The University of Washington is offering a course in critical thinking.
Here is the link to the syllabus:
http://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html#Fake
The course will require the class, in the first week to read Harry Frankfurt's piece "On Bullshit" in the first week.
https://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf
In the second week the course delves into how to spot bullshit with the help of Carl Sagan and his piece, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection."
There's a great bit on 99.9% caffeine free cocoa a pretty apolitical item.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_caffeine_free.html
Week three is about the ecology of bullshit and it specifically calls out TEDtalks as being a particularly upscale source for it.
The fourth week explores correlation and causality.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_traffic_improvements.html
Week five is dedicated to statistical traps with a brilliant piece about the lifespan of musician in various genres.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_musician_mortality.html
Week six is about data visualization and week seven Big Data.
Week eight is about publication bias and why most published science results are false (http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124) and how false facts become established (https://elifesciences.org/content/5/e21451).
Week nine focuses on predatory publishing and the misconduct of scientists whereas the last three weeks deal with the ethics of bullshit, spotting fake news and finally refuting bullshit.
I wish a course like this was a requirement for all college students. It would go a long way towards enhancing critical thinking among the population. Please read as many of the links as you time.
Here is the link to the syllabus:
http://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html#Fake
The course will require the class, in the first week to read Harry Frankfurt's piece "On Bullshit" in the first week.
https://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf
In the second week the course delves into how to spot bullshit with the help of Carl Sagan and his piece, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection."
There's a great bit on 99.9% caffeine free cocoa a pretty apolitical item.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_caffeine_free.html
Week three is about the ecology of bullshit and it specifically calls out TEDtalks as being a particularly upscale source for it.
The fourth week explores correlation and causality.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_traffic_improvements.html
Week five is dedicated to statistical traps with a brilliant piece about the lifespan of musician in various genres.
http://callingbullshit.org/case_studies/case_study_musician_mortality.html
Week six is about data visualization and week seven Big Data.
Week eight is about publication bias and why most published science results are false (http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124) and how false facts become established (https://elifesciences.org/content/5/e21451).
Week nine focuses on predatory publishing and the misconduct of scientists whereas the last three weeks deal with the ethics of bullshit, spotting fake news and finally refuting bullshit.
I wish a course like this was a requirement for all college students. It would go a long way towards enhancing critical thinking among the population. Please read as many of the links as you time.
