
Course Description
This course is an introductory level course that presents a variety of topics essential to a student's development in critical thinking. Students are introduced to concepts essential to the comprehension, analysis, and creation of arguments: induction, deduction, informal fallacies, Aristotelian and symbolic logic, modes of persuasion, perspective and bias, language and meaning, culminating in the development of reasonable strategies for belief formation.
Course Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze the processes of logical reasoning to interpret arguments
- Evaluate the quality of reasoning behind arguments, interpretations, and/or beliefs
- Create well-reasoned arguments
- Evaluate modes of inquiry used to gather and generate information
- Interpret evidence/findings, especially alternative positions different from one's own
- Formulate significant questions for exploration
- Recognize one's own biases by viewing an issue through multiple perspectives
- Assess the reasonableness of arguments, positions, and beliefs
- Employ focus, organization, discipline, and empathy in approaching complex problems
- Evaluate one's own position or conclusions through reflective thinking
Course Materials
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