Weekly Schedule

Weekly schedule for the semester
BEL 313 – Introduction to Critical Thinking

Learning Outcomes: Week 1 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Recognize/identify the basic principles of critical thinking Identify the basic features of an argument Task/Activities

Learning Outcomes: Week 2 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Identify supporting reasons and conclusions in written texts Differentiate between contentions and objections in simple arguments Task/Activities Assignment I (Pair work) Note: This assignment constitutes 20% of the course assessment. Submission: Week 6

Learning Outcomes: Week 3 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Identify linguistic elements that contribute to lexical and syntactic ambiguity Identify linguistic features used in persuasive texts Construct effective persuasive texts Task/Activities

Learning Outcomes: Week 4 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Analyse texts to identify arguments Identify premises that support the conclusion in arguments Task/Activities

Learning Outcomes: Week 5 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Distinguish between facts and opinions in arguments Identify elements of a fallacious argument Task/Activities Assignment II (Individual work) Note: This assignment constitutes 20% of the course assessment. Submission: Week 10

Learning Outcomes: Week 6-7 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning Evaluate arguments by commenting on the strengths and weakness of the supporting premises Assess advertisements based on the usage of rhetorical ploys Task/Activities Assignment of task for forum in Week 7

Learning Outcomes: Week 8-9 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Apply the various concepts of arguments learnt so far to critically evaluate texts Review Assignment 1 with students providing adequate feedback (1 on 1 session with students) Task/Activities

Learning Outcomes: Week 10 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Challenge an argument by identifying weaknesses and providing sound arguments to the contrary Task/Activities

Learning Outcomes: Week 11 At the end of this week, students will be able to: Participate in a discussion by defending one’s stand on the issue being discussed Task/Activities Group Presentation (15-20 minutes) Note: This presentation is a practice session for the oral presentation in Week 11-12.

Learning Outcomes: Week 12-13 At the end of these weeks, students will be able to: Advocate a particular stand on an issue and formulate arguments to support their stand Review Assignment 2 with students providing adequate feedback Task/Activities Group Presentation (15-20 minutes)

Learning Outcomes: Week 14 At the end of this week, students will be able to: List the various concepts learnt in this course Evaluate texts critically and justify reasons for the stand taken Task/Activities Test

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