See you guys Saturday. Same Zoom link as last time.

Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn

Week three is a synchronous class week, with class taking place on Saturday (06/13/26). In reading Edin and Shaefer (2016), students will have the opportunity to learn about the challenges faced by those who live on $2 per day, and there will be a forum for them to relate to rural and migrant communities. In Linquiti (2022), he focuses on understanding cognitive dissonance and its effect on biases. There are forums for students to consider their way of thinking and reflect on the textbook content. During class we will continue to consider thinking styles and biases. Students will also be introduced to system thinking. The agenda for the synchronous class includes:

• Engage in activities that illustrate metacognitive processes and thinking styles.
• Explore cognitive reflection and the difference between intuitive and analytical reasoning.
• Reflect on the impact of cognitive dissonance and bias in policy analysis.
• Apply systems thinking concepts to examine the limitations of conventional problem-solving.

The learning objectives this week include:

• Differentiate between System 1 and System 2 thinking and identify how each influences policy analysis and decision-making.
• Identify common forms of cognitive dissonance and describe how dissonance can cause bias.
• Recognize common cognitive traps and reflect on their potential impact.
• Apply principles of systems thinking to reframe conventional problem-solving approaches and anticipate unintended consequences in policy interventions.
• Share relevant experiences and challenges faced by people in our community.
• Define metacognition and explain its relationship to policy analysis

Unit Assignments

Read

• Edin and Shafer (2016) Chapter 2: Perilous Work
• Linquiti (2022) Chapter 4: Using Metacognition to Check Your Own Biases and the Biases of Others

W-03 A-01 Asynchronous Participation and Engagement

The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and offer meaningful perspectives that contribute to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are three forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 3 replies across any of the forums and read all of your peers’ replies. These forums include the following:

• The forum, Perils for Rural and Migrant Population, asks students to relate the perils of extreme poverty discussed in the textbook to rural and migrant populations.
• System 1 Versus System 2 Thinking provides a space for students to engage in metacognition about fast and slow thinking.
• The textbook author provides questions that help the student consider their thinking related to the content of the textbook; these questions are open for students to engage with in Chapter Four Discussion Questions.

Unit Resources

You can find the handout Reflecting on Your Metacognition and Biases that will be used during class.

You can listen to a podcast episode for this week’s reading Using Metacognition to Check Your Own Biases and the Biases of Others, or see the entire series Podcast Series.

I am still working on the final presentation and will upload my slides as we get closer to class.

The Lecture Videos tab in the MyHeritage course is where you will be able to find class recordings.

To-Do List

• Attend class
• Read chapters 4 of the textbook and Perilous Work in the $2 per day book
• Complete at least three replies across any of the three forums