Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Coursera

Overview

By taking Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking you will improve your ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments by other people (including politicians, used car salesmen, and teachers) and also to construct arguments of your own in order to convince others and to help you decide what to believe or do. 

These skills will help you determine when an argument is being given, what its crucial parts are, and what it assumes implicitly. You will also learn how to apply deductive and inductive standards for assessing arguments and how to detect and avoid fallacies.  

Applied Learning Project

This Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization offered by Coursera in partnership with Duke University includes four courses and an optional final project. In the final project you will construct your own argument on any topic that interests you. You will develop a thesis statement and write an argument of 400–600 words to support your thesis. 

What you'll learn

• Understand and appreciate arguments that you and other people present
• Determine whether or not an argument is deductively valid
• Analyze and assess five common forms of inductive arguments
• Recognize fallacies