Making Your Mind Matter is a practical guide to effective thinking in college and in everyday life. Critical thinking guru Vincent Ryan Ruggiero explains how and why the mind has been neglected in American education, then teaches readers how to take charge of their own mental development. Ruggiero presents a simple but powerful model--the WISE model (Wonder, Investigate, Speculate, Evaluate). This model illustrates how to overcome obstacles to thinking, resist manipulation, test ideas, analyze arguments, form judgments, analyze ethical issues, and discuss ideas courteously and effectively....

A Guide to Sociological Thinking is designed to increase students' cognitive learning. It draws upon the insights of a number of educational initiatives - critical, creative and reflective thinking. Its objectives are to guide students to the mastery of cognitive habits and skills, to increase students' appreciation and enthusiasm for the field of sociology by presenting it not just as a collection of established facts but as a continuing search for new insights. The book will serve as an excellent supplement to introductory sociology courses.