INVESTIGATION & CRITICAL EVALUATION

The primary right and responsibility of a democratic citizen is critical evaluation of one's world. In general, that means careful and exact judgment as to the truth or merit of a situation. This judgment is developed through the practice of higher order thinking skills including analysis of data, relationships, conflicts, and perspectives among individuals, institutions and systems in order to discover and judge how human societies work. How knowledge was constructed and from whose point of view is a primary question to ask of all situations. Such evaluation includes contemporary societies and those from various times and places around the world in order to acquire a deep understanding of the human story.

6.1 Causes and Effects in Human Society
Students examine complex webs of causes and effects in relation to events in order to generalize about the workings of human societies, and they apply their findings to problems.

6.2 Uses of Evidence and Data
Students understand the varied uses of evidence and data and use both to make interpretations concerning public issues.

6.3 Analyzing Knowledge
Students analyze knowledge as a collection of selected facts and interpretations based on a particular historical or social setting.

Sample Questions:

How was knowledge about this topic constructed?

From whose point of view?

What other perspectives are there? (Consider gender, ethnicity, & social class)

What data & evidence do you need to collect & analyze?

What judgments can you make about the issue? About the workings of the community/society?

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