Critical Thinking and Ethics

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  HCOM 200-03/08
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This affordable learning resource is being utilized in a Humanities and Communications course for undergraduate students by Dr. Ajit Abraham at California State University Monterey Bay. The affordable resource chosen for this course provides critical examination of philosophical ethics and other concepts central to how we evaluate our own and each others’ behavior and choices. This text examines some of the main threads of discussion on these topics that have developed over the last couple of millenia, mostly within the Western cultural tradition. The main motivation to adopt an affordable resource is to help save students money on costly textbooks. Students can access this OER resource via MERLOT.

Critical Thinking and Ethics -  HCOM 200-03/08 
Brief Description of course highlights:  This course equips students to interpret and critically assess the arguments, messages, and narratives that surround us. Students learn to comprehend and analyze a variety of public and cultural texts (e.g., political speeches, social movement campaigns, films and television shows, advertisements, architectural designs, fashion choices), evaluate arguments, supporting evidence, and reflect on the role of values, ideologies, and ethics in shaping our worlds. The course also offers an introduction to theories of communication ethics.  Students identify and interpret communication dilemmas in interpersonal, small group, intercultural, organizational or mass media contexts; they analyze ethical controversies in these contexts and evaluate the comm unicative options suggested by different ethical frameworks.  https://catalog.csumb.edu/content.php?filter%5B27%5D=HCOM&filter%5B29%5D=200&filter%5Bcourse_type%5D=-1&filter%5Bkeyword%5D=&filter%5B32%5D=1&filter%5Bcpage%5D=1&cur_cat_oid=12&expand=&navo id=631&search_database=Filter#acalog_template_course_filter

Student population: Undergraduate, common majors, prerequisite courses, typical incoming knowledge/preparation course.

Learning or student outcomes:   By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify, summarize, and evaluate arguments found in public, cultural, and mediated texts.
2. Analyze how values, ideologies, power, and ethics shape communication practices and meanings.
3. Apply critical thinking skills to assess evidence, reasoning, and persuasive strategies.
4. Explain major theories and frameworks of communication ethics.
5. Analyze ethical dilemmas in interpersonal, group, intercultural, organizational, and media contexts.
6. Compare and evaluate communicative options using multiple ethical frameworks.
7.  Produce clear, well-supported written and oral analyses of ethical and communicative issues. Alignment of Weekly Readings to Learning Outcomes

• Weeks 1–3 (Critical Thinking & Argument Analysis): LO 1, 3, 7
• Weeks 4–6 (Values, Ideology, Rhetoric, Media): LO 1, 2, 3, 7
• Weeks 7–9 (Ethical Theory): LO 4, 6
• Weeks 10–12 (Applied Communication Ethics): LO 2, 4, 5, 6
• Weeks 13–15 (Synthesis & Application): LO 1–7

Assigned Textbook:  Thirteen Theories of Human Nature, Seventh Edition, Leslie Stevenson, David L. Haberman, Peter Matthews Wright, and Charlotte Witt, 2018

Challenges and Solutions: As I have previously converted a course to no cost with the guidance of librarian Kelsey Nordstrom-Sanchez, I was able to better navigate the different OER platforms and evaluate which open-access materials would be most effective for my course. I felt more confident using MERLOT and was able to locate a suitable OER textbook to replace the current text book. My plan is to integrate excerpts from this open-access text alongside supplementary material that I will curate from reliable internet sources, including scholarly articles, educational websites, and multimedia content. This blended approach not only allows me to approximate the coverage of the original textbook, but also creates opportunities to introduce diverse perspectives and more current examples into the course materials.

OER Textbook: Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics
Brief Description:  The selected textbook, Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics, is an introductory-level resource designed for undergraduate or advanced high school courses in ethics. The text provides a comprehensive overview of major ethical theories while remaining accessible to students new to philosophy. The textbook is structured around three core areas of ethical inquiry: (1) foundational skills such as logic, argumentation, and the identification of fallacies; (2) major normative ethical theories—including egoism, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and social contract theory; and (3) applied ethics, where these frameworks are used to analyze contemporary moral issues such as euthanasia, punishment, environmental ethics, and animal rights. Pedagogically, the resource adopts a clear, modular, and student-centered approach.

Please provide a link to the resource  
https://press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-ethics/
https://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=772744010

Authors:  Frank Aragbonfoh Abumere; Douglas Giles; Ya-Yun (Sherry) Kao; Michael Klenk; Joseph Kranak; Kathryn MacKay; Jeffrey Morgan; Paul Rezkalla; George Matthews (Book Editor); and Christina Hendricks (Series Editor)
Edited by George Matthews and Christina Hendricks

Student access:  Students can access this free OER textbook via MERLOT.

Supplemental resources:  
https://plato.stanford.edu/
New York Times (free subscription) - https://csumb.libguides.com/newyorktimes
CSUMB Library Databases - https://csumb.edu/library/
Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  $82

License: Attribution 4.0 International

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option.  Adopting open educational resources (OER) not only helps save students a significant amount of money by eliminating the need to purchase costly commercial textbooks, but it also improves the quality and accessibility of learning materials. In addition, OER makes it possible to adapt to new technologies and learning formats beyond the traditional textbook and classroom resources.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course?  Met with CSUMB Librarian, Kelsey Nordstrom-Sanchez, who introduced me to OER. She guided me through the resources and I found Merlot. Afterwards, I did my own digging into Merlot and found a suitable OER textbook for my course. This guide was very helpful as well. https://csumb.libguides.com/affordablelearning

Sharing Best Practices:  My advice to other faculty interested in using OER would be to always keep your students at the center of the decision. The effort you put into identifying and adopting free and accessible course materials directly benefits them by reducing costs and ensuring equitable access from day one. Persevere in your search because even if it takes time to find the right fit your students’ learning experience is well worth it.  I also recommend making full use of our excellent library resources and the expertise of our librarians, who can help navigate OER platforms, suggest alternatives, and even support the integration of digital tools into your course.

Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved  and lessons learned.  I’ve learned that there are many OER resources available! It can be challenging and time consuming to locate OER for your course, but it is very worth it. Being able to tell my students in this class that their textbook cost is $0 is a wonderful feeling. The students appreciate every step faculty take to give them a more affordable and equitable education.

Instructor Name Dr. Ajit Abraham 
I am a lecturer faculty in HCOM/Social Sciences/Global Studies - GE to Upper Division/Capstone level courses, at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Please provide a link to your university page.
https://csumb.edu/directory/1253672642/

Please describe the courses/course numbers that you teach.  I teach SOC320, HCOM 170, HCOM 110, HCOM 202, HCOM 301, HCOM 312, GS 362, GS 206 as well as Capstone courses.

Research Interests - Philosophy, ethics, global studies

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.  My primary commitment as a teacher is to encourage students to make vital, applicable connections between their own cultural contexts and the world in which we live. This includes one’s identity and social location. I believe all learning, and therefore all teaching, is contextual and diverse. Students bring their own stories, identities, passions, behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. Consequently, my responsibility as a teacher is to facilitate dialogue, translate complex theories, and motivate students to critically think and understand global and ethical issues, and to prepare them for their respective vocational and professional goals. I also strive to make all learning experiences inclusive and accessible/affordable.