The goal of this course is to help students develop skills and techniques for thinking methodically and accurately.  Students will also learn to identify personal attitudes that contribute to clear thinking, as well as those which interfere with it.  By the end of the course, the successful student will be able to (1) correctly identify premises and conclusions within arguments (both deductive and inductive); (2) evaluate arguments for validity and soundness; (3) effectively apply various techniguqes for analyzing the truth of propositions; (4) recognize common logical fallacies; and (5) practice dispositions -- like open-mindedness and fair-mindedness -- which are essential for good critical thinking.

Instructor:

Matthew Gallatin is a noted author (Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells), speaker, and podcaster (Pilgrims from Paradise).  Matthew received his M.A. in Philosophy from Gonzaga University, and taught philosophy at Gonzaga University and North Idaho College for 17 years.

 Course Requirements:

The course is designed for upper level High School students and is devoted to developing thinking skills.  Students should plan to spend 30-45 minutes per day on homework.  Exams (of which there will be four) will test the students' ability to apply the skills learned in each unit.  For their final assignment, students will write  a paper using the critical techniques they've learned to analyze an argumentative essay chosen by the instructor.

Textbooks:

Cerblom, Jerry and Paulsen, David, Critical Reasoning, 6th Edition (Wadsworth, 2005).  New and used copies available from Amazon.com.  This is a fairly expensive textbook.  I strongly advise purchasing it used.