COMM 209 Critical Thinking and Argumentation
Critical Thinking and Argumentation is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of critical thinking, reasoning, informal logic, and argumentation, and to help students apply those principles in both their personal and public communication.
General Education Competency
GEM Oral Communication
COMM 209Critical Thinking and Argumentation
Please note: This is not a course syllabus. A course syllabus is unique to a particular section of a course by instructor. This curriculum guide provides general information about a course.
I. General Information
Department
Social Science
II. Course Specification
Course Type
General Education
General Education Competency
GEM Oral Communication
Semester Contact Hours Lecture
45
Grading Method
Letter grade
III. Catalog Course Description
Critical Thinking and Argumentation is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of critical thinking, reasoning, informal logic, and argumentation, and to help students apply those principles in both their personal and public communication.
IV. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:
- After reading and listening to required lecture content, students will be able to defend arguments that adhere to basic tests of reasoning as evidenced by a research paper.
- After considering sources of perceptual and ideological bias, students will identify their own ideological and perceptual biases in a paper proving that position.
- Confronted with examples from popular discourse, students will recognize faulty argumentation (fallacies) as evidenced by successful demonstration of such knowledge in class oral presentations, written projects, academic quizzes, and tests.
- Confronted with examples from popular discourse, students will critically analyze arguments using one of several tests of reasoning in class discussions and on academic quizzes and tests.
- In a cumulative oral presentation, students will be able to synthesize class knowledge of ideology, inductive reasoning and fallacies to critique the popular culture argumentation of an assigned current event.
V. Topical Outline (Course Content)
VI. Delivery Methodologies
Required Materials
Final Reasoning Project (Oral Communication Presentation)
Assessment Strategy Narrative
Final Exam
Midterm Exam
Final Reasoning Project (Oral Communication Presentation)
*See attached project assignment sheet and grading sheet