Critical Reasoning for Beginners

What the course covers

This six-part beginner course is about arguments: how to recognise them, how to assess them and how to avoid mistaking weak reasoning for strong. The goal is to help you judge whether what you believe rests on good grounds.

Skills at the centre

• Identifying an argument inside everyday talk and writing.
• Evaluating whether an argument's reasons actually support its conclusion.
• Giving plausible reasons for your own beliefs.

Why it matters

The course starts from familiar settings such as newspaper claims and heated conversations, which keeps the material close to ordinary debate and makes it easy to practise on the arguments around you.