Falsehood and Fallacy: How to Think, Read, and Write in the Twenty-First Century

by Bethany Kilcrease

Overview

Falsehood and Fallacy shows students how to evaluate what they read in a digital age now that old institutional gatekeepers, such as the media or institutions of higher education, no longer hold a monopoly on disseminating knowledge. Short chapters cover the problems that exist as a result of the current flow of unmediated information, Fake News, and bad arguments, and demonstrate how to critically evaluate sources – particularly those that appear online.

Kilcrease provides a range of tools to help students evaluate the legitimacy of what they read. She discusses how to be on the lookout for bad arguments and logical fallacies and explains how students can produce clear and convincing academic writing. Exercises are included throughout the book to test student knowledge. Written in a positive style and full of useful tools and exercises, Falsehood and Fallacy embraces the idea that everyone is a writer and has aptitude for further growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487588618
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	03/29/2021
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Bethany Kilcrease is a professor of History at Aquinas College.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Part One: Falsehoods

2. You're in College, But You Don't Know Everything
3. Evaluating Statements and Identifying Sources
4. Evaluating Sources with the CRAAP Test
5. Reading Your Sources

Part Two: Fallacies

6. Evaluating the Content of Sources: Fallacies of Causation
7. Fallacies of Narration, Generalization, and Evidence
8. Fallacies of Diversion

Part Three: Bringing it Together

9. Writing about Anything

What People are Saying About This

"In today''s world, lack of care in reading and thinking seems inversely proportional to the inflation and even violence of rhetoric in engaging others. There seem tragically few models of careful reflection, clear prose, and cogent argument upon which to draw. That is why this book is such a gem. Kilcrease offers a master class, by precept and example, in how to read, how to think, and how to write. I have long thought that clarity in one connects to clarity in the others. Now Professor Kilcrease has demonstrated why that is the case and how the reader can excel in all three. This book should be on student reading lists across the disciplines."

Carl R. Trueman

"In today''s world, lack of care in reading and thinking seems inversely proportional to the inflation and even violence of rhetoric in engaging others. There seem tragically few models of careful reflection, clear prose, and cogent argument upon which to draw. That is why this book is such a gem. Kilcrease offers a master class, by precept and example, in how to read, how to think, and how to write. I have long thought that clarity in one connects to clarity in the others. Now Professor Kilcrease has demonstrated why that is the case and how the reader can excel in all three. This book should be on student reading lists across the disciplines."

Sarah K. Nytroe

"As students live and learn in an age in which the production and dissemination of information and knowledge is constant and nearly instantaneous, Falsehood and Fallacy offers an essential 'toolkit' to evaluate, read, and write about sources. Kilcrease demystifies source evaluation through an approachable writing style and relevant examples that speak to the realities that students are living through and wrestling with. Exercises at the end of each chapter position students to actively apply these 'tools' and to build confidence in their critical evaluation skills and use of sources, inside and outside of the classroom."

Lindsey Passenger Wieck

"In our digital world, we are all bombarded with a constant stream of information. This book helps students parse all this information and assess authorship, objectivity, and purpose. Kilcrease's conversational tone invites students in while sharing tools they can use in their research and writing."

Editorial Reviews

"As students live and learn in an age in which the production and dissemination of information and knowledge is constant and nearly instantaneous, Falsehood and Fallacy offers an essential 'toolkit' to evaluate, read, and write about sources. Kilcrease demystifies source evaluation through an approachable writing style and relevant examples that speak to the realities that students are living through and wrestling with. Exercises at the end of each chapter position students to actively apply these 'tools' and to build confidence in their critical evaluation skills and use of sources, inside and outside of the classroom."—Sarah K. Nytroe, DeSales University
"In today''s world, lack of care in reading and thinking seems inversely proportional to the inflation and even violence of rhetoric in engaging others. There seem tragically few models of careful reflection, clear prose, and cogent argument upon which to draw. That is why this book is such a gem. Kilcrease offers a master class, by precept and example, in how to read, how to think, and how to write. I have long thought that clarity in one connects to clarity in the others. Now Professor Kilcrease has demonstrated why that is the case and how the reader can excel in all three. This book should be on student reading lists across the disciplines."—Carl R. Trueman, Grove City College
"In our digital world, we are all bombarded with a constant stream of information. This book helps students parse all this information and assess authorship, objectivity, and purpose. Kilcrease's conversational tone invites students in while sharing tools they can use in their research and writing."—Lindsey Passenger Wieck, St. Mary's University

From the Publisher