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ATS2946: Critical thinking: How to analyse arguments and improve your reasoning skills

Faculty of Arts

Critical thinking: How to analyse arguments and improve your reasoning skills

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Overview

Critical thinking skills are useful in a wide variety of professions, including law, business, computer science, medicine, as well as in everyday life. What is the best way to construct, articulate and represent an argument? How can we overcome bias and prejudice in our decision-making, to think clearly and innovatively? ? Should we believe what our doctors, mechanics, or financial advisors tell us, just because they are experts in their fields? By addressing questions like these, we will examine several methods of effective reasoning. We will also examine the ways in which reasoning can go wrong. If you successfully complete the unit you will be able to evaluate evidence, critique arguments, and use these abilities in a wide variety of workplace and everyday situations. This unit will help you to develop the analytical skills needed to generate new ideas and innovative solutions in your professional and personal life.

Assessment

1 - Quiz/Quizzes - 10% 2 - Exercise/s - 10% 3 - Exercise/s - 10% 4 - Exercise/s - 15% 5 - Exercise/s - 10% 6 - Exercise/s - 20% 7 - Take home final assessment - 25% Hurdle type:Threshold Hurdle description: This is a hurdle requirement. If you would otherwise have passed the unit but you do not achieve at least 45% for the final assessment you will receive a Hurdle fail grade (NH) and a maximum mark of 45 for the unit

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.