Reasoning Across the Disciplines

Critical reasoning skills are a key success factor for students entering their first year of college. They must be able to think logically and form arguments. This course, designed with incoming college freshmen in mind but open to anyone, provides an essential grounding in critical reasoning skills. Faculty from multiple disciplines at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offer guidance on applying critical thinking skills in the context of specific disciplines. By developing these skills, students will learn more, enjoy their courses more, and experience greater academic success. This course will help you understand what critical thinking skills are and why they're so important. You will also learn how critical thinking skills vary across disciplines, as well as see them applied across several fields, including, chemistry, history, psychology, law, English, and American Studies. You will develop your own critical thinking skills by working through scenarios or problems posed by scholars across these fields, and you will better understand how your college courses will differ from your earlier education

• Understand critical thinking skills and their academic importance
• Apply critical thinking across multiple disciplines
• Construct and analyze logical arguments effectively
• Enhance logical reasoning and scientific inference abilities
• Improve comprehension and engagement in academic courses

• Basic computer and internet skills
• Ability to read course instructions in English and complete short activities