What are the core topics in a critical thinking course?
A comprehensive critical thinking course teaches both the skills of reasoning and the application of those skills to real-world problems and decisions. The material is practical, not abstract, and case studies play a central role in helping students practise and internalize the concepts.
Introduction to critical thinking
Students learn what critical thinking is, why it matters, and how it differs from routine or intuitive thinking. The course introduces the two elements of critical thinking - how to think about an issue, and how to think critically by developing skills such as logical reasoning, moral reasoning, credibility assessment, and awareness of rhetoric, fallacies, and cognitive biases.
How to think about an issue
This module presents a structured critical thinking framework for problem solving and decision making. Students learn to define problems, generate and evaluate options, set decision criteria, weigh evidence, surface assumptions, anticipate implications, consider stakeholder views, and plan implementation while identifying risks.
Logical reasoning and its forms
The course covers the foundations of logical reasoning and the main reasoning modes used in practice:
- Inductive reasoning - reasoning from general to specific, specif to general , reasoning by analogy
- Causal reasoning - identifying cause-and-effect relationships, distinguishing correlation from causation, and common errors in causal analysis
- Deductive reasoning - evaluating validity and soundness, categorical logic, and hypothetical syllogisms
- Moral reasoning - applying ethical frameworks to decisions and understanding competing moral perspectives
Credibility of claims and sources
Students learn how to evaluate the reliability of evidence, assess research methods and data quality, spot appeals to authority, and determine whether a claim should be treated as reliable premises for an argument.
Obstacles to critical thinking
The course examines practical barriers that derail reasoning:
- Linguistic barriers - vague or relative language, equivocation, and imprecise terms
- Rhetoric and rhetorical devices - how emotional appeals and persuasive techniques can substitute for logic
- Fallacies - common formal and informal errors in reasoning that appear persuasive but are invalid
- Cognitive biases - predictable judgment errors such as confirmation bias, anchoring, availability bias, and others, and how to design processes to mitigate them
Logically persuasive communication
This module teaches how to present conclusions clearly and persuasively. Students learn Aristotle's rhetorical triangle - ethos, pathos, logos - and structured forms like the Minto Pyramid Principle so arguments are concise, evidence-based, and audience-appropriate.
Case studies and applied practice
Case studies are central to the course. They serve two purposes - practising the decision-making framework on realistic problems, and illustrating concepts such as fallacies, rhetoric, bias, and causal reasoning. Cases can be drawn from business, policy, law, science, or everyday scenarios so students can see how the same tools apply across domains.
Assessment and reinforcement
Assessment may include written analyses (pyramid memos), group presentations of case study analysis, and mock critical thinking tests. Follow-up exercises and peer critique sessions help ensure concepts are applied, not just learned theoretically.
Note - this syllabus is intentionally practical. It combines reasoning theory with hands-on work so students leave with transferable skills for research, decision-making, interviews, group discussion, and workplace problem solving.