Guidelines for developing assignments that encourage critical thinking. Document outlines several components along with example prompts/assignment descriptions that can help guide faculty in developing their own assignment.

In this writing assignment, students critically analyze an editorial related to environmental ethics—such as waste, agriculture, or fossil fuels—by exploring conflicting values and worldviews. They engage with multiple credible sources, including course texts and peer-reviewed research, to construct a counterargument and propose a resolution grounded in shared values.

This assignment asks students to critically reflect on the ethics of their role in an in-class simulation. We simulate the 1999 crisis in Kosovo, especially the months leading up to the NATO decision to begin airstrikes over Kosovo aimed at preventing the wider spread of ethnic cleansing by Serbian forces of the Kosovar Albanian population.

Students develop a financial model that calculates the Net Present Cost (NPC) of buying and operating an incandescent (the regular kind), compact fluorescent (CFL, the "swirly" kind), and an LED bulb and develop a summary of their model, including results and some discussion.

Students write a one-act play in which they engage in a dialogue about the economic and social implications of minimum wage laws. The play must explore multiple perspectives, including arguments for and against removing the minimum wage, and reflect how the student’s thinking has evolved over the course. The format encourages critical thinking, creativity, and application of economic concepts in a real-world scenario.

Students write three response papers throughout the course, each analyzing one of two assigned psychological research articles. Each paper includes a summary of the theory or hypothesis, evaluation of the methodology, discussion of results or conclusions, critique of the study, and personal reflection on its relevance. The goal is to build students’ ability to read, interpret, and critically assess original psychological research.

Students select a New York Times editorial and write an essay that summarizes the author’s argument, analyzes its connection to a relevant chapter from Controversies in Science and Technology, and constructs a counterargument using at least two credible sources. The essay must explore differing stakeholder perspectives, values, and worldviews, and evaluate the credibility of sources used.

Students write an essay analyzing the social forces behind global migration, using course material to unpack a quotation from The Myth of Individualism. The assignment emphasizes how economic globalization, corporate power, and structural inequalities shape migration patterns and challenge simplistic narratives about immigration. Students must demonstrate their understanding of systemic factors that influence individual decisions.

Students engage in a structured in-class debate centered on Milton Friedman's essay, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits" (The New York Times Magazine, 13 September 1970). They critically analyze the text, identifying the author’s thesis, argument structure, and rhetorical strategies. Students are divided into debate teams and judges, with each group preparing arguments, rebuttals, and evaluations based on a grading rubric.

In this final exam assignment, students analyze a current news article on stem cell policy and assess its impact on two sectors—economy, healthcare, research and development, or education. They then construct a causal loop diagram to illustrate the systemic relationships involved, identifying variables, feedback types, and explaining the dynamics of the loop. The task integrates policy analysis with systems thinking and visual modeling.