philosophy and critical thinking university of queensland

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Philosophy and Critical Thinking

University of Queensland via edX Help

This course may be unavailable.

What can we learn through philosophical inquiry that will help us to think with clarity, rigour and humour about things that matter?

This course introduces principles of philosophical inquiry and critical thinking that will help us answer this question. Learn how we can use philosophical ideas to think about ourselves and the world around us.

Peter Ellerton and Deborah Brown

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5.0 rating, based on 4 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at edX based on 5 ratings

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• AA Anonymous 4 years ago The course opens up the mind, particularly in the field of epistemology. It successfully made us wonder if knowledge can ever be defined. And, to delve further, it made us think whether there is any 'foundational' knowledge that does not have to be justified. But, since knowledge can be seen as a 'justified' belief, it makes us wonder whether those 'foundational' knowledge really is knowledge, or are the axioms in mathematics are just 'beliefs'. Are the letters that form words just 'beliefs'? Quite absurd to call it a belief but does not match the definition of a 'knowledge' either. Helpful
• MM Magnus Melin 8 years ago Short videos sometimes with accompanying text to delve into it. If you like to tackle some strange issues like what is a self? Some of it useful like critical thinking with logical fallacies and with biases. But most of it not useful, but I find it delighting and amusing to ponder, ergo maximum stars. Helpful
• AA Anonymous 8 years ago One of the best ways to understand how thinking and philosophy go together. Really effective presentation but still deals with some difficult stuff. Good job on the part of whoever put it together. Helpful
• AA Anonymous 8 years ago It's good fun but also has a lot of really good content. You can kind of take it as you want and still feel like you've done a good course. Some kind of odd videos but they fit nicely. Helpful

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Podcast: 2019 School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry Annual Lecture - Why Critical Thinking is Critical (and Thinking)

Professor Deborah Brown delivered her inaugural lecture as Professor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland on the 21st May 2019 to a capacity crowd. Professor Brown is the first female professor of philosophy in Queensland and her lecture was entitled “Why Critical Thinking is Critical (and Thinking)” which drew on her experience as Director of The University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project.

Listen to the lecture

The presentation slides can be  viewed online here . 

About the lecture

In the lecture, she noted that while Critical Thinking is the cornerstone ‘21st century skill’, enshrined in the educational goals at every level of schooling and university, too often it is conceived of on the model of a technical skill, or as consisting in a set of “reason-recognising procedures” – procedures for identifying argumentative structures and assessing inferential connections – that have little bearing on the questions ‘What should I believe?’ or ‘How should I act?’ In her lecture Professor Brown presented a more robust conception of Critical Thinking – one embodying a range of epistemic values and virtues of reasonableness, including the disposition to recognise and own the burden of proof when it is appropriate to do so and the importance of being accountable in one’s reasoning to others. She explained that one of the crucial things that have been learnt from the Critical Thinking Project is that these values, virtues and dispositions require a certain kind of educational environment in which to thrive, one focused on the development of student thinking. She discussed the nature and outcomes of the project and its successes, particularly in creating cultures of high expectation among disadvantaged students and in empowering them to exercise their voice and authority in the space of reasons.

About the presenter

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Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Online Course

The university of queensland, what is the course about.

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META101x: Thinking about thinking.

What can we learn through philosophical inquiry that will help us to think with clarity, rigour and humour about things that matter? This course introduces principles of philosophical inquiry and critical thinking that will help us answer this question. Learn how we can use philosophical ideas to think about ourselves and the world around us.

Prerequisites & Facts

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Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

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GETTING DIGITAL » Courses » Humanities » Philosophy and Critical Thinking

The University of Queensland

• Starting at UQ
• Programs and courses
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• Introduction to Critical Thinking

Introduction to Critical Thinking (PHIL1110)

Information valid for semester 1, 2024, course level.

Undergraduate

Faculties are the major organisational units with responsibility for academic programs. Faculties may have a number of sub-units called schools. The head of a faculty is called an Executive Dean." class="tooltip">Faculty

Humanities Arts Social Science

Schools are responsible for teaching, research and interaction with professional organisations. Course coordinators and lecturers generally work in schools." class="tooltip">School

Historical & Philosophical Inq

Units represent the value of individual courses which contribute to the total unit requirement of an academic program. A standard study load is 8 units per semester." class="tooltip">Units

One Semester

in person (on-campus) or external (off-campus or online)." class="tooltip">Attendance mode

Class hours is the number of hours you will need to engage in for this course, for any type of contact." class="tooltip">class hours.

Lecture 2 Hours/ Week Tutorial 1 Hour/ Week

Incompatible

PD111, PD711, PHIL7111

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Assignments, essays and /or exams

Course enquiries

Doctor Peter Ellerton (Semester 1, St Lucia, In person )

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Course description

Analyses thought & its expression in oral & written work from a structured & logical perspective. Aims to promote clearer thinking, foster better expression, & improve your analytic capabilities with a view to developing clearer & more persuasive argument skills. This course may not run if there are fewer than 20 enrolments.

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Be introduced to the history of philosophy and the philosophy of disciplines such as art, science, education and politics.

Explore key ideas in areas including epistemology, ethics, logic and metaphysics .

The purpose of philosophy is to learn how to evaluate theories and arguments, how to construct your own arguments, and how to communicate ideas in a clear and powerful way.

Through your studies you'll develop critical thinking, communication and complex reasoning skills, which can be used in endless careers and roles.

You'll also learn about different research methods and analysis that can be applied throughout your degree.

1 in Queensland for philosophy

QS World University Rankings 2024

Career possibilities

Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:

• Policy and research officer
• Conflict adviser
• Clinical research coordinator
• Human research ethics officer
• Philosophy teacher

As a curious learner, the BA allowed me to think outside the box, which is very much part of what I do in business. It allowed me to explore my creative side and learn certain things that I would never have learnt.

Philosophy at UQ has provided me with the structure to allow my thinking to flourish, but it has also given me the freedom to move outside of the existing and pursue my own areas of interest through PhD and other research.

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This Major is available as:

• Extended Major

How you'll learn

Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.

• Overseas study

What you'll study

At UQ, subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study:

• Introduction to Philosophy: What is Philosophy?
• Introduction to Ethics
• Critical Reasoning
• Rise of Modern Philosophy

See courses and program structure

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Pedagogical Schema for Teaching for Thinking

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Our Programs

The UQCTP has established a wide range of programs across primary and secondary school education, tertiary education, professional development, and community engagement. Targeted areas include:

• Helping students at all levels develop critical and creative thinking 
• Improving school performance
• Widening academic participation and improving academic retention among marginalised students
• Assisting teachers in embedding and evaluating critical thinking in the curriculum
• Promoting the educational and social value of critical thinking and autonomous inquiry

Professional development

Skill development, student engagement, curriculum and assessment.