Short course
Critical Thinking: An Introduction
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
29/09/2026 - 01/12/2026
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£315.00
When we think critically, we suspend unreflective ways of forming beliefs or making decisions and instead use reasoning to make up our mind about the matter in question. On this course, we will look at different kinds of reasoning and the standards appropriate to each. We will discuss both reasoning about factual claims and reasoning about how to act. We will distinguish reasoning where conclusions must be true if the premises are true from reasoning where conclusions are only supported by premises to some degree.
You will learn how to construct stronger arguments yourself as well as how to analyse and assess arguments which others present to you. You will also be given guidelines that will help you decide to what extent to trust a person, organisation, website or publication defending a certain position.
The skills taught on this course will help you engage more confidently with new information and conflicting viewpoints in both everyday and academic contexts.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
Course starts Tuesday 29 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 2.00-4.00pm.
Week 1: What is critical thinking? What is the difference between reasoning and other ways of forming beliefs or making decisions?
Week 2: What is a logical argument? What is rhetoric?
Week 3: Two types of good argument: The distinction between deductive validity and inductive strength.
Week 4: Deductive validity and logical form. A very short introduction to propositional logic.
Week 5: When do arguments rely on hidden premises? More on argument reconstruction.
Week 6: Inductive generalisations and reasoning about causes.
Week 7: Inference to the best explanation and Bayesian reasoning.
Week 8: Practical reasoning: Reasoning about what to do.
Week 9: When is it appropriate to believe what others tell you? What is the significance of expertise?
Week 10: Putting it all together: We analyse and assess longer passages of reasoning.
Teaching methods
The tutor will present the course content in an interactive way using plenty of examples and exercises. Students are encouraged to ask questions and participate in class discussions and group work. To consolidate their understanding of the subject, they will be assigned further exercises as homework.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to have learnt how to:
- be able to pick out and analyse passages of reasoning in texts and conversations;
- understand the most important ways of assessing the cogency of such reasoning;
- know how to assess the reliability of possible sources of information.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first set of exercises is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work, which is a larger set of exercises due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Course aims
This course aims to enable participants to develop their critical thinking skills and to explore the principles of effective reasoning, argument and the critical evaluation of information.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will have been given the opportunity to:
- reflect on how people reason and seek to persuade others through different forms of argument
- develop an understanding of the principles underlying good reasoning and explore common mistakes in reasoning
- examine approaches to evaluating the reliability and credibility of information and consider how to identify trustworthy sources
Programme details
Course starts Tuesday 29 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 2.00-4.00pm.
Week 1: What is critical thinking? What is the difference between reasoning and other ways of forming beliefs or making decisions?
Week 2: What is a logical argument? What is rhetoric?
Week 3: Two types of good argument: The distinction between deductive validity and inductive strength.
Week 4: Deductive validity and logical form. A very short introduction to propositional logic.
Week 5: When do arguments rely on hidden premises? More on argument reconstruction.
Week 6: Inductive generalisations and reasoning about causes.
Week 7: Inference to the best explanation and Bayesian reasoning.
Week 8: Practical reasoning: Reasoning about what to do.
Week 9: When is it appropriate to believe what others tell you? What is the significance of expertise?
Week 10: Putting it all together: We analyse and assess longer passages of reasoning.
Teaching methods
The tutor will present the course content in an interactive way using plenty of examples and exercises. Students are encouraged to ask questions and participate in class discussions and group work. To consolidate their understanding of the subject, they will be assigned further exercises as homework.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to have learnt how to:
- be able to pick out and analyse passages of reasoning in texts and conversations;
- understand the most important ways of assessing the cogency of such reasoning;
- know how to assess the reliability of possible sources of information.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first set of exercises is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work, which is a larger set of exercises due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Andrea Lechler
Andrea Lechler holds a degree in Computational Linguistics, an MSc in Artificial Intelligence, and an MA and PhD in Philosophy. She has extensive experience of teaching philosophy for Oxford Lifelong Learning and other institutions.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £315.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.