ATS2946 - Critical thinking: How to

analyse arguments and improve your

reasoning skills
Synopsis

This unit is intended to improve students' critical thinking skills. In particular, we

focus on the skills involved in argument analysis and argument construction. We will
address the essential features of good arguments and how they can be articulated
and represented. We will also examine the many ways in which reasoning can go
wrong and how to avoid them. While we will focus on some of the theory of
successful thinking, our main focus will be the practical techniques necessary for you
to reason more effectively. Students completing the unit successfully will be better at
evaluating evidence, critiquing arguments, critical and argumentative writing, and will
be able to use these abilities in a wide variety of future studies.

Outcomes

Students successfully completing this unit should:

1. have a theoretical understanding of what an argument is;

2. have developed the skills to extract the arguments from a variety of texts;
3. be able to identify and represent the structure of an argument;
4. understand the criteria of argument success and have the skills to apply those
criteria to evaluate common types of argument;
5. have improved their writing skills and developed the ability to construct an
argument of their own.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 75% + Exam: 25%

Assignment 1:

Details of task: This is an argument analysis and evaluation task. The assignment
requires you to (1) represent some simple arguments in standard form and (2) write a
brief evaluation of some simple arguments.

Learning objectives assessed

• Representing simple arguments in standard form
• Understanding and applying the criteria for argument evaluation

Assignment 2:

Details of task: This assignment requires you to represent the logical form of some
simple arguments and determine whether they are deductively valid.

Learning objectives assessed

• Deductive validity and logical form

Assignment 3:

Details of task: This assignment requires you to (1) represent a complex, structured
argument using an argument map diagram and (2) write a short evaluation of a
structured argument.

Learning objectives assessed

• Analysis of complex arguments
• Evaluation of a complex structured argument

Assignment 4:

Details of task: This assignment will require you to write an evaluation of a number of
different arguments.

Learning objectives assessed

• Interpretation and evaluation of some common types of argument

Assignment 5:

Details of task: This assignment will require you to (1) analyse and represent in
standard from an extended argument (2) write an evaluation of the argument.

Learning objectives assessed

• Analysis and evaluation of a complex, extended argument
Workload requirements

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. A unit requires on average three/four hours of
scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of
teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. 1. identify and explain the theory of argument;

2. 2. extract arguments from a variety of texts;
3. 3. identify and represent the structure of an argument;
4. 4. recognise and apply the criteria of argument success
5. 5. evaluate common types of argument;
6. 6. construct an argument of their own.