批判與創意思考

Course Description Have you ever met someone you thought was really smart? What qualities did they have that made them special? Perhaps they could express themselves clearly, or recognize bias in themselves and others. Perhaps they were hard to deceive, or they could always see the deeper issues, analyze evidence and arguments, and easily figure things out for themselves. All of these abilities are abilities to think critically and creatively. Studies show that critical and creative thinking is what employers expect from people with a university education, and for good reason: it is useful in every domain and discipline. Critical thinkers are also better citizens as they can understand and argue for evidence-based political positions. Critical thinking is more useful now than ever, given the increased availability of information online. All that information can be dangerous, if you don’t know how to process it, that is, if you don’t know what conclusions you can, should, and should not draw from it. Critical and creative thinkers also tend to be happier people, because they have less uncertainty about what to believe, and what to do. They can solve problems more efficiently, and avoid future problems, as well as communicate better with family, friends, employers, and teachers. Course Aims This course will be useful to you, not just because it will teach you how to think critically, but because it will help you to practice the skills involved in critical thinking, making them part of who you are. First, we introduce you to deductive, inductive, and analogical arguments. Then we discuss how to identify and avoid many of the most common cognitive biases that cloud human reasoning. In addition to learning how to analyze arguments and avoid cognitive biases, you will learn how to be more imaginative and creative. Finally, you will apply your new skills to some of today’s most complex issues, including science denialism, artificial intelligence, gender, and ethics.

Methods of Instruction Lecture videos: Each week, students will watch one or two 10-15 minute videos. Students must watch these videos before attending the weekly discussion session. Weekly exercises: Each week, after watching the lecture videos, students will complete one or two Google Forms that contain exercises regarding that week’s material. Students must submit these forms before attending the weekly discussion session. Weekly discussion sessions: Each week, students will meet with their TA on Google Meet during the designated class time to discuss that week’s material. Course Policies This course will be conducted in English. Instructor: 嚴偉哲 TA: 陳奕禧 Google Meet link: meet.google.com/ptq-fhiz-ebk TA: 邱少齊 Google Meet link: meet.google.com/rmc-fsxd-hrj Your TA and instructor are determined by the time that your discussion session meets---please see the beginning of this document. Regarding discussion sessions, students must attend at the same time and with the same TA each week. In other words, students are not permitted to choose to attend at, say, Monday 10:10 one week and then, say, Wednesday 15:30 the following week. Students are required to join Google Classroom for this course. During the first week, your TA will give you the course code and explain how to join. Instructors and TAs will communicate course announcements mainly through Google Classroom. Instructors and TAs will be available to answer students’ questions via email and Google Classroom. They will also be available to meet with students by appointment (online meetings). Students who have questions about course material should either ask their TA or the instructor who is responsible for that material (see the ‘Lecturer’ column in the course schedule below). For example, if students have a question about inductive arguments, they should either ask their TA or 嚴偉哲 / Jonathon Hricko. Students who have questions about other aspects of the course besides the material (e.g., attendance, grading) should either ask their TA or their instructor.

Attendance and participation in weekly discussion sessions: 14% (graded pass-fail) In order to receive full credit, students must attend and participate in weekly discussion sessions. Absences will be excused only if students request leave through the university’s system. Completion of weekly exercises on Google Forms: 21% (graded pass-fail) In order to receive full credit, students must submit their Google Forms before the weekly discussion session each week. Students may work on their forms individually or in groups, but each student must submit their own form in order to receive credit. Midterm exam: 30% & Final exam: 35% Exams will take place on Google Forms during a designated exam time. Cheating will not be tolerated, and students who cheat risk getting a zero for the exam.