Keith Vescial, B.A., M.S.

I became a full-time instructor for Cypress College in 2006. I came to the college and to the English/Reading Department in a bit of a roundabout way. My first serious job after university was as a civilian industrial hygienist and environmental health and safety trainer for the US Army in Europe. For a large portion of my twenties, I lived overseas-first in Spain, then Germany, then Italy, and then Germany again. I returned to the United States in 1999 and decided to become a teacher. I began teaching at the community college and fell in love with it. From 1999 to 2005, I taught part-time at Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. Also, from 2001 to 2006, I had the pleasure of teaching full-time for Paramount Unified School District at Paramount High School Academy. At Cypress, I teach English 57, English 58, and English 106.

English 106C Critical Thinking

English 106 explores critical thinking from a reader’s perspective. We will focus primarily on a variety of contemporary arguments, developing skills to evaluate reasoning, rhetorical strategies, and evidence in a very practical way. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify fallacious reasoning, analyze and evaluate elements of an argument, and write a critical essay. This course meets the CSU Critical Thinking requirement and two Cypress College A.A. Degree Requirements: Analytical Thinking and Reading Proficiency.