Critical Thinking: The Art of the Argument develops critical and creative thinking skills that students need to succeed in an Australian university; these skills are transferable to all areas of study. Through fostering an awareness of the human tendency towards quick judgment and assumptions, this course aims to instill in students an appreciation for critical and open-minded thinking. Students will identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and then apply these skills in creating their own written and spoken arguments. Students will be encouraged to let curiosity drive them to seek creative solutions and explanations and tolerate nuance and ambiguity in the answers they discover. Above all, students will be encouraged to continually ask themselves if there are alternative ways of understanding or approaching the situations they encounter.
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. describe and apply critical and creative thinking approaches and strategies to a range of areas of inquiry and study;
2. identify arguments and the reasons and conclusions that form them;
3. analyze, summarize, and evaluate arguments, recognizing common errors in reasoning;
4. appraise and identify examples of quick judgment and other tendencies that lead to flaws in reasoning, and demonstrate techniques for challenging these tendencies;
5. confidently use techniques of persuasive speaking and rhetoric to present arguments; and
6. articulate the purpose of and participate in argument creation through response to other arguments and theses.
Other Information
Course Contact: Dr Rebecca CrossT: 02 61250982
E: rebecca.cross@anucollege.edu.au
Indicative Assessment
Evaluation of an Argument: Week 5, 40%Arguments and Peer Assessment: 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:
- 1
- 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.