IN India Bachelor's Degree
Critical Thinking and Argument
Test claims, spot fallacies and build a case that survives challenge.
What the course covers
8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.
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- 1.1 What critical thinking actually is
- 1.2 Belief, evidence, and why we resist changing our minds
- 1.3 Fast thinking and slow thinking
- 1.4 Intellectual humility as a skill
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- 2.1 Claims, reasons and conclusions
- 2.2 Finding the conclusion in real writing
- 2.3 Hidden assumptions
- 2.4 Mapping an argument
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- 3.1 Valid arguments and sound ones
- 3.2 Inductive strength and generalisation
- 3.3 Analogy, and where it breaks
- 3.4 Inference to the best explanation
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- 4.1 Kinds of evidence, and what each is worth
- 4.2 Sources, expertise and authority
- 4.3 Statistics used honestly, and dishonestly
- 4.4 Anecdote, sample and selection
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- 5.1 Attacking the person, and the straw man
- 5.2 False dilemma, slippery slope and false cause
- 5.3 Appeals to emotion, popularity and tradition
- 5.4 Why naming a fallacy is not itself an argument
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- 6.1 Confirmation bias
- 6.2 Motivated reasoning and identity
- 6.3 Framing, anchoring and availability
- 6.4 Recognising bias in yourself first
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- 7.1 Loaded language and euphemism
- 7.2 Vagueness, ambiguity and definition
- 7.3 Rhetoric against reasoning
- 7.4 Propaganda and manipulation
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- 8.1 Building your own case
- 8.2 Putting the other side at its strongest
- 8.3 Disagreeing productively
- 8.4 Changing your mind in public
What you will be able to do
By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:
- What critical thinking actually is
- Claims, reasons and conclusions
- Valid arguments and sound ones
- Kinds of evidence, and what each is worth
- Confirmation bias
- Building your own case
Why take it
Who it is for
Designed for
- Bachelor's Degree students in India
- Studying: BA (English, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology), BSW
- Recent graduates strengthening a CV
- Anyone working in this field without a formal qualification
What you need
- No prior course needed
- A phone, tablet or computer
- About two hours in total
- Each of the five courses stands alone
Questions
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About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
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No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
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Yes. This course is placed at Bachelor's Degree for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
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A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
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Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
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There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
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Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.
Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.