Syllabus
The course includes the following topics:
- Introduction: What is critical thinking?
- Argumentation
- Argument maps
- Psychology of fallibility
- Psychology of reasoning
- Scientific method
- Scientific experiments
- The practice of science
- Bayes‘ theoremers the following topics: theorem
- Media literacy
- Data literacy
- Psychology of attitude change
Annotation
Critical thinking is one of the most important set of skills one can possess. The aim of the course is to equip students with materials and tools useful for assessing claims as well as reflection of own beliefs and construction of own arguments. The course will cover a wide range of topics from argumentation theory to the psychology of fallibility and reasoning, the scientific method and experiments, to media and data literacy.
Upon the completion of the course, the students should be able to analyse the structure of an argument, recognize its conclusion and premises, empirical and normative nature of propositions, strength of support for the conclusion, formal problems, logical fallacies, understand the psychological reasons for own and others’ fallibility, apply basics of scientific thinking, assess whether and how an empirical claim may be tested and the quality of scientific studies , be able to better evaluate uncertainty and reliability of information and have a better chance at recognizing misleadingly presented data, evaluate whether and how to attempt to refute someone’s incorrect belief. Furthermore, students will be able to write a thesis arguing for or against a particular thesis.
No previous specific courses are required to enroll in Critical Thinking.