AREA A - CRITICAL THINKING

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Area Requirements. All courses certified for Critical Thinking must meet all of the following criteria in addition to the criteria specified for all General Education courses (pages 6-8). Courses in Critical Thinking should consciously aim to convey to students the goals and guidelines articulated in CSUSM's Mission Statement.

1. Goals

Critical thinking courses should help students learn logic and reasoning, understand sound argument, and appreciate the value of applying these skills. The course should teach students how language is related to logic, how to analyze the validity of a statement or argument, and how valid arguments can be constructed. Students should develop the critical habits of being open-minded and impartial, suspending judgment or taking a stance when warranted, questioning their own views, and using their critical thinking skills. Students should recognize that real world problems are complex and not solved with one simple answer. As critical thinkers, they should be able to transfer what they learn to new situations, whether in other courses or in their everyday lives.

2. Objectives

Instruction in critical thinking should promote basic knowledge of logic and reasoning. Though individual instructors and departments may choose to weigh some of the topics more than others, students completing the course successfully will be able to:

• Understand logic and its relation to language;
• Understand the importance of assumptions in reasoning and argument, including a comprehension of the ways in which differing cultures and social groups may reason from differing assumptions, and identify the assumptions, both stated and unstated, both one's own and others;
• Effectively argue a point of view by clarifying the issues, focusing on the pertinent issues, and staying relevant to the topic;
• Judge sources, their reliability and credibility;
• Distinguish matters of fact from issues of judgment or opinion;
• Identify and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies in the construction of arguments.

3. Course Requirements

Content. Particular course descriptions used in different disciplines and the approaches of individual instructors may vary; however, the courses must satisfy the list of objectives. Critical thinking may be taught in the context of a subject area, by including specific attention to general principles of critical thinking and applying them to examples and exercises in the subject area. All critical thinking courses will be open to all students regardless of their majors; therefore, the basic reasoning skills listed in the above objectives must be explicitly covered.

The course proposals shall demonstrate the planned uses of computer technology and the application of information literacy to the course materials. Assignments and/or examinations will be given which require that the students use the library and computers as a tool to learn critical thinking skills. This course is subject to review and certification by the statewide Critical Thinking Council. Students will be encouraged to satisfy oral and written communication requirements prior to taking a critical thinking course.

4. Evaluation and Assessment

All Critical Thinking courses shall include a clear means of assessing student learning. Instructors shall be responsible for evaluating student learning in their courses. Methods employed (e.g., examinations, research papers, demonstration of specified skills, pre and post tests, group projects, taped student presentations, questionnaires) should provide faculty with an indication of teaching and learning proficiency.

5. Faculty Qualifications

All Critical Thinking courses should be taught by faculty with advanced training in logic and critical thinking, and demonstrated experience in teaching critical thinking at a basic level.

Courses will be assigned a librarian as a resource person to facilitate the information literacy and library use components.