Critical Thinking and Research Methodology

Humans are capable of thinking. How we live our lives and the quality of our lives depend to a great extent on how we think. Much of our thinking, however, lacks accuracy, impartiality and clarity. In this introductory course, students will learn to develop their thinking skills by analyzing the structures and forms of arguments. They will develop abilities to think about the intellectual problems they face, by working with various concepts and critical thinking tools. Some of the topics covered in this course include an overview of the elements of rational thought, how to use the information received from the external world and how to correctly identify fallacies and inaccurate inferences and assumptions. This course is lecture-based, with in-class student participation expected.  Assessment is conducted by means of practical tests and a final written exam.