Honors Critical Thinking and Analysis
Price
TBA
Duration
2 Quarters; 1 Semester
Table of Contents
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Thinking critically is a complicated but important endeavor involving learning to think clearly, acquiring problem-solving skills, and applying these skills in real-life contexts. This course, with the option for dual credit, offers an immersive introduction to critical thinking, logic, and analysis. From understanding the building blocks of arguments to spotting logical fallacies and biases, you'll learn how to evaluate the credibility of sources, analyze evidence, and apply critical reasoning to real-world scenarios. While media literacy is a central focus, the skills you gain can also be applied to research, writing, problem-solving, and more across science and the humanities.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to confidently deconstruct arguments, evaluate their logical consistency, and uncover hidden assumptions or rhetorical devices. These skills will empower you to think clearly, make informed decisions, and participate meaningfully in discussions that shape your world—whether in media, science, politics, or everyday life.
COURSE FORMAT
The class meets 90 minutes twice a week (M/W or T/Th) for 20 weeks. Like all other courses in our curriculum, Honors Critical Thinking and Analysis consists of two components: asynchronous and synchronous learning.
We use the Humanities 201: Critical Thinking and Analysis course for the asynchronous flipped classroom portion of the course. This makes up 30% of your overall grade.
Your academy instructor will facilitate the virtual in-person synchronous portion of the course. This makes up 60% of your overall grade.
Asynchronous Learning
Humanities 201: Critical Thinking and Analysis course on Study.com was created by a panel of expert instructors who break down concepts with bite-sized, animated video lessons organized into topical chapters that improve comprehension and retention, making learning fun and engaging. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes long and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your "first exposure learning" during the pre-work phase before the actual class. At the end of each chapter, you will complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review.
You should expect to spend 50-70 minutes per week on these homework assignments. The academy intentionally schedules no classes on Fridays to provide dedicated time for homework assignments and out-of-class projects.
Synchronous Learning
Our academy instructor, who will also serve as your Gamemaster, will facilitate the live, virtual classroom sessions, which will supplement and build upon the Humanities 201: Critical Thinking and Analysis course. Additionally, they will answer any questions you may have about the asynchronous material.
Our primary online textbook for this course is Critical Thinking, Logic, and Argument: An Introduction by Professors Eric Dayton and Kristin Rodier. This free open-source text offers an introduction to critical thinking methods, principles, and applied examples. It engages the reader to question their attitude and approach to critical thinking and provides a detailed introduction to the role of belief in critical thinking. It outlines the use of argument forms for validity, definitions and classification, syllogistic reasoning, categorical logic, and the method of informal fallacy identification. With up-to-date examples, current issues, links to videos, exercises and answer keys, a glossary, quick charts, and key takeaways, this resource is engaging and designed for your success.
Our in-person sessions are designed to make learning fun and interactive! Here's what you can expect:
Interactive discussions: We will delve deeper into key concepts from the asynchronous material and address any common misconceptions.
Game-based activities: Earn points and badges, and climb the leaderboard as you embark on you embark on edventures through the criminal justice system!
RPG Simulations: Step into the shoes of the defendants and the respondents who argued influential landmark criminal cases that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and face off against a virtual opponent as you use constitutional principles and legal precedents to build your case and persuade the court.
Exams
There will be a comprehensive mid-term exam over all content covered during the first quarter and a comprehensive final exam over all content covered during the second quarter. Both of these exams are weighted equally, and the combined average will make up 10% of your course grade.
COURSE TOPICS
Chapters: 10; Lessons: 90
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION BOARD
Each chapter features an interactive discussion board powered by Discussion Hero, a gamified platform developed by Northwestern University. Students choose between "hero" and "villain" roles and avatars, earning points for their contributions. This fosters a sense of competition and engagement, making discussions even more rewarding.
Benefits of Participating in Discussions:
Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Go beyond memorization and passive learning by analyzing information, evaluating different perspectives, and forming your own conclusions.
Enhance communication skills: Practice clear communication, learn to articulate your ideas effectively, and develop respectful listening and rebuttal skills.
Fosters a collaborative learning environment: Learn from each other, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving, creating a dynamic and enriching learning community.
Deepen your understanding of the content: Actively engaging with the course material through discussion solidifies and expands your understanding beyond lectures and readings.
Provides diverse perspectives: Discussions expose you to different viewpoints and interpretations, encouraging critical thinking and broadening your understanding of the subject matter.
Offers opportunities for self-reflection: Examining your own thoughts and arguments in response to prompts and engaging with others' perspectives helps solidify your learning and identify areas for further exploration.
Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply course concepts to real-world situations through discussions, enhancing the material's relevance.
Build a digital learning portfolio: Discussions serve as a reference for your learning journey, allowing you to revisit key concepts and track your progress.
Develop digital literacy: Discussions provide a platform to practice online communication etiquette, including respectful disagreement, constructive argumentation, and responsible information sharing.
To actively engage in meaningful learning and reap the benefits mentioned above, participation in each chapter's discussion board is expected and will contribute to your overall grade. Your instructor will provide a clear rubric within Discussion Hero outlining the expectations for participation and how your contributions will be evaluated. This ensures consistent and transparent assessment while allowing you to showcase your understanding and critical thinking skills throughout the course.
NEWS LITERACY WEBQUESTS
In today's information jungle, the truth can be elusive. Are you ready to embark on a thrilling quest to uncover it? These News Literacy WebQuests by iCivics will equip you with the tools to become a master of modern media literacy.
Each quest will challenge you with real-world scenarios, testing your ability to separate fact from fiction, spot hidden biases, and become a savvy news consumer.
Get ready to unravel how news is monetized, recognize opinions disguised as facts, outwit misinformation, and sharpen your critical thinking skills to navigate the dynamic digital landscape.
MEDIA MOMENTS: CIVICS & NEWS LITERACY SKILLS
In today's fast-paced world, news is constantly at our fingertips. Knowing how to navigate and critically analyze this information is more important than ever. As informed citizens, it's not enough to just consume media—we must contribute to it, especially by amplifying underrepresented voices, including young people and people of color. Media Moments by iCivics will equip you with the tools to not only understand the news but also influence it.
Media Moments is an edventure through the critical intersections of civics and media literacy. Picture yourself navigating a world overflowing with information, where the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, and bias from balanced reporting, can shape the future of our democracy. From analyzing presidential appointments to deciphering horse race journalism, each quest challenges you to see the news with fresh eyes, ask deeper questions, and make informed choices.
Each Media Moment includes a civics reading, a news literacy highlight, and a one-page news literacy activity. Together, they help you see beyond the headlines, challenge dominant narratives, and emerge as a more informed and engaged citizen.
Ready to embark on this journey? Your media literacy mission starts now!
CIVIC DIGITAL LITERACY
In today’s world, the average student spends over 8 hours a day online, yet many lack the skills to navigate the maze of misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated content they encounter. Civic Digital Literacy, a program developed by iCivics in partnership with the Digital Inquiry Group, equips you with the tools to evaluate online information and find trustworthy sources confidently. Created by experts behind the Stanford History Education Group, this program focuses on providing evidence-based, nonpartisan resources that help you become a more informed digital citizen.
These Digital Literacy WebQuests are designed to teach you how to think critically about what you read online. You'll learn how to spot unreliable information, analyze different viewpoints, and use strategies like lateral reading to verify the credibility of various sources. The goal is to help you engage thoughtfully with digital content and become an informed participant in our democracy. Whether you're navigating social media, researching for school, or just curious about the world, Civic Digital Literacy gives you the skills to understand and evaluate the digital landscape around you.
DOCUMENT-BASED WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are intended to assess your application, analysis, and critical thinking skills in relation to the concepts you learn in the course. Three assignments are required for this course. In three assignments, you'll be responsible to do the following:
Identify the symbolic statement that best represents an example argument
Choose a truth table that accurately represents a symbolic statement
Select a Venn diagram that illustrates an example argument
Identify the fallacy used in a variety of sample passages
Write an argumentative essay on the topic of media bias and credibility
COURSE OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
Define critical reasoning, deduction, induction, and logic.
Identify the parts of an argument and infer the necessity of their meaning.
Recognize and understand the methodological analysis of arguments in written and spoken form & identify relative strengths and weaknesses.
Identify problems in reasoning and argument including rhetorical devices, bias, and fallacies.
Identify and analyze visual and symbolic logic to simple arguments and test syllogisms for validity.
Distinguish between valid skepticism and negationism in methodology and analysis.
Define different forms of moral reasoning and distinguish their application to real-world scenarios.
Apply critical analysis, logic, and moral reasoning, and clarity to persuasive writing.
PREREQUISITES
10th-grade English.
COLLEGE OR DUAL CREDIT
Humanities 201: Critical Thinking and Analysis has been evaluated and recommended by ACE for 3 semester hours and may be transferred to over 2,000 colleges and universities. If you're seeking college credit, after completing this course, you can take the online proctored exam at any time for an additional fee.
Your Instructor
TBD
