in Spring 2018 at TAMUCC.
TAMUCC English - Core Lit Intro and Course Descriptions Spring 2018 Eric Luttrell 2017-10-30 | This video introduces the study of literature at TAMUCC and describes the Core Literature (ENGL 2316, 2332, & 2333) courses offered in the Spring Semester of 2018.
TAMUCC English - Core Lit Eric Luttrell 2017-10-30 | This video introduces the study of English literature at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.
Amleth, the Viking Hamlet (English 2332, TAMU-CC) Eric Luttrell 2017-10-24 | This lecture covers the narrative of the life of Amleth from the 12th century chronicle Gesta Danorum (History of the Danes) by Saxo Grammaticus. This text is frequently read in conjunction with Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, due to the parallels of plot and character. Saxo's version of Amleth is likely a predecessor of Shakespeare's Hamlet, though probably not a direct influence. The full text of Saxo's History of the Danes, translated by Oliver Elton (1894) is available at Sacred Texts (http://sacred-texts.com/neu/saxo/index.htm), and several book scans are available at Archive.org (archive.org/details/cu31924089406593). The relevant narrative of Amleth occurs in the second half of Book 3 and the first half of Book 4. A brief excerpt is also available from Pitt University (http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/amleth.html). The later Icelandic parallel text of Ambales Saga, translated by Israel Gollancz, is also available from Archive.org (archive.org/details/hamletinicelandb00golluoft).
2332 Fall 2017 Course Introduction Eric Luttrell 2017-09-05 | This is the introductory video for the Fall semester of 2017 of English 2332, Literature of the Western World from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance, at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. It introduces students to the readings for the semester, the purpose of the class, the Blackboard interface, and the work that will constitute the grades. This semester, the class and the university will be adapting to accommodate the needs of students affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Stasis (4 of 4) Questions of Policy or Proposal Eric Luttrell 2017-06-23 | This is the final of the four-part lecture series on stasis in rhetoric. It uses the article "Is two hours of screen time really too much for kids?" by Joanne Orlando as an example of an article that addresses multiple points of stasis as a means of supporting a policy claim. (theconversation.com/is-two-hours-of-screen-time-really-too-much-for-kids-58486)
Stasis (3 of 4) Questions of Value / Evaluation / Quality / Morality Eric Luttrell 2017-06-23 | This lecture covers the stasis of value (also know as evaluation or quality). It combines the classical rhetorical and philosophical approaches to questions of value and morality (such as the division between deontological and consequentialist thinking) with cognitive theories of morality formation (such as Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory). This video is designed to follow the videos and articles below:1. BBC Radio 4 (2015) "The trolly problem" youtu.be/bOpf6KcWYyw2. Scotty Hendricks (2016) "How much we trust someone depends on their response to this moral dilemma." http://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/how-much-we-trust-someone-depends-on-their-response-to-this-moral-dilemma3. Jonathan Haidt (2008) "The moral roots of liberals and conservatives." ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind#t-3832614. Steven Pinker (2008) "The moral instinct." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/magazine/13Psychology-t.html
Stasis (2 of 4) Questions of Cause and Consequence Eric Luttrell 2017-06-23 | This lecture discusses the stasis of causation, otherwise know as stasis of consequence. It distinguishes between correlation and causation, as well as sufficient, necessary, proximate, remote, precipitating, and reciprocal causes.
Stasis (1 of 4): From facts to definitions. Eric Luttrell 2017-06-20 | This video introduces five types of stasis (fact, definition, causation, evaluation, and policy) and focuses on addressing questions of definition and supporting definition claims.
Argument structure - syllogism and enthymeme Eric Luttrell 2017-06-13 | This lecture discusses the syllogism and the enthymeme as strategies for discovering and mapping out the premises that structure an argument.
The Stress Vaccine: a case study in source amnesia Eric Luttrell 2017-06-09 | This lecture discusses the problems with secondary & popular (non-peer-reviewed) sources as illustrated by a case study in news transmission. In 2010, an article in Wired Magazine introduced research into the effects of stress on health. An article in The Daily Mail summarized the 6800 word Wired Magazine article in just 400 words and substantially misrepresented its contents. The Internet conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, then used the Daily Mail article as evidence that a global conspiracy was genetically engineering brain-eating viruses to turn humans into zombies.
Priming and framing Eric Luttrell 2017-06-06 | This lecture discusses the use of framing and priming to alter the way we interpret isolated or ambiguous facts.
Peer-reviewed research Eric Luttrell 2017-06-06 | This lecture discusses inquiry-based research and the process of peer-review. The design of these methods of research and falsification make peer-reviewed articles the best available sources for facts on a given topic, even if they can't totally eliminate all possible errors. The end of the video contains instructions for using the TAMUCC library database and Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) to locate peer-reviewed research.For more help, see:Rutgers University guide to sources: https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/scholarly_articlesUC Berkeley's guide to evaluating sources https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=83917&p=3747680
Facts, inferences, and BS Eric Luttrell 2017-06-06 | This lecture introduces the division of a single issue into multiple levels of stasis and then focuses on questions of fact or conjecture. It distinguishes between facts, inferences, generalizations, platitudes, and bullshit.
Metacognition: motivated v. critical reasoning Eric Luttrell 2017-06-02 | This lecture distinguishes between motivated reasoning and critical reasoning and discusses the cognitive processes behind our beliefs about our own thinking processes. Key terms: motivated reasoning, critical reasoning, pattern recognition, false positive, false negative, associative coherence, anchoring, heuristics, need for closure, confirmation bias, falsification, illusion of explanatory depth, metacognition.
Essays: persuasion v. inquiry Eric Luttrell 2017-06-01 | This lecture distinguishes between arguments aimed at persuasion and arguments aimed at inquiry and describes the essay process as one of inquiry rather than persuasion.
