Learning outcomes:

On completing the course, the participants will be able to extract arguments from a text  and analyze their structure. They will recognise the central types of arguments and learn how to evaluate their validity. They should also understand what role critical argumentation plays in scientific research, and know how to apply these skills in their own research projects.

Course Contents:

1. Arguments and their critical analysis;
2. Types of arguments and  typical argumentation fallacies;
3. Deductive reasoning: conditional arguments, hypothetical and categorical syllogisms;
4. Inductive reasoning: statistical and analogical arguments, causal arguments;
5. Hypothetical reasoning.

Course Schedule

Lectures
Tu 11.3. 10-15, Room K113 (Linna)
Fri 14.3. 10-15, Room PinniB 3107
Tu 18.3. 10-15, Room C6 (Main building)
Fri 21.3. 10-15, Room PinniB 4113

Evaluation Criteria: Passing the course requires an active participation to lectures, exercises and discussions. The focus on the course will be in exercises. After the course, the participants are required to produce a brief essay (3-4 pages) where they should reflect and connect the themes of the course to their own scientific field/research topic.

Student Selection:
The maximum number of students is 40. Students are selected on a first-come, first-served principle. The student has to check the selection from NettiOpsu after the enrolment period.

Pre-assignment: The students accepted to the course should send a brief pre-assignment by 28.2.2014 through course Moodle area (https://learning2.uta.fi/course/view.php?id=3624). It should include the following information:

1.    Your name and discipline;
2.    A brief description of your own research topic;
3.    Related to your own research, what do you expect from this course?