ID	M640
Subject	Scientific Discussions and Critical Thinking
Instructor	Terrillon Jean-Christophe George

Last Update	2008/03/31 16:55
Aims	This course aims at instilling in students the ability to: . critically understand and logically debate in English about various topics in science and technology with academics and technology specialists in international settings such as conferences and technical meetings, both formally and informally. . interact smoothly with their audience through the acquisition of various communication techniques. This course is by no means restricted only to students, and any faculty member who is interested in the subject is welcome to attend.
Contents	This course consists of two parts: 1) reading and discussing scientific and technical articles in English, and 2) learning argumentative techniques based on logical and critical thinking. Part 1) is based on the “Journal Club” format adopted in various western universities, and takes place in an informal setting: each student explains an article he/she has selected and read, a copy of which will also have been previously distributed to the other students. A debate on the issues raised by the article then takes place. Articles are selected from journals which are intended for the educated layperson, such as “Nature”, “Science”, “Scientific American” or “IEEE Spectrum”. A special emphasis is placed on topics that are particularly relevant to societal problems (e.g., bioethics), but any other topic in science and technology, including for example the philosophy or history of science, are also welcome. Part 2) is a formal lecture on logical and critical thinking, which will help students to organize their arguments in a coherent, clear and efficient manner when discussing articles.
Textbook	Course materials will be provided.
References	1． “Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking”, M. N. Browne and S. Keeley, 8th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006. 2． “Critical thinking, An Introduction”, A. Fisher, Cambridge University Press, 2001. 3． “Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking”, D. Q. McInerny, Random House, 2005.
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Prerequisite	Placement by TOEIC score or passed any of E301, E302 or E303 courses
Schedule	1． What is Critical Thinking? An Introduction 2． Reasoning and Logic I: A Brief History of Logic 3． Scientific Discussion 1 4． Reasoning and Logic II: The Notion of Proof 5． Scientific Discussion 2 6． Reasoning and Logic III: Inference Rules and Formal Errors 7． Scientific Discussion 3 8． Argumentation I: Identifying and Representing Arguments 9． Scientific Discussion 4 10． Argumentation II: Analyzing and Evaluating Arguments 11． Scientific Discussion 5 12． Argumentation III: Constructing Arguments 13． Scientific Discussion 6 14． Psychology of Reasoning 15． Scientific Discussion 7 *Depending on the number of students, the schedule is subject to change. Article presentations can also be made in small groups (3 students in a group maximum).
Viewpoint of evaluation	The student’s performance is judged based on: . The correctness, efficiency, and fluency in spoken English, ease of communication . A critical understanding of scientific and technical articles intended for the educated layperson . A logical approach in argumentation
Evaluation criteria	Article presentation, attendance and class participation, and final take-home examination.
Evaluation criteria	Article presentation (40%), Examination (40%), class participation (20%)