Spring Semester 2006
Philosophy
101: Critical Thinking
Course Goals
Your goal in this class is to improve your critical
thinking skills, as these are involved in making
thoughtful decisions, both personal and in collaboration
with others, and in communicating these decisions, and
the information they are based on, to other people so
that they can understand why you -- or your group -- came
to that decision.
Making thoughtful decisions requires becoming a
pro-active learner, someone who is able to identify
central questions, to generate a range of possible
answers, and to collect information to evaluate these
answers. Making thoughtful decisions also requires that
you come to know your own strengths and weaknesses, so
you can take advantage of your strengths and keep your
weak points under guard.
Your ultimate goal is a philosophical one: to live a
reasoned life, to do things you can feel proud of since
they agree with you basic values, to develop a character
you can stand for since it is conducive to living a good,
that is, moral, life.
The underlying skills include problem/question
identification, emotional awareness and value
identification (both of yourself and of others), language
analysis and clarification, asking good questions and
being able actively to listen, independent study skills
-- individually and in a group -- such as gathering and
assessing information, generating alternative possible
answers and solutions, evaluating arguments, and
communication of reasons and plans to others, and being
able to understand and evaluate different points of
view.
Philosophy
200: Philosophy and Global Climate Change
Course Goals
• To reorient yourself in the world by developing
a deeper understanding of climate as a common resource of
the whole biotic community, of the causes and effects of
global climate change (GCC), and of the philosophical
problems posed by GCC.
• To improve your ability to find and evaluate
information, read written material in books and on
electronic media critically, write clearly, discuss
deeply, listen carefully, and speak engagingly in
different settings.