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CCC8011 Critical Thinking: Analysis and Argumentation

Course description

The primary aim of this course is to teach first-year students the basic but crucial skills of analyzing problems, evaluating inferences, and presenting arguments for or against claims or decisions. Students will acquire these skills by learning about the basic concepts and methods of critical thinking, and by working through problem solving exercises requiring them to employ these concepts and methods. Students will further develop these skills by producing extended arguments defending what they take to be the correct responses to accessible but challenging real issues and problems. The course also aspires to instill in students an open and inquiring attitude, so that students are more willing to look for reasons for and against their views, and more willing to change their views in the face of evidence. Hence, it is hoped that students will develop a habit of reasoning carefully upon completion of this course.

Tentative course schedule

Sources:

^ Joe Y. F. Lau (2011) An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Creativity: Think More, Think Better. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

^^ https://theconversation.com/can-a-woman-have-a-penis-how-to-understand-disagreements-about-gender-recognition-101991

^^^ Daniel Bonevac, ed. (2006) Today’s Moral Issues: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives. 5^th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

^^^^ Larry May and Jill B. Delston, eds. (2016) Applied Ethics: A Multicultural Approach. 6^th edition. New York: Routledge.

Learning outcomes

Students are expected to demonstrate the following:

L1) The ability to successfully employ a number of central concepts of critical thinking and argumentation;

L2) The ability to recognize and clearly present arguments in ordinary language, and to analyze the structure of these arguments;

L3) The ability to establish the deductive validity or invalidity of an argument, to recognize and criticize the flaws of a weak argument, and to develop objections;

L4) The ability to evaluate the reasons for and against positions in sophisticated debates, and to construct clear and persuasive arguments that defend the student’s view about such debates;

L5) The ability to construct arguments cogently in speech and in ordinary English, including in the form of an argumentative essay.

Measurement of learning outcomes

Students’ progress towards the learning outcomes will be measured by the performance of students in:

· class discussion and/or class presentations (L1-5)

· written work involving short answer questions and problems, such as tests, exams, assignments, and quizzes (L1-5)

· closed-book tests and exams (L1-5).

Teaching method

Lecture-style classes are followed by tutorial-style classes in which the focus is on exercises. The readings serve as preparation for in-class debates on three topical issues.

Assessment

10% Class participation

30% In-term assessment (in-class test)

10% Debate activity

20% Argumentative essay

30% Final examination

Important notes

(a) Students are expected to spend a total of 9 hours (i.e. 3 hours of class contact and 6 hours of personal study) per week to achieve the course learning outcomes.

(b) Students shall be aware of the University regulations about dishonest practice in course work, tests and examinations, and the possible consequences as stipulated in the Regulations Governing University Examinations. In particular, plagiarism, being a kind of dishonest practice, is “the presentation of another person’s work without proper acknowledgement of the source, including exact phrases, or summarised ideas, or even footnotes/citations, whether protected by copyright or not, as the student’s own work”. Students are required to strictly follow university regulations governing academic integrity and honesty.

(c) Students are required to submit writing assignment(s) using Turnitin.

(d) To enhance students’ understanding of plagiarism, a mini-course “Online Tutorial on Plagiarism Awareness” is available on https://pla.ln.edu.hk/.