Critical and Creative Thinking serves as a primer to expand how we think and employ the basic skills involved in the identification and evaluation of an argument. It provides a basic foundation for teaching and learning critical and creative thinking.
The text provides readers with the critical and creative thinking fundamentals needed to get at the essentials of the landscape of ideas and opinions on current social issues. The selected readings have been carefully chosen for their ability to bring a wide range of perspectives and importance to the critical and creative thinking approach in the text. The new edition includes updated content and visuals, as well as new and relevant readings. The three sections explore approaches to critical and creative thinking and getting started, readings for application, and additional learning activities and resources. Specific topics include gender, education, race and immigration, inequality, and family.
Critical and Creative Thinking is ideal for critical thinking classes. It can also be used as a primary text for courses in social problems, introductory social work, introductory sociology, as well as a supplemental text for lower division English courses, especially those dealing with critical and creative thinking.
Debra L. Welkley received her M.A. in sociology from Baylor University. She is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at California State University, Sacramento and has taught sociology courses for over 25 years in four-year colleges and universities, as well as community colleges. For close to two decades she has taught critical thinking courses. She has presented many professional papers and worked with various social services organizations as a direct service worker, administrator, and consultant. Professor Welkley coauthored Diversity in Family Constellations: Implications for Practice, contributed an essay to the book Palabra: The Book of Living Essays, wrote "White Ethnics," published in the text Multidimensional Contextual Practice, and coauthored several journal articles.
Santos Torres, Jr. holds a doctorate from Northern Illinois University in educational psychology, counseling, and special education, a master of social work, and a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology. He is a professor in the Division of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento, where he teaches both graduate and undergraduate level social work courses. He is the editor of Palabra: The Book of Living Essays, coauthor of Teaching School Social Work: Model Course Outlines and Resources, a contributor to Multidimensional Contextual Practice, as well as the author and coauthor of several journal articles and book chapters. He has over three decades of teaching experience and work as a practitioner, administrator, and curricular consultant. Dr. Torres has presented papers at professional conferences and has been an invited keynote speaker and consultant.
