PWANI UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELGIOUS STUDIES

UCU103: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING

SECOND SEMESTER 2013/2014 ACADEMIC YEAR

COURSE OUTLINE

Course Description

Nature of critical thinking; self-knowledge; education and personal development; individuality and collectivity; practicality of philosophy; criticality and creativity; intellectual standards; elements of thinking; intellectual traits; logicality; decision-making and problem-solving; obstacles to critical thinking; interrogative thinking

Course objectives

The course aims at initiating students to reflective and responsible thought habits in both everyday and academic life. Specifically it aims at enabling the student to:

  • Acquire the habit of self-examination
  • Appreciate education as a process of transformation from a state of dependence to a state of intellectual autonomy
  • Become a critical listener; reader, speaker and writer
  • Think more clearly, accurately, precisely, deeply and logically

Course Requirements

The students are expected to:

  • regularly attend classes
  • actively participate in class
  • carry out individual research

Course Evaluation

The students will be evaluated on the basis of:

  • continuousassessmentsconstituting 30%
  • final examination constituting 70%

Course Content

  1. Philosophy, Critical Thinking and Education
  2. Nature of Critical thinking
  • Analysis
  • Evaluative standards
  • Traits
  • Obstacles to critical thinking
  1. Inferential Thinking
  • Deduction and Induction
  • Informal Fallacies
  1. Personal-identity and self-knowledge
  2. Autonomy
  3. Appearance and Reality
  4. Interrogative thinking
  5. Creative thinking
  • Obstacles to Creative thinking
  • Decision-making
  • Problem-solving
  1. Individuality and Sociality

Course Facilitators:

Dr. Stephen O. Owino (Office No. 370 New Administration block, 3rd Floor)

Dr. Francis G. Wokabi (Office No. 348 New Administration block, 2nd Floor)

References

Adair, J. (1990). The Art of Creative Thinking. Guildford (England): Talbot Adair

Brookfield, S. (1987). Developing Critical Thinkers. Buckingham: Open

University Press.

Chaffee, J. (1985). Thinking Critically. N. Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company

De Bono, E. (1993). Teach Your Child How to Think. London: Penguin Books

______(2000). Six Thinking Hats. London: Penguin Books.

Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think. (Revised Edition) Boston: Heath.

______. (1916). Democracy and Education. N.Y.: The Free Press

______. (1991). How We Think. New York: Prometheuss Books.

Fisher, R. (1990). Teaching Children to Think. London: Basil Blackwell Ltd.

______. (1998). Teaching Thinking: Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom.

London: Cassell

Fisher, A. (2001). Critical Thinking: An Introduction. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

Lipman, M. (1991). Thinking in Education. N. Y: Cambridge University

Press.

Norris,S. and Ennis,R. (1989). Evaluating Critical Thinking. Pacific Grove, CA:

Critical Thinking Press and Software.

Nosich, G. (2005). Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical

Thinking Across the Curriculum. Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Paul, R. (1995). Critical Thinking: How to Prepare Students for a Rapidly

Changing World. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking

Paul, R. and Elder, L. (2001). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your

Learning and Your Life. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall

______(2002). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your

Professional and Personal Life. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Financial Times Prentice Hall

______(2006). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your

Learning and Your Life.2nd Edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice

Hall

Paul, R. Binker, A. Martin, D. and Adamson, K. (1989). Critical Thinking

Handbook: High School: A Guide for Redesigning Instruction. Rohnert Park, CA.: Centre for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique.

Paul, R., Fisher,A., and Nosich, G. (1993). Workshop on Critical Thinking

Strategies. CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking, Sonoma State University

Wambari, K. Readings in Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking: Kijabe AIC Press, 1992

Internet sources:

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