Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit, available within ACU's Core Curriculum, introduces students to some key tools for assessing information, and reasoning and communicating clearly, skills that are of real-world value for all areas of personal and professional life. Students will learn to structure arguments clearly for different audiences; to evaluate evidence and testimony; to engage constructively in cases of disagreement; to identify and guard against characteristic forms of bias and error; and to present oral and written presentations persuasively. Intellectual virtues like clarity, openness and charity are emphasised.
The study of reasoning and argumentation has long been at the centre of the Catholic intellectual tradition in its inheritance from the medieval monastic tradition that itself preserved and developed ancient Greek logic and rhetoric. It remains a central dimension of contemporary Catholic thought in its focus on the togetherness of faith and reason in the pursuit of the common good. As such, students in this unit engage with each other on a diverse range of urgent contemporary issues, practicing skills in listening to others, crafting arguments, and conveying views effectively. Set in the context of this social media age, the unit aims to prepare students to be reflective, creative, responsible citizens and effective communicators in diverse domains of life.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify different forms of reasoning and their st...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse sources of evidence, and deploy appropriat...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply persuasive techniques to effectively communi...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics may include:
· Forms of reasoning
· Intellectual virtues or habits of mind (e.g., clarity, curiosity, thoroughness, openness, humility)
· Common errors in reasoning
· Argument mapping
· Using evidence well to support your argument
· Probabilistic reasoning
· Persuasive techniques in written and oral communication
· Audience and genre in written and oral communication
· Organising and structuring arguments
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall minimum grade of pass (50%).
The assessment strategy is designed to enable students to display achievement of all learning outcomes
Since students learn by doing, summative assessment tasks build on the active and formative learning students have engaged in during the workshops. Assessment is therefore closely tied to classroom engagement activities.
Assessment Task 1 tests students’ capacity to evaluate and reconstruct arguments, aligning with Learning Outcomes 1 and 2.
Assessment Task 2 tests students’ capacity to develop a persuasive text for a particular audience, enabling students to display achievement of all learning outcomes.
Assessment Task 3 is designed to test all learning outcomes: for example, by evaluating and constructing arguments, identifying and evaluating evidence, and analysing and producing persuasive communication.
Overview of assessments
Task 1: Foundational Task Requires students to de...
Task 1: Foundational Task
Requires students to demonstrate understanding of common argument structures, forms of poor reasoning and evidence-use, and persuasive strategies, as used in written,, online professional and informal contexts.
20%
Task 2: Critical Analysis Project Requires studen...
Task 2: Critical Analysis Project
Requires students to demonstrate practical skills and understanding relating to the valid use of evidence, the assessment of testimony, the detection of bias, and/or the avoidance of fallacious reasoning, as used in written, online, professional and informal contexts.
40%
Task 3: Application task Requires students to con...
Task 3: Application task
Requires students to construct a persuasive piece of communication on an important social issue that effectively deploys understanding of argument structures, use of evidence, genre and audience awareness.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
For both semester and intensive offerings, this unit employs a constructivist learning philosophy that emphasises the importance of active learning. Students learn in this unit by doing. In line with the Thrive model, preparatory material (including short instructional videos on key ideas and debates, set readings and study guides, and questions and formative assessment) readies the students for participation in active on-campus workshops/seminars. These workshops/seminars include tasks that students undertake individually and in groups, such as argument mapping, evaluation of set readings, oral presentations, and debates. Materials will be provided to scaffold learning and to enable students to engage with important arguments relating to social justice and the common good.
Communication and argument, and the formation of personal judgement, are always undertaken in communities. So the learning tasks (online and in the workshops) encourage students to pay attention to diverse perspectives and come to understanding through interacting with others’ ideas in multiple modalities, genres, and situations.