Critical Thinking: Critical Thinking in Society develops critical and creative thinking skills that students need to succeed in an Australian university; these skills are transferable to all areas of study. Students examine how flaws in argument and reasoning can and have led to errors in judgment in a range of situations in political, business and other ‘real world’ environments. They also examine the importance of viewing online and other sources of public information critically, and the role of ethics in decision making.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:1. apply critical and creative thinking to a range of areas of inquiry and study, including politics, economics and psychology;
2. identify and reflect on biases, assumptions and other flaws in reasoning that lead to errors and judgment in ‘real world’ scenarios;
3. implement informed decision making strategies;
4. evaluate the quality of information found in the public domain, especially through the Internet and social media;
5. take, defend and debate ethical stances on societal issues.
Other Information
Course Contact: Dr Rebecca CrossT: 02 61250982
E: rebecca.cross@anucollege.edu.au
Indicative Assessment
Evaluation of an Internet Site: Week 3, 40%Debate on Ethical Issues: Week 8, 30%
In Class Test: Week 9, 30%
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
80 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 40 hours of contact: 40 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities.
b) 40 hours of supported and independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Fisher, A. (2011). Critical Thinking: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP.
Kahneman, D. (2012). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Melbourne, Australia: Penguin.
Longshaw, R. et al (2016). 21st Century Reading: Creative Thinking and Reading with TED Talks. Boston, US: Cengage Learning.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3510 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4998 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.