Information Package / Course Catalogue
| Psychology | |||||
| Bachelor | Length of the Programme: 4 | Number of Credits: 240 | TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 | QF-EHEA: First Cycle | EQF: Level 6 |
Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri
| School/Faculty/Institute | Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences | ||||
| Course Code | POLS 336 | ||||
| Course Title in English | Critical Thinking | ||||
| Course Title in Turkish | Elestirel Dusunme | ||||
| Language of Instruction | EN | ||||
| Type of Course | Flipped Classroom | ||||
| Level of Course | Select | ||||
| Semester | Fall | ||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| Estimated Student Workload | 120 hours per semester | ||||
| Number of Credits | 5 ECTS | ||||
| Grading Mode | Standard Letter Grade | ||||
| Pre-requisites | None | ||||
| Expected Prior Knowledge | None | ||||
| Co-requisites | None | ||||
| Registration Restrictions | Only Undergraduate Students | ||||
| Overall Educational Objective | To enable students to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of reasoning in arguments | ||||
| Course Description | This course aims at clarifying students’ thinking patterns; making them aware of common fallacies and helping them detect poor reasoning and construct stronger arguments. After a brief introduction to the nature of critical thinking and analyzing arguments, the bulk of the course is devoted to analyzing fallacies. Towards the end of the course, we look into the differences between ethical, religious, aesthetic, legal, scientific and pseudo-scientific reasoning. | ||||
| Course Description in Turkish | Bu ders öğrencilerin düşünce örüntülerini netleştirmelerini amaçlar; sık yapılan mantık hatalarını fark etmelerini, zayıf akıl yürütmeleri saptamalarını ve daha güçlü argümanlar kurmalarını sağlar. Eleştirel düşüncenin doğası ve argüman analizleri üzerine kısa bir girişten sonra, ders safsataları analiz etme üzerine yoğunlaşır. Dersin son haftalarında ahlaki, dini, estetik, yasal, bilimsel ve sahte-bilimsel akıl yürütmeler arasındaki farklar incelenecektir. |
Course Learning Outcomes and CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) Identify fallacies 2) Distinguish strong (valid) reasoning from poor (invalid) reasoning; argument from demagogy 3) Analyze the differences between moral, religious, aesthetic, scientific and pseudo-scientific reasoning 4) Construct stronger arguments |
| Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. | ||||
| 2) Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation. | ||||
| 3) Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes. | ||||
| 4) Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts. | ||||
| 5) Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline. | ||||
| 6) Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards. | ||||
| 7) Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences. | ||||
| 8) Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level). | ||||
| 9) Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. | ||||
| 10) Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement. | ||||
| 11) Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses. | ||||
| 12) Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning. | ||||
| 13) Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations. |
Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences
| N None | S Supportive | H Highly Related |
| Program Outcomes and Competences | Level | Assessed by | |
| 1) | Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. | N | |
| 2) | Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation. | N | |
| 3) | Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes. | H | Exam,HW,Participation |
| 4) | Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts. | N | |
| 5) | Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline. | N | |
| 6) | Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards. | N | |
| 7) | Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences. | N | |
| 8) | Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level). | N | |
| 9) | Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. | S | Participation |
| 10) | Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement. | S | HW,Participation |
| 11) | Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses. | N | |
| 12) | Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning. | S | Exam,HW |
| 13) | Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations. | H | Exam,HW |
| Prepared by and Date | BAŞAK KEKİ , January 2024 |
| Course Coordinator | CANSU GÜLEÇ |
| Semester | Fall |
| Name of Instructor | Öğr. Gör. BAŞAK KEKİ |
Course Contents
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | Introduction to the course |
| 2) | Introduction to critical thinking |
| 3) | Making sense of arguments |
| 4) | Persuasion through rhetoric |
| 5) | Psychological fallacies |
| 6) | Fallacies of relevance and defective induction |
| 7) | Fallacies of presumption and ambiguity |
| 8) | Causal explanation |
| 9) | Irrational tendencies: egocentrism and rationality |
| 10) | Irrational tendencies: sociocentrism and rationality |
| 11) | Religious reasoning |
| 12) | Moral, legal and aesthetic reasoning |
| 13) | Science and pseudo-science |
| 14) | Thinking critically about media |
| 15) | Examination Period |
| 16) | Examination Period |
| Required/Recommended Readings | The coursepack will include excerpts from the following: Bassham, Gregory & William Irwin & Henry Nardone & James M. Wallace. Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2013). Burns, Elizabeth and Stephen Law. Philosophy for AS and A2, (London: Routledge, 2004). Cohen, Carl & Irving M. Copi. Introduction to Logic, (New Jersey: Pearson, 2005). Elder, Linda & Richard Paul. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life, (New Jersey: Pearson, 2014). Moore, Brooke Noel & Richard Parker. Critical Thinking, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2012). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Flipped Learning technology – Perusall (texts will be uploaded pre-class with questions) -, in-class discussions, presentations, response papers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Computer Use | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other Activities | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| Course Administration |
Email: kekib@mef.edu.tr Attendance and active participation are required. There would be no late presentations and late assignments medical report provided. MEF university values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the code of student conduct and disciplinary procedures. Any improper behavior, academic dishonesty or plagiarism is subject to the YÖK Disciplinary Regulation. |
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ECTS Student Workload Estimation
| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 3 | 3 | 84 | |||
| Presentations / Seminar | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Homework Assignments | 14 | 1 | 1 | 28 | |||
| Paper Submission | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Total Workload | 120 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 4.8 | ||||||
| ECTS | 5 | ||||||