课程简介
本课程以全英文形式开设，旨在介绍批判性思维的概念、特点、原则、方法和途径，从而一方面为各类课程学习打下基础，使学生能对纷繁复杂的社会现象进行系统性的、逻辑化的分析，形成全面意见、做出理性判断、做出明智决定，形成正确的结论。另一方面，对于英语水平的提升，不论是对于接收为主的听力与阅读，还是以产出为主的写作与口语，批判性思维都有广泛运用。批判性思维课程帮助学生对其听读材料进行合理思辨，并使笔口表达更具有效性，对其英语语言水平提升意义较大。因此不论从知识技能方面，还是从延伸应用方面，教学效果都较为显著。</
课程大纲
1. Orientation
1.1 What Is Critical Thinking?
1.2 Why Study Critical Thinking?
Critical Thinking: Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
2. Basics of Critical Thinking
2.1 Claims
2.2 Issues
2.3 Arguments
2.4 Identifying Premise and Conclusion
2.5 What Arguments Are Not
3. Two Kinds of Reasoning
3.1 Two Kinds of Arguments
3.2 Distinguishing Deductive and Inductive Arguments
3.3 Validity and Soundness of Deductive Arguments
3.4 Strength of Inductive Arguments
3.5 Techniques for Understanding Arguments
4. Clarity
4.1 Clarity, Precision, Accuracy, and Relevance
4.2 Consistency, Logical Correctness, Completeness, and Fairness
4.3 Vagueness
4.4 Ambiguity
4.5 Generality
4.6 Defining Terms
5. Clear Writing
5.1 Tasks before Writing
5.2 Writing Argumentative Essays
5.3 Essay Types to Avoid
6. Credibility
6.1 A Few Words on Credibility
6.2 Credibility of the Claim
6.3 Credibility of the source
7. Persuasion through Rhetoric
7.1 What Is Rhetoric Device and Why Use Rhetoric?
7.2 Euphemisms and Dysphemisms
7.3 Weaslers, Downplayers, Hyperbole
7.4 Stereotypes
7.5 Innuendo, Loaded Questions, Ridicule and Sarcasm
7.6 Rhetorical Definitions and Rhetorical Explanations; Rhetorical Analogies
7.7 Misleading Comparisons
7.8 Proof Surrogates; Repetition
8. Psychological and Related Fallacies
8.1 Argument from outrage, Argument from Pity, Argument from Envy
8.2 Scare Tactics, Apple Polishing
8.3 Guilt Trip, Wishful Thinking, Rationalizing
8.4 Groupthink Fallacy, Nationalism, Peer Pressure
8.5 Appeal to Popularity, Appeal to Common Practice, Appeal to Tradition
8.6 Red Herring, Two Wrongs Make a Right
9. More Fallacies
9.1 The Ad Hominem Fallacy
9.2 The Genetic Fallacy, Straw Man
9.3 False Dilemma, Argument from Analogy
9.4 The Perfectionist Fallacy, The Line-Drawing Fallacy, Slippery Slope
9.5 Misplacing the Burden of Proof, Begging the Question
10. Causal explanation
10.1 Two Kinds of Explanations
10.2 Explanatory Adequacy
10.3 Forming Hypotheses
10.4 Mistakes in Causal Reasoning
Final Exam
1.1 What Is Critical Thinking?
1.2 Why Study Critical Thinking?
Critical Thinking: Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
2. Basics of Critical Thinking
2.1 Claims
2.2 Issues
2.3 Arguments
2.4 Identifying Premise and Conclusion
2.5 What Arguments Are Not
3. Two Kinds of Reasoning
3.1 Two Kinds of Arguments
3.2 Distinguishing Deductive and Inductive Arguments
3.3 Validity and Soundness of Deductive Arguments
3.4 Strength of Inductive Arguments
3.5 Techniques for Understanding Arguments
4. Clarity
4.1 Clarity, Precision, Accuracy, and Relevance
4.2 Consistency, Logical Correctness, Completeness, and Fairness
4.3 Vagueness
4.4 Ambiguity
4.5 Generality
4.6 Defining Terms
5. Clear Writing
5.1 Tasks before Writing
5.2 Writing Argumentative Essays
5.3 Essay Types to Avoid
6. Credibility
6.1 A Few Words on Credibility
6.2 Credibility of the Claim
6.3 Credibility of the source
7. Persuasion through Rhetoric
7.1 What Is Rhetoric Device and Why Use Rhetoric?
7.2 Euphemisms and Dysphemisms
7.3 Weaslers, Downplayers, Hyperbole
7.4 Stereotypes
7.5 Innuendo, Loaded Questions, Ridicule and Sarcasm
7.6 Rhetorical Definitions and Rhetorical Explanations; Rhetorical Analogies
7.7 Misleading Comparisons
7.8 Proof Surrogates; Repetition
8. Psychological and Related Fallacies
8.1 Argument from outrage, Argument from Pity, Argument from Envy
8.2 Scare Tactics, Apple Polishing
8.3 Guilt Trip, Wishful Thinking, Rationalizing
8.4 Groupthink Fallacy, Nationalism, Peer Pressure
8.5 Appeal to Popularity, Appeal to Common Practice, Appeal to Tradition
8.6 Red Herring, Two Wrongs Make a Right
9. More Fallacies
9.1 The Ad Hominem Fallacy
9.2 The Genetic Fallacy, Straw Man
9.3 False Dilemma, Argument from Analogy
9.4 The Perfectionist Fallacy, The Line-Drawing Fallacy, Slippery Slope
9.5 Misplacing the Burden of Proof, Begging the Question
10. Causal explanation
10.1 Two Kinds of Explanations
10.2 Explanatory Adequacy
10.3 Forming Hypotheses
10.4 Mistakes in Causal Reasoning
Final Exam
