PHIL 152 is a pre-university-level, three-credit course designed to help you develop basic critical thinking, reading, and writing skills in preparation for more advanced university-level work. The course teaches an active, critical approach to develop skills in evaluating reading that is extended to your own written work. Critical thinking involves making judgements (such as whether to believe a certain statement), analyzing qualities of passages, and evaluating comparative worth. As a reader, a critical stance enables you to assess implications and draw justifiable conclusions from materials you encounter. As a writer, you will develop effective methods for approaching, planning, and completing related writing assignments.
Outline
Part A: Comprehension and Organizational Skills
Unit 1: Critical Thinking: Three-Step Method and Three-Point Focus
Unit 2: Active Reading and Critical Thinking
Unit 3: Grammar, Punctuation, and Meaning
Unit 4: Generating and Organizing Ideas
Unit 5: Writing Functions
Part B: Evaluation
Unit 6: Argument Analysis and Evaluation
Unit 7: Deductive Arguments
Unit 8: Inductive Arguments
Unit 9: Fallacies and Essay Writing
Learning outcomes
This course is designed to help you become a critical thinker; a more alert and critical reader; and a writer who is better able to both assess the reasonableness of your own ideas and to communicate them clearly and effectively. When you have completed this course you should be able to
analyse and understand the content of complex university-level material;
plan, write, and edit paragraphs and short essays to maximize the clarity and effectiveness of communication;
identify errors, omissions, and faulty reasoning, both in reading materials and in your own work;
evaluate ideas in reading materials; and
examine and formulate your own thinking processes more effectively.
Evaluation
Your final mark for PHIL 152 is based on your grades in five written assignments, as well as two activities and two skills modules. To receive credit for PHIL 152, you must complete all assignments and achieve a composite course grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Study Plan and Introductory Forum
2%
Assignment 1: Course Outline Log
10%
Assignment 2: Deciphering Meaning from Text
10%
Academic Integrity Skills Module
2%
MLA Documentation Skills Module
2%
Assignment 3: Prewriting and Idea Generating
14%
Assignment 4a: Draft Critical Review Essay
25%
Assignment 4b: Final Critical Review Essay
35%
Total
100%
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Flachmann, Kim, Michael Flachmann, Alexandra MacLennan, and Jamie Zeppa. Reader’s Choice: Essays for Thinking, Reading, and Writing. 7th Canadian ed., Pearson, 2013. (Print)
Other Materials
All other materials are available on the course website.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.