Critical Thinking G (12032.1)

Critical analytical skills are essential for problem solving and are valued as graduate attributes. Critical thinking is a very different mental activity than regurgitating what has been learned. One key aim of Western education is to produce learning students who are habitual questioners and arrive at their own opinions through higher-order thinking. In this unit, students are challenged to develop the skills involved in analysing, creating and evaluating argument. This unit introduces students to different methods of critical thinking through the history of Western thought and philosophy that underline many traditions of modern Western scholarship. Postgraduate students will be prepared for future study by developing skills in reasoning and argument.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Critique and communicate complex philosophical propositions;
2. Deconstruct and evaluate different viewpoints and reasoning;
3. Construct a sound argument using appropriate evidence and clear and effective language; and
4. Determine the role of argument in a range of philosophical traditions.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways

Skills development

This unit introduces students to different methods of critical thinking that promote clear thinking, improve analytic capabilities and foster problem-solving skills. A wide variety of material is studied to develop the ability to ask the right questions, think and argue logically, and present persuasive arguments with the expectation that students become critical thinkers throughout their university studies and later in life as professionals. Postgraduate students will be prepared for future study by developing skills in reasoning and argument.

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

10352 Introduction to Critical Thinking G (UCC)

Assumed knowledge

None.